Getting the right messages on how to behave in time of COVID- 19 – in a simple and timely way – to people living in poverty is not easy. The official news channels, the public information does not always work well. Low education, superstition and wrong beliefs as well as low access to information on what is happening outside in the world are huge challenges in countries like Kenya.
That’s a situation that is very critical.
People are asked to stay at home. Many of them live in remote areas. It’s raining season. They have no or poor electricity, can not pay any Internet flat and have no modern digital devices.
We heard from our NGO partner WaWa about these challenges: “People don’t know how important hygiene is and don’t know how to wash hands. Some people think that the virus is just a result of some rumors that have been put in the world to gain power and to scare others. There are voices around that the virus is contagious only when people get in contact with disabled or somehow different people such as people with albinism, outsiders of the society – because those people are “bad”. The number of wrong beliefs and lack of knowledge is huge,” tells us the leader of WaWa NGO, an organization that takes care of poor fishing women at Lake Victoria who are mostly HIV positive as they sell sex for fish.
It is important to inform people in the right way – and …
Together we can make change happen. With some support from our Making More Health initiative now WAWA informs these women and tells them on how to protect. They involve them in mask making and distribution. And we have developed together the idea of using some more natural means to bring the right messages to the most remote areas.
… in the right format!
Why not putting the most important messages in a song? People love music…
Within a few days some local musicians who are part of the WAWA NGO have written a song that focuses on the most important messages – because music is one of the best and most accepted means to transport messages in this surrounding.
Listen to the song and enjoy the video with impressions of some of our activities. Together we can make more health happen on the ground!
Find here the text and the English translation:
Ni nini tuna bembelezana
Na binadamu anadhani ni mjanja
Wanasema ona huyu jamaa
Eti hio ni njama ya serikali kula mapesa
Lakini ona sasa mataifa ya poromoka
Lakini ona sasa wanadamu wana dondoka
Oh dunia, oh dunia, oh dunia wewe
Wanasema
sanitize
Osha mikono yako
Usi mind
Kusonga mbali hata kwa marafiki zako
Na msisahau kuvaa mask pia.
Why are we pleading
With a man who thinks he is clever
When we say Corona is a disaster
They say look at this guy
This is a government conspiracy to eat money
Repeated 3x
But see how nations are falling
Look at how the human race has been affected
Oh world, oh world, oh world
Repeated 3x
We say
Sanitize
Wash your hands
Don’t mind
Moving away even from your friends
And don’t forget to wear a mask too
Please share it wherever possible with people who understand Swahili and where this song might help to protect people. Thanks!!!
Related content:
WaWa is an organization that runs activities to help women who are offering sex for fish, a phenomenon in which female traders engage in sexual relationships with fishermen to secure their supply of fish. More at http://www.wa-wakenya.org/
Go Kenya, go future! 
Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?.
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At the moment the need for hygiene articles, food and seed is very high a many people have no jobs anymore. Also informal jobs a are very rare. This applies even more to people with albinism. You could help to create some income to them-see http://www.KEnDIA.de and generally help to create awareness about these issues. If you want to support a specific organization or activity please let me know. Then we can have a call, too.
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