Lesssons learned from the Corona Virus impact on the poor
This was the biggest surprise of our generation as no one saw it coming. It has shut down countries and landed all the planes. All non essential workers were required to stay home; curfews were imposed in most poor countries, and people stayed confined for months. These decisions obliged by the pandemic have a huge impact on the poor people in developing countries.
Social distancing prevent the help to the orphans. The social fabric is being destroyed as most poor countries are about togetherness and the warmth of human relations. People become poorer because they no longer can exercise the hands on labor they often do to bring some income to the household.
Many people in the African diaspora have started to create the Go Fund me to support the orphanages and the needy in West Africa. On April 16th, 2020, The World Bank Group published: « According to the most recent estimates, in 2015, 10 percent of the world’s population or 734 million people lived on less than $1.90 a day. That’s down from nearly 36 percent or 1.9 billion people in 1990. However, due to the COVID-19 crisis as well as the oil price drop, this trend probably will reverse in 2020. The COVID-19 crisis will have a disproportionate impact on the poor, through job loss, loss of remittances, rising prices, and disruptions in services such as education and health care. »
Many non profit organizations are putting emergency efforts towards developing countries to alleviate the hardship the people are facing. As a non profit, Wenesso Foundation is helping feed the orphans in Togo and West Africa. The hope is that the governments in the poor countries don’t implement a complete shut down.
Poor countries should think twice in handling the pandemic.
Wenesso Tengande