Our charity partners have heaps of experience doing incredible work in some pretty extraordinary circumstances. When many were scrambling amidst this unprecedented pandemic, organisations like Lwala Community Alliance jumped into action. It’s not surprising though – protecting and advocating for their communities is what Lwala does best. 

As one of Lwala’s funders, we received a field report on their response to to COVID-19 and we just had to share. This your story too, after all. As a part of our community, you’ve had a serious impact on so many people. It just proves that we can be in isolation and still all in this together.

Ok, we better get to Lwala’s report before things get too emotional.

For those of you who don’t know, Lwala focuses on a holistic, community-driven strategy for health and wellness. Working from the bottom up, they’ve developed their own education programs that are taught in schools throughout Kenya, they’ve integrated health clinics in communities to make care more accessible, and they’ve helped local tradespeople expand their businesses. And, of course, they've helped build a whole lot of toilets! Their work runs the gamut, but it’s all pretty incredible.

When it comes to a COVID-19 response, Lwala is approaching their work from three angles: proactively implementing safety measures, advocating for healthcare workers and maintaining their essential services.

Ensuring the safety of their community

Over the past few months, Lwala has trained over 2,500 Community Health Workers, 350 of whom are specifically dealing with COVID-19. They’ve secured testing for their hospitals and procured protective equipment for all of their staff.  Knowing this is not just a physical health crisis, Lwala is also offering mental health assistance for their frontline healthcare workers.

Lwala’s advocacy

 Lwala’s Julius Mbeya presented a memo to the Kenyan senate on the role of Community Health Workers in order to recognise them as an essential workforce and increase their compensation. As an organisation, they are spreading good, scientific information through radio and SMS programs that reach thousands of people, across 4 countries (broadcast in local languages).

Continuing business as usual

Lwala is safely continuing existing care in their communities while accounting for proper social distancing protocols. They’re also distributing extra medication and contraception to their community centres because they know normal supply chains will likely experience interruption. Lastly, they’re continuing to deliver food, soap and emergency supplies to thousands of households in their communities.

Ultimately, Lwala is continuing to be a link between healthcare systems and hard-to-reach communities. It’s work that’s more important now than ever before. If you’d like to learn more about Lwala and their suite of services, visit their website! And let them know that we say hi.