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WATER FOR PEOPLE + COVID-19

Updates

March 31, 2020

You may already know that Water For People has focused on three critical areas of global need since our inception: water, sanitation and hygiene. As the impact of COVID-19 continues to increase around the world, hygiene is quickly becoming a priority. Accordingly, these are the operational activities we are prioritizing:

  1. We are accelerating our efforts to finish construction of water systems that will serve hundreds of health care centers and other public facilities in nine countries. We are doing this work while continuing to teach about the importance of handwashing in homes, schools, and clinics.
  2. Strengthen our public health systems strengthening capabilities with government ministries. This is critical for two reasons:
    • Sustainability: As the current health crisis grows, local governments need the skills to change human behavior and stop the spread of the virus. A particular need is for long-term improvements in personal hygiene practices in homes and healthcare facilities.
    • Resilience: Faster response times mean more lives will be saved in times of crisis. Assisting and enabling government agencies to respond faster prevents chaos, misinformation, and unnecessary loss of life. This builds community resilience and preparedness for the next public health crisis.

  3. Support aid agencies that are funding new emergency infrastructure, such as hospitals and health centres. Our role is to ensure that good handwashing and hygiene practices, along with adequate facilities, are included in work settings so that disease transmission is interrupted.

  4. Keeping our teams in place as best we can during the COVID-19 crisis. This is so that when the situation improves in each country, we are ready to help families, communities and governments in the recovery process.

March 19, 2020

  1. All global employees are working remotely whenever possible. Our IT team is providing support in cases of unstable power or internet connections.

  2. Our annual monitoring is temporarily delayed as it often includes a door-to-door survey.

  3. Our program teams continue to be flexible and creative to ensure work continues despite this new environment.

CASOS CONFIRMADOS ACTUALES EN LOS PAÍSES CON PROGRAMAS DE WATER FOR PEOPLE 5 DE MAYO DE 2020

GLOBAL: 3,525,116
Bolivia: 1,594
Guatemala: 703
Honduras: 1,055
India: 46,433
Malawi: 41
Nicaragua: 15
Peru: 45,928
Rwanda: 261
Uganda: 89
United States: 1,154,985

From the WHO COVID-19 Dashboard.

Currently, some countries are unable to test for COVID-19 properly or are processing cases using different methodologies. For example, in certain areas of the United States, testing is only being provided to those who are hospitalized or extremely ill. Therefore, the number of cases is likely much higher than what the CDC and WHO are reporting. This is likely true in some of the Water For People country programs, as test kits are still hard to find and take a long time to receive results.

Even if reported cases are low, that doesn't mean there is a low chance of contracting the virus. It is best to follow local government guidelines and continue to practice social distancing and safe hygiene procedures.

Recursos y respuestas de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS/WHO)

Guidelines for the public

Stay up to date with the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, which can be accessed on the WHO website and through relevant public health authorities at national and local levels. COVID-19 continues to primarily affect people in China, although outbreaks have occurred in other countries.

Questions and answers about coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause disease in both animals and humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

2019 novel coronavirus

On 31 December 2019, WHO was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. WHO is closely monitoring this event and is in active communication with counterparts in China.

More information about the Pan American Health Organization.

Mensaje del ceo eleanor allen March 31, 2020

Estimados partidarios de Water For People,

Mientras me siento en mi casa bajo las órdenes obligatorias de "quedarse en casa", no puedo dejar de pensar en las impactantes imágenes de todo el mundo con calles vacías y lugares históricos abandonados. A través de una oleada de emociones, emerge un solo pensamiento:

"I am participating in the greatest act of solidarity of my life."

Looking out my window, a second thought immediately follows:

"My neighbors are not just the families on my street. They are mothers in India, children in Peru, and families in Rwanda. We are all affected by the COVID-19 virus regardless of our location."

My thoughts don’t stop there. I am reminded a lot of health workers like Priscilla, from the Kamwenge District of Uganda. Her clinic now has safe, reliable water thanks to the efforts of Water For People there. But she is among the lucky ones. A 2018 study of 130,000 healthcare clinics in low- and middle-income countries showed that 50% had no running water and 39% had no soap. ¡En nuestro tiempo de crisis esto es impensable!

Sé que todos estamos sintiendo el impacto de COVID-19 de varias maneras en este momento, ya sea financiero, físico o emocional. Si puede, considere dar lo que pueda a Water For People. Su apoyo nos ayudará a sofocar esta pandemia y continuar nuestro trabajo continuo con mayor urgencia que antes. Cada donación importa. Ahora más que nunca, todos somos vecinos, y todos estamos juntos en esto.

En solidaridad,
Eleanor Allen
CEO, Water For People

THANK YOU

Ahora que el lavado de manos es noticia de primera plana, como una organización sin fines de lucro que trabaja para brindar un servicio confiable de agua y educar sobre buenas prácticas de higiene, especialmente el lavado de manos, queríamos agradecerle por apoyar este importante trabajo.

Cuando la importancia de la higiene llega tan cerca de casa, nos hace aún más agradecidos por nuestros donantes y los que nos apoyan. Usted es la razón por la que podemos seguir teniendo un impacto positivo en los hábitos de higiene para cientos de miles de personas en nueve países de todo el mundo. Thank you.