Page 23 - Rural Voice III - Responding to a Pandemic

WHEN WE WERE LOCKED DOWN, OUR WHATSAPP GROUP KEPT US CONNECTED TO OUR COMMUNITY
The covid-19 pandemic helped build TrusT beTween members of The communiTy, sTaff, and The board of masiphakameni local developmenT agency in humansdorp, wriTes coordinaTor phumeza sibengile:
Before COVID-19, we were busy doing outreach workshops on farms in Koega and Koukamma, explaining the rights of farmworkers. The main social challenges in Humansdorp, and the KwaNomzamo location in particular, are the high rate of unemployment, school dropouts, abuse of alcohol and drugs, and housebreaking.
I first heard of COVID-19 in the news towards the end of 2019, and as the stories increased, we realised we had to think about this pandemic that was coming. I think people living in our area were the first to be infected by COVID-19 in the Eastern Cape. When my neighbours and people I know were infected, I started to realise that this was real. Fortunately, they are safe, but we were really scared, because we used to visit them and then we could not go there. There were three members of our community who did not make it.
The impacT of covid on The humansdorp and kwanomzamo communiTy
The biggest impact of COVID-19 was people being laid off from work and others who
MASIPHAKAMENI LOCAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
The Masiphakameni Local Development Agency was established in Humansdorp in 1992, and provides paralegal support and referrals of gender-based violence for counselling and prevention support. Staff also facilitate awareness campaigns of farm workers’ rights, and food gardening projects.
DISTRICT: Sarah Baartman District
COVID-19 CASES: From March to the end of October 2020, there were 8,010 cases of COVID-19 reported in the Sarah Baartman District of the Eastern Cape. There were 263 fatalities.
DIRECTOR: Phumeza Sibengile
NUMBER OF STAFF: 2, NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS: 1
BOARD CHAIR: John Jantjies
BOARD MEMBERS: Moses Bailey; Nzimeni Olifant; Nyameka Gotyana; Nombulelo Philip; Xolisa Ntozini
ADDRESS: 394 Mjekula Street, Kwanomzamo
PHONE: 083 690 3227, EMAIL: masiphakameni@gmail.com
phumEza sibEngilE
“When my neighbours and people I know were affected,
I started to realise that this was real.”
23