Extra Complexities
COVID 19 presents itself as a mystery. Almost every person is trying to come to terms with or to discover their truth about it. It took every person by surprise, and I have never thought that the whole world could go into a standstill because of a pandemic.
Before the pandemic, many people used to work hard every day to meet their daily needs. This approach to life changed immediately when the virus started spreading to different parts of the world. Very few people used to ask for assistance from their governments or people of goodwill, but this changed when the working-class were affected by the lockdowns that led to the closure of many businesses.
In The USA
It was evident that the pandemic has affected all countries but in different ways. Some places have been more severely affected when compared to other places. Coming from a small village in Kenya and now living in the USA, I can attest to how we in the USA are fortunate. I’m using the word fortunate not because the virus has not affected us here but because of the support the government and other organizations have been giving to people in this country.
The WHO has given some guidelines that can slow down the spread of the virus from one person to another. In the United States, to follow the guidelines is relatively easy. A good example is washing hands from time to time or when you have touched suspicious surfaces.
In Kenya
Water is a big challenge in my village, and most people do not have access to clean water. The lack of clean water makes it difficult for people to keep proper hygiene like washing hands to reduce the risk of getting or transmitting the virus.
In the USA, it is very different as water is connected to people’s homes. The only effort they have to make is to turn the tap on and then clean themselves. People in my village have to travel many miles to get water for drinking and cleaning themselves. This is why it is very important to support Emmah’s Garden course of action in providing the village with clean water.
Social distancing is another guideline that has been stipulated by the WHO to help in combating the virus. From my experience, I find this to make a lot of sense, although it does not work for all people. It is easy to social distance when you can work from home or somewhere that is very convenient. To work from home, one needs the Internet, which is easily accessible here in the USA.
In my village, most people live hand to mouth and live in congested places where they cannot manage to social distance. The Internet is another challenge, and most of them cannot work from home. Most homes are not able to support working from home as they are not connected to electricity.
Lockdowns have been suggested and are used to slow down the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, they work well for countries where governments have enough resources to support it is citizens. A good case study is the government of the USA, which stepped in to help its citizens by providing them with a stimulus package and unemployment benefits. This kept people going while on lockdown, and I learned a lot from this experience.
The stability of a government is essential to its citizens in such challenging times. For my village, things were opposite as the lockdown caused many families to go to bed hungry or miss basic needs. There are people who would work every day when perhaps they should have stayed at home. They had to work to get money to buy food. There were no stimulus packages or filing for unemployment because most of them are informal laborers, and the government does not have a support plan.
Sanitizers are rarely available in my village because they are expensive to purchase. People have to prioritize on what to buy, food, or sanitizers. People struggling to put food on the table cannot think of buying sanitizers regardless of it being important.
Hunger is something people do not wish for, and it also makes people work hard to provide for their families. Families that were struggling to get food before the pandemic are now struggling even more as the pandemic has made things difficult. This is why your generosity will be of great value to the people of Nyandoche Ibere.
Summary
In summary, I believe the small efforts of Emmah’s Garden matter a lot during this pandemic. Learning how the pandemic has affected our personal lives is a great thing, but, learning how it has affected other people is also important. If you can help by supporting Emmah’s Garden, I think you will find this rewarding because it eases the tension and anxieties once you realize how lucky you are to have a supportive environment.