The Joint and Concerted Effort to Fight COVID-19 In Mandera

 

In March 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Kenya. Soon, the pandemic that was sweeping through the globe started spreading in Kenya. As lockdowns were put in place to stem its spread, many people moved to rural areas and inadvertently spread the virus to areas like Mandera where healthcare services are sparse, were stretched. The porous borders between the county and neighboring countries also saw a rise in COVID-19 numbers. On 22^nd April 2020 movement into and out of Mandera was restricted by the National Government health Cabinet Secretary after it became the fifth county in the country to report a spike in COVID numbers. Everything was closed including schools and only essential services were left operational.

To combat the spread of the virus, CARE International in Kenya through the Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA) program sought innovative ways to raise awareness. “With some contingency funds in the program, we were able to collaborate with the County government together with the private sector to educate the community on the virus, how it is spread and how to protect oneself from contracting it,” Abdi Hussein BORESHA Program coordinator for CARE Kenya says.

The program purchased airtime on DAWA FM, a local radio station, and through this, they engaged the Mandera County Committee on COVID-19 response to share messages, information, and details on the Virus. The reason we opted for DAWA FM is that not only does it use the most widely spoken language in the region, Somali, but has a wide audience reach.

Haqil Suleiman - DAWA FM station Manager - disseminating messages about COVID-19 to their respective listeners in Mandera County. CARE/David Mutua

 “Since our transmission radius covers 140Km² and we are close to the border, we are able to disseminate information not only in Mandera {Kenya} but also Somalia and Ethiopia. This ensured that the prevention messages reached communities on the border who regularly crossover. The conversations and interactions between the community and County Health workers via our station were so engaging that many times they would go beyond time,” says Haqil Suleiman DAWA FM station Manager. The Somali community is a predominantly oral culture and as such information shared orally is more receptive to the community.

Khaltuma Abdirahman, Headteacher at Mandera Township Primary School,

holding barsoap distributed to the school. CARE/David Mutua

The lockdowns and subsequent school closures not only affected the economy but also the social fabric of the, mostly, pastoral community. “Since the children were at home many of them turned to vices to pass time along. Some turned to drugs and engaged in illegal activities. The girl child was also quite affected as some were married off and others got pregnant,” says Khaltuma Abdirahman, Headteacher at Mandera Township Primary School.

The school, which is a stones-throw away from the Kenya-Somalia border, had faced its fair share of trials before the pandemic led to its shutdown. “Whenever there was cross-border conflict, sometimes the students would not attend class because of the violence. Also, we lost several teachers who sought opportunities in other areas because of the insecurity of the area,” Khaltuma says.

A teacher teaching his students during a lesson at Mandera Township Primary School. CARE/David Mutua

In 2021, as the spread of COVID-19 reduced, a directive for learning to resume was instituted but with a caveat that there was to be strict adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines. There was to be one hand washing station for every 50 students. As part of its outreach to support the school, CARE International in Kenya through BORESHA set up four handwashing stations in the school and distributed 160 bars of soap that were a meter-long. This had a more than expected impact on the school, “Since there is regular hand washing, there have been fewer instances of other diseases because of cleanliness and hygiene,” Headteacher Khaltuma says.

A pupil from Mandera Township Primary School demonstrating hand washing as one of the the prevention measures against COVID-19. CARE/David Mutua

Through BORESHA, 40 schools received handwashing kits. Beyond the schools, the BORESHA program distributed hygiene kits, which comprised of 10 bars of soap and water, to 1500 Internally displaced persons to ensure that they wash their hands to prevent the spread of the virus.

Check out more of the story here: https://youtu.be/7N2aMNcaAY0

 

Funded by the European Union Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF), the Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA) project is a 3-year 9 Months cross-border project (December 2017- November 2020) and March-November 2021. Whose overall objective is to promote economic development and greater resilience, particularly among vulnerable groups in the Mandera Triangle (area between Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia). The project adopts a community-driven approach to address the shared nature of the risks and opportunities in this border area. It is part of the EU's Programme for Collaboration in the Cross-Border areas of the Horn of Africa, providing over 60 million euros of investment to prevent and mitigate the impact of local conflict and to promote economic development and greater resilience in the different cross-border regions. The consortium is led by DRC in partnership with World Vision and CARE International.