For several weeks now, the entire world has been facing an unprecedented virus: the Covid-19.
In the fight against its spread, significant funds are mobilized across the planet to provide substantial assistance to the most vulnerable populations and to medical personnel.
Faced with this health crisis, the members of the African diaspora are among those who believe that the diaspora can play a crucial role in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic by providing massive, direct and concerted support to the most vulnerable and most at risk populations from the African continent.
This is why a group of personalities from diaspora initiated the #AfricaDiasporaFightsCoronavirus project.
This pan-African initiative involves raising funds to buy protective equipment, basic necessities and medicines that will go directly to the most vulnerable African populations. The objective is to finance the coordination and distribution of basic necessities (medical equipment, meals, medicines, etc.) to people affected by COVID-19 and health workers, and to support awareness campaigns for the most vulnerable populations.
The authors of the Africa Diaspora Fights Coronavirus project are Chams Diagne, of Talent2Africa (Ivory Coast), Amina Gerba, member of the Forum Afrique Expansion, Achille Ubalijoro of Kabera Consulting Inc. (Canada), Amadou Diawara of the FAMIB Group (Mali), and Moussa Traoré from the Sonatel group (Senegal)
The functioning
This project aims to be a facilitating platform between the diaspora in the world and the African continent.
In order to set up fundraising, the collective must first of all identify field needs. Then, once the needs have been identified, it selects initiatives, projects and local partners for a successful implementation.
Furthermore, the members of the project carry out fundraising with the Jamaafunding platform.
To start their pan-African action, the collective selected four projects in four countries: Cameroon, Senegal, Niger and Mali.
Cameroon
It was in Cameroon that the Africa Diaspora Fights Coronavirus collective decided to start its action. According to the CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) institute, Cameroon is one of the African countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
In partnership with Cameroon Red Cross, the #AfricaDiasporaFightsCoronavirus movement has therefore decided to set up a fundraising campaign to help the Jamot hospital in Yaoundé.
Recognized for its pulmonology service, the Jamot Hospital received a large number of Covid-19 patients since the beginning of the spread of the virus in the country.
This is also the establishment where the first Coronavirus patients were received in Cameroon.
This unprecedented situation therefore requires significant care, that of the sick and the protection of caregivers: around 15,000 masks for medical staff and patients per month, 15,000 gowns and gloves, not counting medical equipment and treatments.
Thus, with a fundraising campaign, the project team wishes to provide medical equipment (Masks FFP2, washable masks, face shield masks, hand hygiene solutions …) that will allow the Jamot Hospital to maintain a quality service to patients.
Senegal
After Cameroon, the members of the project decided to support the most vulnerable groups in Senegal: young children, street children, Talibés and the poorest families.
At first, the collective decided to help 4 nurseries in the country. Indeed, since the beginning of the health crisis, the situation of nurseries has become critical.
Visits, distributions, displacements and donations are becoming rarer and as the authors of this initiative recall, “nurseries normally function mainly on donations”.
Thus, so that nurseries can continue to properly protect vulnerable and endangered children, Africa Diaspora Fights Coronavirus appealed to the Senegalese diaspora to help 4 nurseries in the Medina, Nianing (Mbour), Oussouye and Cabrousse.
The money raised will be given to the four nurseries and will also be used to buy food, baby nappies, cleaning products and medecines.
Niger
In Niger, Africa Diaspora Fights Coronavirus wants to mobilize the Diaspora around the Ramadan 1 Million project, for the benefit of the disadvantaged populations of Niger.
This program, which was born in 2016, aims to provide during the blessed month of Ramadan, 1 Million meals to poor people throughout the territory of Niger. However, this year, Ramadan is taking place in a particular context due to the health crisis of the Covid-19.
Thus, this year, the objective of the Ramadan 1 Million program (special COVID-19) is to support the disadvantaged populations of Niger during Ramadan. The aim is also to fight the Coronavirus and its consequences through humanitarian actions such as the distribution of food and hygiene kits to the underprivileged populations and the contribution to the financing of sustainable development projects (the construction of wells / boreholes and the financial empowerment of the Abdullah Ibn Massoud Orphanage in Niger).
The diaspora therefore decided to mobilize to collect a sum of € 15,000 to help the disadvantaged people in the city of Niamey and the surrounding area. Indeed, it is the most affected region in the country.
Mali
In Mali, the members of Africa Diaspora Fights Coronavirus want to mobilize the Diaspora around the CSR project of the FAMIB group foundation.
The aim of this project is to provide sanitary facilities (washable masks, gloves, hand hygiene solutions, liquid soap, hand washing kit) for the benefit of Mali’s disadvantaged populations, the health services and public administrations most affected.
This equipment will then be distributed to the poor populations of the city of Bamako and more specifically the beggars, and homeless people who are today the most exposed.
Indeed, more than 80% of confirmed cases of COVID19 contamination are registered in the Malian capital. Moreover, with the increase in prices, poor populations are finding it difficult to obtain protective equipment (masks, hydro-alcoholic gels…) to set up barrier gestures.
If the initial objective of the collective was to develop four projects in four countries, the members of the #AfricaDiasporaFightCorona project continue their actions in other countries such as Ivory Coast.
In this country, Africa Diaspora Fights Coronavirus developed a partnership with the Ivorian Network of Diaspora Graduates and the NGO LISAD. The objective of this partnership is to distribute food baskets to families in need.
Indeed, after almost two months of lockdown and the suspension of economic activities, a very large segment of the Ivorian population finds itself in a situation of great precariousness.
This is the reason why, the initiators of this project decided to set up a fundraising so that 30 families can benefit from a food and health kit.
The beneficiaries are vulnerable families, families deprived of work, people with reduced mobility and the homeless.
This food aid is very important because in Ivory Coast, most of the population earns its living from day to day. Thus, with the lockdown, there would therefore be a real risk of starvation rather than Covid-19.
The goal today is to broaden the action by helping around fifty vulnerable families impacted by Covid-19.
The Africa Diaspora Fights Coronavirus collective therefore contributes with its partners and donors to the national solidarity effort in the African countries that have been mentioned.
This initiative is in line with the aim of IDEAL-M, which seeks to empower African Diasporas in the fight against irregular migration.
Comments