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I really miss my GEF office with all the kids photos surrounding me, but I know if we all embrace this new but hopefully short term self isolation period we can all get through this.  The GEF team have been working together to put a plan together and I thought it would be good to share it with our fellow ABN community members.  Stay stay everyone!

Tuko pamjo na tutapitia hii – ‘We are together and we will get through this’

COVID-19 impact on GEF families and the charity as a whole.

– Many of the children we support rely on school meals. With schools, colleges and universities in Kenya now closed lots of children are at home living in desperate conditions and short of food.  However, there are also children living in the houses we have built and there are families who have been supported by our farming projects and Two Feet Business Start Up Initiative that are coping better than others.

– The majority of our families rely on casual work (typically on a local farm earning £1.50 per day).  The lockdown nature of the COVID-19 situation means that this work is not available and they have zero income.

– Parents and children who suffer from HIV and other health conditions are particularly at risk if they were to contract the virus.

– The GBP/Kenyan Shilling exchange rate has become very volatile, dropping 9% from last month.  This is having a significant impact on our monthly budget transfers of funds.

– As it stands school fees for Term 2 are still required to be paid in April.  More than ever we are grateful to and reliant on everyone who sponsors a child with us.

– Our team of 5 staff in Kenya and 2 in the UK are all working from home. Our Aberdeen, Iten and Karatina offices and the shop in Iten are closed.

– Our August 2020 volunteer house building trip has been postponed with a new date to be confirmed when we have greater clarity.

What we are doing to support families through COVID-19

– We are trying to make sure that the most vulnerable families have enough food and essential items during this challenging period.  We are doing this by remotely placing orders at small shops across the country, paying electronically via Mpesa and asking one person from each family to collect the items.  Items include rice, beans, maize, vegetables, sugar, tea leaves, cooking oil, cereal, flour, soap and hand wash and also seeds and fertiliser for growing food. The photos below (some taken at homes and others at shops) are of families received items this week. Currently we are doing this for 33 families but that may need to increase depending how long the situation lasts. We must say a huge thank you to Prit and the team at Eeeze Kwik Mart in Iten for their generous donation of several items.

– We are in regular contact with all families we support reminding them of the Government’s social distancing and hygiene advice.

– We are also in contact with the families we support in Aberdeenshire through the Neil Jaffrey Initiative and are ready to support as needed.

How you can help / get involved with GEF during COVID-19

– We recognise that this is a tough time for everyone and some people will be unable to support our efforts. However, if you are able to donate money towards ensuring the families we support receive food, essential items and medical care if required, please click the link below. On average it costs £9 for us to provide one of our families with enough food and essential items to last one week. Initially we are aiming to raise enough to support 33 families for 2 months.

www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/GEF-COVID-19

– We will also be hosting a couple of virtual fundraising events – more information will follow in the coming days.

– We encourage our child sponsors to write to their sponsored child during this time. Hand written letters should be scanned/sent electronically to info@gathimbaedwardsfoundation.org

– We also encourage any other parents/guardians to get in touch if you would like your child to have a pen pal in Kenya during the COVID-19 situation.  Letters, drawings and pictures about life in another part of the world can be a great way to keep children engaged and learning whilst they are out of school.

–  While social distancing is imperative, we would reiterate that wherever you are in the world, it is important to stay active.  If you need any fitness related advice, Gideon and Myles can be contacted via the GEF social media channels or info@gathimbaedwardsfoundation.org.  In addition, if you or any group would wish a GEF/motivational presentation, Myles can deliver this virtually via Zoom.