I did not believe I would be producing this write-up currently. However, provided that the quantities of confirmed Covid 19 conditions preserve growing, and are most likely to continue on to rise, I look at that I should really share this currently, in the hope that it will attain two points:
(i) encourage us to attain out to our rural communities just before it is way too late, and (ii) encourage person and group creativeness to do this successfully.
With the quantities of an infection and deaths rising globally, there has in no way been a extra important time for the human race to act collectively, strategically and carefully with a single goal: endure with each other.
This is an election year, and, in Ghana, expressing one’s view of the efficiency or usually of the techniques we adopt nationally to combat Covid 19 can sometimes be likened to strolling in a crocodile infested pond with some foot, leg, head and heart troopers coming at you with all types of verbal weapons, and, once in a while, threats.
Your beloved types get scared and extra or less attempt to do almost everything they can to assure that you retain your mouth shut – they really don’t want you hurt, and, they know our devices and institutions properly enough to know that if you do get hurt, absolutely nothing a lot more than a banter or bickering will come out of it. Frequently, you know that their fears are not unfounded.
Having said that, if we do almost nothing, say almost nothing, or recommend absolutely nothing, Covid-19 may perhaps occur for all of us. We, thus, will have to converse up and/or do one thing to acquire the war towards Covid-19, in spite of our dread of the crocodiles in our election pond in an election yr. To this stop, I simply call on the leaders of the many political parties to reign in some of their overzealous supporters, and, to get them to recognize that we have a pandemic on our palms, a disease we do not fairly have an understanding of still.
Given that we have to have to first endure right before we can politick, they ought to stop-fireplace for now, until we are secure from Covid-19, at the very the very least. For the most of us, we are probably not fascinated in who wins or loses the election as substantially as we are about essential issues: saving our individuals making robust and powerful establishments and techniques guaranteeing that the right detail is performed and, typically setting up a fairer culture for our persons, which include the foot, leg, head and coronary heart troopers additional or fewer terrorizing other folks. I digress. The level nevertheless is this: we can do almost nothing, say nothing at all, but just enjoy Covid-19 occur for us. So what should we do? On this, my target in this short article is the rural neighborhood, and the classes we learnt in reaching out to our community of Manyoro.
By way of background, on Ghana recording its 1st Covid 19, scenario, I referred to as up a couple of good friends from my childhood, and advised that we approach, contribute, purchase some soaps for susceptible persons in our hometown of Manyoro, and, educate them on Covid 19. My reason was basic, the information I browse showed that it was just a issue of time in advance of the Covid 19 scenarios get started to enhance. I know our modern society. I also know the capacity of our health and fitness services, and, I know that our wellness techniques can not incorporate enormous numbers of confirmed cases. So our very best guess is to avoid the spread and/or worst circumstance state of affairs, hold off bacterial infections. The dilemma was so: how to do this?
Even though there was a large amount to however discover about the novel virus, there had been somethings we understood already: wash your hands with cleaning soap below running water for at the very least 20 minutes keep away from touching your mouth, eyes and nose social/actual physical distancing use of hand sanitizers, and so on. If you know the Ghanaian society, you would also know that these were being not going to be very easy things to do. For illustration, we like to wash our arms in bowls created for the objective, (“still water”), and, we like to do factors with each other.
Our society also frequently likes to leave a large amount of things in God’s fingers. So, the schooling on Covid 19 required to start off early mainly because we would be termed on to transform attitudes. In addition, we do require to have our rural communities alongside with us in all of our procedures to defeat Covid 19. This is a collective combat that we acquire or eliminate together. Early initiatives at educating and sensitizing our rural communities are an helpful weapon in this war. I digress once more. Back to my thought as to how to assist out at our indigenous household of Manyoro.
When I mooted the strategy to my mates from childhood. They all arrived on board. With enthusiasm and dogged determination, they all contributed to the Challenge, not mainly because they experienced so significantly revenue to spare, but just because they were keen to aid our group. We were just eight of us, and, we are all primarily based in Accra. It was to be a humble project, but by the time my buddies arrived on board, and by the time we were being executing this venture, it was undoubtedly a great deal even bigger than what I experienced in thoughts when I designed the proposal.
To my surprise and inspiration, our humble project was capable to: (i) educate people today from our hometown of Manyoro on Covid 19 (ii) donate V buckets, soaps and disinfectants to all the Well being posts/CHIPS compound in Manyoro, (a whole of a few of Health posts/CHIPS compound) (iii) donate V buckets, soaps and disinfectants to the Manyoro market, (to be placed at vantage details of the market for straightforward use) (iv) donate V bucket to the group center (v) donated soaps to the vulnerable of the community like people who are physically challenged folks.
Associates of the community did the rest them selves, they took it on by themselves to teach 1 an additional, and, in just a brief time, washing of arms with soap was turning into a habit. The only big compliance lapse was “social/physical distancing”. The Ghanaian community, specially the rural neighborhood is one that thrives on togetherness and accomplishing factors alongside one another. It will, hence, involve extra initiatives to get us to understand and to keep our physical length. On this, education and reminders are nevertheless ongoing.
What classes did we master from this challenge? Get in touch with it lesson 1. This project taught us that Ghanaians do adore their communities, even though we could not always accept this. Ghanaians are content to step up to the plate and help place their communities exactly where they can, and, they will go all the length and some extra.
So there is chance for local community mobilization for very good purposes. The 2nd lesson we learnt is that Ghanaians are generous. They will not wait to dip into their pockets and pull out what they have to assist a common purpose, and, they will not hesitate to place their time, resources, talents, etcetera. to mature their communities, if they believe in the induce and if certainly, it is a worthy cause.
Permit me return to our Task. My buddies and I experienced determined from the onset we had been not going to publicise this challenge, due to the fact it was a little something we required to do just for the persons of our hometown, and we did not want any cameras on what we ended up performing. Our rationale was easy – this is for the persons and our contribution in the fight in opposition to Covid-19 out of like and concern for the people today. It was our hope that this would encourage comparable steps among the rural communities all over the place so that we could stand jointly to fight a widespread enemy: Covid-19.
So no, we ended up not heading to publicise the project. We preferred this to be a candle that would gentle other candles, and, ideally, it would get a lifetime of its personal. Then a little something took place. We got term that somebody else was proclaiming credit rating for our Task, and, had succeeded in using a propaganda tool of sorts to advise the group, that she was the source and donor of our humble project. As it would convert out, this human being was 1 of the eight (8) of us.
So she was privy to all the scheduling and execution of the Job as this was done on WhatsApp. She was as a result helpful. Naturally, this unsettled us. No one likes betrayal. Nevertheless, we place the betrayal apart, and selected to find out the lesson it offered. So our lesson 3 was the insight it gave us as to what may well in some cases stand in the way of local community mobilization – believe in. It also helped us find out some of the dynamics in our rural communities, and gave some kind of background to why politicians probably emboss their photos on relief items that they present to the communities – trust. We figured, that this could often be what stands in the way of some people today assisting out with their communities. So what did we do?
We only had announcements designed in the market place square to right the deliberate misinformation and concerned the area local community buildings. On this, we have the adhering to additional lessons to share: (Lesson 4) do not stimulate or be silent on deliberate twisting of information. When you do that you damage our local community, mainly because people eliminate belief in “doing good”, and this hurts all of us (Lesson 5) entail the community structures when you are serving to out with something in the neighborhood.
It assists to stay clear of predicaments where by some folks may perhaps want to enjoy where they did not sow (Lesson 6) include the media in a non-intrusive way. The media allows to preserve individuals accountable. When you require the media, it does not imply you want glory, alternatively, it must signify you want accountability and transparency. Involving the media in a non-intrusive way implies do not invade people’s privateness by using pictures of them in their “comfortable zones” and splashing these photographs on media platforms or on social media. These types of photographs do not respect the dignity of folks.
If in question no matter if you should really splash an image of someone accepting support from you on a media system or social media, do a very simple check – if this was me, would I like this photo of me circulating on media platforms and/or on social media? If your response to that issue is “no”, do not publish the shots. Don’t forget, regard the dignity of all persons, even when you are providing out help. There is a difference involving “helping people”, and “merely seeking to be observed supporting people”. Aim to do the former. You attain this when you contain the media in a method that does not violate people’s privateness or dignity.
Politics may perhaps have divided or clouded our views at some position, additional so in this election year. Betrayal of have faith in and the functions of dishonest people today could have pushed some nicely-this means citizens to sit on the fence occasionally, and, to eliminate assurance in lending a encouraging hand. We even so face a typical enemy that is familiar with no race, tribe, ethnicity, religion, political bash, gender, and so forth.
This is a widespread enemy that arrives for all of us. This is time to access out and variety alliances with a prevalent function – survive jointly. The bickering and suspicions can wait around. We can be as innocent as doves, but as wise as serpents. So attain out, recognize some will need in your rural community, and, get concerned in doing a thing to support. After this struggle, allow us dedicate to rebuilding the values of like, regard, dignity and honesty in our society. We can.
