Prevention, Protection and Preparedness for COVID-19 for 200 Rural Girls and Women in Nepal

Sunday, the 11th of October is International Day of the Girl and Rockflower is pleased to announce a new partnership with Janaki Women Awareness Society (JWAS) in Nepal. 

JWAS, a community-based organization established in 1993 by a group of women social workers, is undertaking a project to educate and protect the most marginalized of women and girls through a virtual and listening program on the threat of COVID-19. 

By utilizing the power of radio, picture books, and small community listening groups, JWAS is creating effective channels of communication to inspire and protect those most at risk. Information about COVID-19 prevention, preparedness and protection, and how best to access health services during this pandemic are of paramount importance in these communities. Read more about these girls and young women who are at high risk for child marriage and gender-based violence and how through this simple but effective means of communication JWAS will be stemming the tide of an inevitable surge in COVID-19 cases. 

COVID-19 Protection Kits Distributed to Rohingya Refugees and IDPs through Women’s Peace Network

Rockflower’s funding of the Women’s Peace Network’s project to provide COVID-19 Relief for Rohingya Refugees and IDPs has begun in earnest.

In late August, 1,000 kits for COVID-19 protection were distributed to elderly women, widows and orphaned girls in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Each kit included: 2 reusable face masks, 2 bottles of hand sanitizer, 1 large towel, a scarf, 1 kg of flour, and 2 kg of sticky rice.

The kits were well received as the items differ from what other NGOs are supplying the refugees with.

“This is the first time that I am going to eat sticky rice* since I fled from Myanmar three years ago. I have never received a donation like this before.”

— WPN Beneficiary

*Sticky rice is one of the most popular breakfast foods among Rohingya.

Another beneficiary said she was happy to receive the flour and protection kit so that she could make traditional foods during the holy days. One beneficiary who is only 17, was very grateful for this support as she was running from the prospect of a forced marriage and as yet had not received help from any other source. There is a great deal of work to be done to ensure that those living in such dire conditions are given as continued support.

Rockflower Partners with the Save Society Foundation

Rockflower is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Save Society Foundation.

The Save Society Foundation works at the community level in South Sudan to build the capacity of the marginalized communities, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, women, youth, and peoples with disabilities, to enable them to have a better standard of living through economic transformation, improved health, quality education and promotion of peace, conflict mitigation and democracy.

Due to wars and illnesses, such as HIV and AIDS, Sudanese women have lost their husbands. The Improve Standard of Living for Homeless Sudanese Women project will help them to start earning an income and improve their housing conditions with their savings to pay land title deeds, land surveys for permanent ownership, pay school tuition fees for their children, and/or healthcare.

Graphic Design Course with the AVAZ Association

Rockflower’s ongoing commitment to the AVAZ Association to Establish a Women’s Technology Education Center has begun a Graphic Design course. Instruction will begin during the first week of August. The Public Health Directorate has granted permission to the AVAZ Association for in-person instruction.

The subject will be taught to two groups of 12 female refugees, 24 in total, over the course of 6 months. Over 50 applications were received. The intention is to provide the refugee women with economic empowerment opportunities in areas other than the typically gendered options, such as sewing, embroidery and hairdressing. The study plan for the course can be viewed below.

COVID-19 Relief Project in Northern Pakistan and AJK

Rockflower is continuing its long-standing partnership with Community Services Program (CSP) by extending the initial relief from our Emergency Fund into a six month administered project specifically targeting at-risk women’s groups and female-headed households.

The COVID-19 Relief Project in Northern Pakistan and AJK will provide training and education on how to protect and encourage behavior change to limit the rate of infection and transmission rates. Continued distribution of food items and WASH kits will be an integral part of the project.

Given how much the consequences of the pandemic have been exacerbated by the socio-political situation in Northern Pakistan and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir region, this additional assistance is extremely timely and necessary.

To donate, please visit our Give to the Garden page.

Rain for the Sahel and Sahara

Niger

Niger declared a national state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 27.  The measure was extended for another three months starting July 12.

Challenges and Concerns

The following is excerpted from a summary report by Katherine Kolios, Executive Director of Rain for the Sahel and Sahara.

This has been an especially challenging period in Niger. The country had its first case of coronavirus in late March and the government reacted swiftly - they shut the borders, limited transit within the country, closed schools from Kindergarten through University, and asked people to remain home if possible. The government's reaction was necessary - Niger simply doesn't have the medical infrastructure to deal with a widespread outbreak. Unfortunately, as we've seen in many other countries, the impact of the virus goes well beyond the virus itself. Closing borders and limiting transportation made it harder to access basic necessities. As stockpiles dwindled, prices soared. RAIN's partner communities - poor, remote villages - are some of the hardest hit. 

In April, David Beasley, the head of the World Food Program, announced that we could expect to see famines of "biblical proportions" across the globe. This is what our partner communities feared - not coronavirus, but starvation. In this way, COVID reiterated the importance of communities being able to meet their basic needs locally. Rural and nomadic communities without access to safe water are at significant risk if the coronavirus or another disease infiltrates the population. They are also most vulnerable to price fluctuations as they have limited access to markets and goods. Now, more than ever, our partner communities need support – and Rockflower stepped in to help. 

Adaptation Measures

RAIN’s Field Team, led by Director of Programs Boube Aw, was committed to standing by our partners, especially during these challenging times. The team applied for special dispensation to travel and pivoted from running education and livelihood programs to delivering emergency aid and training. 

In recent weeks, RAIN’s staff:

• Distributed over 40 cartons of soap – over 1,000 extra-large bars of soap. Soap was given to 101 women mentors in the Agadez region of Niger in the villages of Aouderas, Batarmatas, Tinteloust, Etaghas, Eferouane Nord and Soulefet. In turn, these women coordinated distribution to students and families across all 6 villages.

• Established 5 washing stations to serve local middle school students and to decrease their risk of virus transmission as they return to school.

• Delivered awareness building & training seminars on the transmission of COVID-19 - encouraging people to follow the five steps outlined by Niger’s Department of Health (wear a mask, cough or sneeze into your elbow, avoid shaking hands, wash your hands with soap, & remain at home or, if out, retain at least one meter of distance from others).

Emergency Fund

In June, Hassana Alidou, the Former Ambassador from Niger to the United States and Canada spoke about how, in these rural communities, ceasing programs to limit the spread of coronavirus posed a greater risk than the virus itself. With Rockflower’s support, we were able to help supply the resources for our partner communities to continue programming but also to do so safely.

“We believe in the power of these entrepreneurial women, these curious children, and these committed families to build their own futures – but we also know how hard that is to do without support. They are grateful and we are grateful to Rockflower for pitching in to ensure that these basic vital needs are met so that education and opportunity do not need to be put on hold for COVID.”

— Katherine Kolios, Executive Director of RAIN

Rockflower Welcomes Caroline Bracken to the Catalyzer Collective

Rockflower is pleased to announce the addition of Caroline Bracken to our Catalyzer Collective.

Caroline is a recent graduate of the College of Charleston where she studied Political Science with a minor in International Studies and Geography. While at Charleston, Caroline studied Modern Standard Arabic and dedicated her senior year to write a thesis about the different peace and security outcomes of the Arab Spring of 2010. She is passionate about the social, cultural, and political dynamics of the Middle East and North Africa and is interested in pursuing a career in research and policy related to the region. Caroline firmly believes that peace and security isn’t possible without the empowerment of women and girls.

We are excited to welcome her to our Catalyzer Collective!

Rockflower Welcomes Kaidlyne Neukam to the Catalyzer Collective

Rockflower is pleased to announce the addition of Kaidlyne Neukam to our Catalyzer Collective.

Kaidlyne is a recent graduate of American University and has been specializing in gendered use cases of energy-efficient appliances in off-grid communities during her most recent role with CLASP, a DC-based NGO. With her varied background in international development, business and communications, Kaidlyne is passionate about business-driven efforts to empower women and girls through catalytic funding and partnerships.

We are excited to welcome her to our Catalyzer Collective!

Casa Congo

Nicaragua

As one of the last countries to confirm COVID-19 cases Nicaragua is being carefully monitored by the Pan American Health Organization to ensure accurate statistics are being shared. There have been no strict lockdown measures enforced and as a result information about the spread of the virus is not uniform. The need to keep abreast of the government’s reporting will be of ongoing importance in the maintenance of balance for community health.

Concerns and Challenges

Casa Congo is very concerned about the spread of COVID-19 given the state of the Nicaraguan health infrastructure. Those with limited resources and access to healthcare will continue to be at most risk.

Adaptation Measures

As the pandemic began to take hold in late February, Casa Congo’s international team members quarantined in their respective home locations of Dubai, France, the Netherlands, Vancouver and Rome. The team on the ground in Nicaragua made the decision to close school operations to safeguard the local community. Casa Congo itself has been closed to volunteers, tourists and children which continues to challenge a well prepared budget, but the community’s safety is the first priority.

Although the pandemic has significantly altered plans, Casa Congo continues to move forward with great fervor. They have adapted to include numerous initiatives and activities, amongst those, a partnership with Buy Food with Plastic (a local waste program), increased gardening activities, a meeting with the Nicaraguan Minister of the Environment and surf lessons for local children.

Emergency Fund

In the coming weeks, Casa Congo will begin to budget and implement a seed program utilizing our Emergency Fund contribution. With the completion of their application for a grant to deliver water filtration systems, they are now looking ahead to what else can be prepared in advanced for long term food security.

Footsteps Africa

Malawi

Malawi was one of the last countries to announce a case of COVID-19. President Peter Mutharika has banned foreign nationals from some countries from entering Malawi and has told Malawians to social distance. However, the country remains open. In mid April, a lockdown was blocked by the High Court due to a challenge by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC). It was said that more had to be done to help those that would be worst affected. The President is now starting an emergency cash transfer program. Additionally, Malawi’s Supreme Court upheld a ruling from last year that the general election has irregularities and a new election must occur no later than July 3.

Concerns, Challenges and Adaptation Measures

Footsteps Africa has received concerns from the locals that live in the villages they work in about them possibly bringing the coronavirus with them when they come to work on community projects. The rural communities have not yet seen health impacts due to the coronavirus, but have felt the economic strain.

Emergency Fund

Footsteps Africa has utilized the Emergency Fund donation from Rockflower to distribute corn grain to vulnerable, elderly women in their project areas. These women rely upon remittances sent by relatives. Due to the consequences of COVID-19, including loss of daily income, their relatives are no longer able to send them financial support.

Rockflower Partners with Center for Civil Society and Democracy

Rockflower is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Center for Civil Society and Democracy.

The Center for Civil Society and Democracy (CCSD) works to support a tolerant and inclusive democracy for Syria where there is respect for diversity, justice, equality, and freedom for all Syrians.

Many Syrian women face roadblocks to participate in society in a meaningful and impactful way and with the impact of COVID-19, having limited or no access to technology exacerbates the isolation and further impacts women’s labor force participation negatively. Digital literacy has been proven as a factor that improves women’s access to employment opportunities where providing useful and applied skills can build confidence and create more opportunities for women. CCSD is launching the Supporting Syrian Women to Have Access to Technology project as an initiative and plans to expand this effort in order to create a platform for a concerted effort towards closing gender gaps in digital literacy as the world moves faster and faster towards online communication.

Rockflower Partners with Women's Peace Network

Rockflower is pleased to announce a new partnership with Women’s Peace Network.

Women's Peace Network is taking a multi-sectoral approach to engage with vulnerable communities affected by ongoing conflicts in Myanmar, specifically, the Rohingya internally displaced in Myanmar, and the refugees in Bangladesh.

Already facing incredible challenges in the camps, Rohingya refugees and IDPs are now facing the life-threatening COVID-19 pandemic and remain incredibly vulnerable. Communicable diseases and viruses flourish in overcrowded, unsanitary environments like refugee camps. With WPN’s provision of masks and hand sanitizer through the COVID-19 Relief for Rohingya Refugees and IDPs project, they aim to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in these densely populated refugee and IDP camps.

Foundation for Research and Sustainable Development

India

India reported 8,909 new coronavirus cases, its biggest single-day rise as the total number of infections rose above 200,000.

This map from the New York Times shows India’s coronavirus case count by region. Our partner, Foundation for Research and Sustainable Development (FRSD), is located in Tamil Nadu.

Concerns and Challenges

FRSD’s major concern is the spread of COVID-19 through migrant workers as the country begins to reduce its lockdown restrictions. The risk of spreading COVID-19 in rural areas of Tamil Nadu are high and will flood the healthcare system there. In response, communities have been treating migrant workers poorly due to their fear of the coronavirus.

Emergency Fund

Rockflower’s Emergency Fund has supported FRSD in education initiatives on the preventative measures they can take in regard to COVID-19 and the distribution of food provisions and masks to the public. The women’s group FRSD works with has been making face masks to help with the demand as they have been mandatory at many public gatherings.

SIRP Marks Menstrual Hygiene Management Day with Best Practices and Reusable Sanitary Pads

The Society for the Improvement of Rural People in Enugu State, Nigeria, addresses all aspects of what it will take for women and girls to thrive in their communities. They continue to conduct workshops and seminars, whilst maintaining appropriate guidelines to ensure the health and safety of the community. SIRP's success in tackling the root causes of female genital mutilation (FGM) by working with traditional leaders and educators proved to be a great foundation as they confront the ongoing crisis on COVID-19. 

With continued support from Rockflower, SIRP marked Menstrual Hygiene Management Day with a gathering designed to share best menstrual health practices and ways to make reusable sanitary pads. The information and assistance were both timely and well-received. 

A direct consequence of the lockdown is the potential for increased gender-based violence, a resurgence in FGM, and greater use of drugs. Below are the thoughts Dr. Chris Ugwu, Executive Director of SIRP, shared with us.

“For rural communities in Enugu State, the immediate impact of the pandemic is not a direct health impact, but rather indirect. The virus originated primarily in our urban centers of Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, etc, and government responses have focused on containing the virus and "flattening the curve", as much as possible.

If the virus spreads at the same rate as it is doing currently in the urban centers; weaker health systems in our rural communities would cause the direct impacts of the virus to be felt more acutely, compounding the economic impacts. In the long term, whether the virus spreads to rural areas or not, it is very likely that food systems will be disrupted and economic challenges will continue, particularly impacting vulnerable rural households, especially women and children.

The group most vulnerable as COVID-19 rises in an astronomical rate (by today Nigeria has recorded 1728 infected cases, 307 discharged, and 51 death cases) are women. The disproportionate burden on women and girls as caregivers, household managers, and participants in the informal and insecure economy is brought into stark relief by this pandemic.

Because, rural communities in Enugu State have not been affected adversely by COVID-19, as they are usually seen as a secondary priority by the government. Meanwhile, the rural communities are already feeling the impacts of government shutdowns and social distancing measures- delaying support for them risks pushing them faster towards extreme poverty. Women in the rural communities of Enugu State are already at risk because of entrenched gender inequalities, in which women and men have differential access to help them cope with and recover from this kind of pandemic.

It's our thinking that as a strategy the Social Safety Net programs must be prioritized.

Action and Tools Needed: Access to relief funds and food palliatives distributed through credible community NGOs as partners. While social distancing and movement restrictions are crucial to slow the spread of COVID-19, agricultural channels must remain open. Cutting off these access points for vulnerable subsisting women rural farmers, for instance, removes both their opportunities to earn their additional income through employment and buy the right inputs for their farms, and risk their food security when they need to buy food to supplement their own crops.

Action and Strategy Being Recommended: The Chinese model "green lanes" in which rural farmers have relaxed lockdown guidelines that allow farmers to go to their farms on identified days." 

Continuing Reproductive Health through the COVID-19 Pandemic

African Youth Alliance, based in Cameroon, is led by Roseline and her team were just beginning their work on the Five Keys in Five Villages project at the start of this year before they had to pivot and regroup to address the needs imposed by the spread of COVID-19. This 2-year project was designed exclusively by AYA and the villages, to prove and track how each of the five keys overlaps and impacts each other. Through regular meetings to share findings and resources, they plan to offer a comprehensive review of why funding locally-led initiatives is the key to progress. The following is an edited excerpt from an interim report. 

"The village of Tumuku was assigned the key of Maternal and Reproductive Health. With the support of a community volunteer, the nurse had detailed discussion sessions with the groups in Tumuku village on the following topics to make sure that the members understood these topics: reproductive health, family planning, and general hygiene. With respect to reproductive health, she defined both terms, reproduction and health, for the group to understand them separately before highlighting the difference between the reproductive health of a female and a male. The group was able to freely talk about issues relating to females, such as breast and hip development and menstruation, and how they noticed a change in their muscles, deep voice, development of axillary and facial hairs for males. The women and girls were urged to practice safe sex with the right person as well as carry out regular medical checks in order to ensure they were in good health. Family planning was also defined during the brainstorming session, and a detailed explanation was given on the different methods of birth control including the natural method, a condom, pills, withdrawal method, and tubal ligation. Breastfeeding was discussed. The practices of good personal hygiene and to have a balanced diet for healthy living were encouraged. To round up the group lectures, the nurse educated the women and girls in attendance on basic and necessary hygienic measures, such as hand washing before and after meals or a visit to the toilet, washing of the head/face, taking a bath at least once or twice daily and when you do hard labor to avoid the use of bleaching agent on your body as it will remove melanin. It is worth noting that these activities were very educational and important because it built a foundation of knowledge for the women and girls to care for themselves in order to continue to stay healthy during this latest crisis of COVID-19."

Foundation for Women's Dignity

Uganda

Uganda has had one of the strictest lockdowns in Africa with only essential businesses functioning, dusk-to-dawn curfews, and bans on transportation. In addition to the coronavirus, Kasese, Uganda has been devastated by flooding.

Concerns and Challenges

Due to the lockdown and flooding, Foundation for Women’s Dignity (FOWODI) has had trouble reaching their beneficiaries as they were only able to travel by motorcycle.

As with many of our partners, FOWODI has seen that food was in high demand. Now, due to the displacement of so many from the floods, food supplies are essential.

Emergency Fund

Rockflower’s Emergency Fund aid has supported FOWODI’s community and beneficiaries by supplying food and introducing a Seed to Life program.

The food supplied per beneficiary included: 10 kg of high quality processed maize flour (totaling 400 kg for 40 women), 2 kg of soya milk powder (80 kg total) and a variety of fresh fruits.

The Seed to Life program is fulfilling a gap in the lack of vegetable farming in the community. FOWODI beneficiaries were supplied with vegetable seeds to begin their own kitchen gardens for sustenance and market consumption. So far, 100 tins of different vegetable seeds were purchased and distributed to 48 households in the Kasese district.

Food distribution to a FOWODI beneficiary

Seed to Life program

Horizons for Women and Children Association

Morocco

Morocco declared a state of emergency that took effect on March 20, 2020. It was originally slated to remain in effect until April 20. That has been extended multiple times, the latest to last until June 10.

Due to the curfew, the High Planning for Commission found at least one-third of Moroccans had lost their incomes.

Challenges and Emergency Fund

The members of the Horizons for Women and Children Association are amongst those that make up the 33% statistic stated above. Before the lockdown, the Horizons for Women and Children Association took out a loan to invest in a location where the women would be able to work on their argan oil production process. Unfortunately, as a result of the strict lockdown policies that have been implemented in Morocco, the women have been unable to gather to continue to work and the revenue they were planning to collect from argan oil production has not been generated.

Rockflower’s Emergency Fund donation to the association will help to pay off the loan and ease the stress associated with finding financing for the loan as incomes are restricted for the women during this pandemic.

Hope for Rural Women

Uganda

Ugandan women are some of the most resilient, innovative and adaptable humans you can find, and yet the recent events in Kasese are pushing the limits of even the strongest. The people of the Kasese district have had their lives upended by flooding and rock slides. It began in the middle of the night on May 14. Four rivers in the Kasese district – the Nyamwamba, Mubuku, Nyamughasana and Lhubiriha – had burst their banks. On Sunday, flash flooding caused more devastation. Thousands have been displaced as the waters swept away homes, schools, farms, roads, the hospital and power station.

Concerns and Challenges

While the threat of COVID-19 is looming, the immediate problem for Hope for Rural Women is to help those that have been moved to emergency camps due to the flooding. The government of Uganda has provided provisions, including 200,000 kgs of maize flour, 100 blankets, tarpaulins and jerry cans. But there are more people than there are supplies resulting in many not receiving anything at all.

Hope for Rural Women is unable to check on their members as the town has been devasted sending everyone in different directions to multiple emergency camps.

Emergency Fund

Fortunately, the newly built Aquaponics Fish Farm survived the flooding however it is within the floodplain of the rising waters.

Hope for Rural Women utilized the Emergency Fund to educate its members on the risks of the coronavirus and to procure essential supplies. Hope for Rural Women printed 1000 posters in three local languages to spread correct information on how COVID-19 is transmitted. Members received maize flour for food, and soap and basins for washing.

Society for Participatory Research and Integrated Training

India

India has been under a nationwide lockdown since March 25. The lockdown was to end May 17, but was extended until May 31. The government began easing restrictions on May 4, including the reopening of neighborhood shops, manufacturing and farming in rural areas, and began running a limited number of trains.

This map from the New York Times shows India’s coronavirus case count by region. Our partner, Society for Participatory Research and Integrated Training (SPRIT), is located in Tamil Nadu.

Concerns, Challenges and Adaptation Measures

Due to the strict lockdown, SPRIT was unable to visit their ongoing projects occuring in the villages. As the government began to ease restrictions earlier this month, they were able to visit some areas although not all as some are still under red alert.

Emergency Fund

The Emergency Fund from Rockflower was used by SPRIT to place an order of 150 reusable masks with a local woman tailor. This not only helps protect the tribal families, but also provides economic empowerment within the community.

Mategemeo Women Association

Tanzania

Schools and borders are closed. However, Tanzanian President John Magufali has been criticized for encouraging the public to attend places of worship. President Magufali has stated that Dar es Salaam will never be in lockdown.

Concerns, Challenges and Adaptation Measures

Mategemeo Women Association has taken the threat of the coronavirus very seriously and followed WHO guidelines for social distancing. In addition to providing sanitation equipment, they are adjusting their programming to fit within this new “normal”. Spreading correct information on preventative measures has been done through mass text messaging and megaphones. Additionally, Mategemeo Women Association has created Online Girls’ Clubs, social distancing communication networks, and distancing learning to ensure that girls do not feel isolated during this time and have the support networks they need. These will cover life skills, sexual education, personal well-being and provide motivation for learning until school begins again.

Emergency Fund

Mategemeo Women Association received assistance from our Emergency Fund two ways. The first was through a donation made by Rockflower for the production of reusable face masks by WomenChoice Industries. 900 masks were produced, so far over 700 have been distributed. In addition to the face masks, Mategemeo Women Association received funds to assist families in purchasing food, hand sanitizer, soap, and essential medicines.