Page 24 - Rural Voice III - Responding to a Pandemic

Jane Charles, Kwanomzamo, Humansdorp Humansdorp food distribution
Food parcels distributed
100
COVID grant funding given to LDA’s
R 50 000
were forced to have their working hours reduced. Some were not retrenched, but because the businesses were closed, they had to stay at home.
The scary part of it, especially in KwaNomzamo – the first area of infections – was that we were treated like we did not belong. The policemen would chase us when we went to town to buy goods, and accompany us to ensure we went back home. It was strange. Police and soldiers were all around us. We dealt with this by creating a WhatsApp group, which we used to try to comfort each other. If someone became ill, we would provide advice. The church ministers would send motivational messages and phone people to comfort them. They would pray for people affected by COVID-19.
Every Sunday, if it was not too cold, we would have a gathering of about thirty people at a car wash, where we would share information about how to deal with COVID-19. Sometimes we would assist people on WhatsApp to access their R350 COVID-19 relief money from SASSA.
projecTs and programmes in response To The covid-19 pandemic
We distributed the food parcels we received from SCAT to 350 of the most vulnerable people in our community – the elderly, child-headed families, and families where there was no income. We wrote to Woodlands Dairy, asking for donations of milk and cheese. It agreed to donate dairy products, which we gave to about 150 families who did not have any income.
We distributed masks, PPE and hand gloves to health workers and the taxi industry. Recently, a sponsor from Owen Farm helped us to provide 30 mattresses, fleece blankets and PPE to two creches in our district, which are not supported by the Department of Social Development. Some of our clients are referred to us by the local clinic, because we run a home-based carer project.
During the first wave of the pandemic, we worked closely with gay and lesbian people, because they are not accepted by the community and are often attacked and beaten when going out to taverns over the weekend. We hear so many stories about violence. We planned a silent gender-based violence march in October 2020, to raise awareness about abuse towards gays and lesbians.
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RURAL VOICE III: RESPONDING TO A PANDEMIC