All over the world, families are sharing similar worries: what will we do if one of us shows symptoms? What’s going to happen to our children’s education? Will we be able to get the groceries we need this week? Those same worries exists in Nepal …
We’re adapting our health and education programmes to help meet the needs of families right now, and we aim to make sure they have access to information and resources they need during lockdown and in the future when things begin returning to normal.
The first suspected cases of coronavirus in Taplejung were reported last week. With just one set of PPE available in the community, the risk to health workers as they care for others is very real.
We have been able to divert £8,000 of funding to purchase essential PPE, cleaning supplies and stretchers. With the help of our local partner Action for Nepal these have already been delivered to six health posts in the Taplejung region, to the relief of health workers and local families.
The supplies includes: PPE set, KN95 Mask, Surgical gloves, Surgical Mask, Hand Sanitizer, Infrared Thermometer, heavy duty gloves and cleaning supplies for the health posts.
Schools in Nepal should have reopened in mid-April for the new academic year, but the growing impact of the COVID-19 crisis means the government have extended lockdown to contain the spread of disease. For the poorest families, where education is not always seen as a priority, it’s vital that we are able to maintain the momentum of our work with schools.
Thanks to your support, we had already adjusted our work plan and our local partner REED Nepal had been teaching 2,700 children in the 35 schools we support about the importance of handwashing to prevent the spread of disease.
A short video demonstrating good hand washing has been filmed, and is being used to raise public awareness for those who have access to social media. Soap and wash kits have been distributed and where possible demonstrations have been given to the community.
Like the UK, schools in the Taplejung region of Nepal are also closed to students. In preparation for schools reopening, we are providing virtual support for teachers and keeping up to date with news about pupils and their families over the phone. And in anticipation of a continuing lockdown, the team at REED Nepal have been busy developing educational radio programmes for pupils to keep up with lessons at home.
It’s heart-breaking to think all the progress that children and young people have made thanks to our teacher training, improved learning environments and growing attendance rates could be jeopardised, albeit temporarily … Our aim is to minimise the disruption to their basic education because of this crisis.
With your help, we will continue to be there for the people of Taplejung when they need us most. Please help us care by donating what you can. Any gift, of any size, can make a real difference for health workers and families under threat in this remote part of Nepal.
