Situation of the groups
In this page we try to summarize all the information received at the International Secretariat about the groups and the situation in the countries where we are present. This information comes from our members and has no official value. Translations are done automatically and have not been approved by our team of interpreters.
The information on this page is not updated since 20/05/2020. More recent information is available in the "News" section of the website.
Africa Region . Region of America . Region of Asia . Europe region
Africa Region
Angola
06/04
The person in charge of the Emaus Lunda sewing training centre makes masks for the most deprived.
27/03
Invitation of health professionals in cutting and sewing training sessions to sensitize learners on hygiene rules. But afterwards, all the workers are confined to their homes. The group Emaus Lunda will reopen depending on the evolution of the pandemic.
24/03Angola recorded three positive cases of covid-19 as of 23/03. The authorities have decided to close the borders, close schools, universities and prohibit gatherings of more than 20 people for a period of 15 days. As for our activities, everything is stopped for the moment. We will reopen after the 15 days of compulsory quarantine. It should be pointed out that we have no companions living in a community, so everyone is confined to his or her home.
Benin
06/04
Association des Femmes Amies (AFA)
In Benin, we are currently at 4 official cases. Measures are being taken by the government to limit the spread of the virus. For the time being, churches, gathering places, parties, and all activities gathering more than 50 people are forbidden. The borders are highly equipped to control entry and quarantine all suspicious persons. Yesterday, the government took further security measures by isolating 8 municipalities for reasons that are as yet unknown. It must be acknowledged that this virus is creating panic in Benin, and little by little Beninese people are beginning to become aware of the danger it poses to their health. We all fear an isolation that will be economically fatal for the country. We hope that this will not happen.
At AFA, measures are being taken to ensure that staff have masks and hand washing facilities. We keep reminding everyone that they must take care of themselves.
23/03
Containment is not yet widespread, only around the major cities and in particular Cotonou. Many preventive measures have been taken, including the closure of land borders, the cancellation of almost all international flights except those of Air France, etc. Closure of churches and places of worship, but not yet of schools, despite requests from parents. The Easter holidays have been brought forward to allow for an early closure of schools. The virus seems to be spreading at a faster rate, and to date, 3 new cases have been detected, whereas there were only 2 this weekend.
Burkina Faso
06/04
Benebnooma
In the face of barrier measures taken by the government, it is indiscipline and even recklessness that characterize most of the population. Simple gestures such as washing hands with soap seem to be out of everyone's reach, and the hardest part is when we hear from some people: "This disease can't do anything to us. We have the sun on top and we are more resistant than Europeans, not to mention Asians" . There is also this cultural fact that does not make it easier for the population to adhere to the barrier measures decreed by the government: communitarianism. Not to be more than 50 people at a wedding, a baptism, a funeral... hard.
Faced with this situation that affects everyone, Burkinabe artists of all kinds have not been slow to release their creative genius to accompany the state by what they know best: educate all social strata to respect the measures taken to stop this pandemic.
"I'm staying at home
You’re staying at home
He's staying at home
We’re staying at home
You’re staying at home
They're staying at home
The CORONA goes home."
As far as Benebnooma is concerned, the group works in 4 areas:
1- Education and vocational training: everything is closed (nursery, primary, deaf schools, general secondary education, technical training, general mechanic and welding workshop, forge and printing).
2- Culture (Saaba Troupe, school of dances, percussions and songs) no more rehearsals
3- Communication* (Radio Palabre), the only activity that works 100%.
4- Social
a) The Centre d'Accueil Abbé Pierre, whose activities are completely down by 80%
b) The Bric à brac: closed
(c) The sponsorship service (240 children in two provinces) closed
*Although in Koudougou not a single case of covid19 has yet been detected, we are following and practicing as best we can the measures taken by the national, regional and communal authorities to protect the population.
From the beginning of the crisis, Radio Palabre, which is known in the Centre West region as the radio leader, was immediately called upon by the regional and communal authorities to assist them in raising awareness of the need to respect the barrier measures. Thus, Radio Palabre redesigned its programme to adapt to the new situation.
Here are some of the actions undertaken by Radio Palabre in the context of raising public awareness to counter the coronavirus:
1) Animation of 3 interactive programs with the clinical doctor of the Hospital Center of Koudougou, the head of the hygiene service in the urban center and the head of the Regional Health Department as guests on the air.
2) Wide distribution of awareness communiqués from regional and communal authorities (governor and mayors).
3) Wide distribution of awareness communiqués from our partners (ONEA, ONB, Telecel...).
4) Organization of street interviews with the populations on the measures taken by the government, the hygiene rules to be observed and especially the precautions to be taken to avoid being contaminated.
5) Invitation of certain promoters of postponed festivals and managers of closed bars (maquis) to our editions of the radio news in French and local languages.
NB: At the opening of the Radio every day at 6 am, Radio Palabre plays the music of an artist dealing with Covid19 and this since March 15th. Every day from Monday to Friday there is the interactive programme where listeners call in to give their point of view on the coronavirus. From 11am to 12pm the program is in Mooré (local language) and from 12pm to 1pm in French. Every day that God makes we always have a sub-theme that relates to covid19.
PS: We have asked all those who are workers in Benebnooma to respect all the barrier measures, starting with the confinement, because health comes first.
27/03
An outbreak of coronavirus. We note a progressive confinement certainly towards a general confinement in case the situation does not improve. Progressive containment: curfew from 19h to 05h in the morning, closure of schools, markets, borders, suspension of inter urban public transport, prohibition of gathering of people, most of the staff of companies and associations are teleworking, quarantine of many cities including Ouagadougou. Ongoing sensitization on other hygiene rules in order to break the chain of transmission.
27/03
At Emmaus Solidarité Ouaga (ESO), the Coronavirus has worsened the group's situation due to insecurity: the cutting and sewing school has closed, the bric-a-brac has been closed, and there has been a drastic slowdown in the running of the refreshment bar and the emptying workshop. Most of the employees are at home because production has been badly affected.
27/03
In Paglayiri, all the activities are in slow motion: sluggishness at the bakery; postponement of training sessions (literacy and training of farmers) despite the fact that it is the ideal time to do them. Doctors regularly appear on the association's radio to raise awareness about the measures to be taken. Placement of hand-washing devices at the entrance of all places where group activities take place. Restriction of movement and privilege given to telecommunications.
27/03
SEMUS is part of Yako's Coronavirus Rapid Response Team for outreach and many other activities.
27/03
The WENDYAAM group wants the government to strengthen its response plan.
24/03
Article du Monde sur la situation au Burkina Faso
Paglayiri Association. The number of infected people is increasing day by day and is spreading over the provinces. We are working at home. So far no cases have been reported to Zabré. Our radio tries to do its best to bring accurate information to the population with the support of local authorities and health workers. Our activities, especially economic ones, are almost at a standstill. At the national level, gatherings of more than 50 people are forbidden and a curfew is in place from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., borders, places of worship, places of rejoicing and others are closed. A fight is being waged on virtual platforms to get the State to stop all activities and declare a confinement of cities to better contain the disease.
Radio PAGLAYIRI As a media, we have been raising awareness among the population for some time. Above all, we are asking them to submit to government measures. News on the Coronavirus dominates our news at the moment. We often invite health specialists to bring the true information to the populations. This is done through interactive programs. We broadcast (free of charge) all relevant local authority communiqués to Covid19. We try to reach our compatriots living in Europe, especially in Italy, live on the phone to hear from them. In view of the closure of places of worship by the government, we retransmit the celebrations or prayers. https://www.facebook.com/Radio-Paglayiri-168283653279880/
Burundi
26/04
According to the Ministry of Health, the 4 patients who were under treatment were cured. However, five new positive cases have just been found in Bujumbura. They are also being treated at the Prince Louis Rwagasore clinic. About the consequences of the pandemic, money is no longer circulating as it should; almost everyone is shouting. Businesses are starting to idle. If this situation continues, the poorest families will be the first to starve.
06/04
At the ALDP, activities are still operational, as so far the government has not yet pronounced itself in favour of the closure of activities in the country. We are still continuing raising awareness of the population on the prevention of coronavirus. But at the economic level, we are already feeling a drop in revenue from our school fees due to the inactivity of some parents of our students, most of whom were doing small business at the central market, which is no longer in its usual rhythm following the closure of the borders. Regarding coronavirus cases, officially Burundi still has 3 confirmed cases
Organisation of two sessions on hygiene rules animated voluntarily by an acquaintance of ALDP who works at the WHO. The platform of mental and psychosocial health workers donated handwashing kits to ALDP. They are placed at all the entrances of the activities carried out by the group. Day guards are recruited to invite users to use them.
31/03
The Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS has informed the population of two cases that have just tested positive in Bujumbura.
27/03
No cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country so far and the Emmaus group A.L.D.P. has not been affected to date. However, people are already taking precautions to combat this virus.
Organisation of two sessions on the rules of hygiene run by an ALDP acquaintance who works at the WHO on a voluntary basis. The platform of mental and psychosocial health workers donated handwashing kits to ALDP. They are placed at all the entrances of the activities carried out by the group. Day care workers are recruited to invite users to use them.
Cameroon
27/04
The response plan to stop the spread of the virus is strictly respected. Compliance with the barrier measures remains in place. We believe that this pandemic threatens the food system through soaring market prices. And small producers in rural areas are suffering.
06/04
The understanding is not easy despite the awareness made. Lack of buckets to install at the entrance of the villages. Lack of toucans (nose mask). But it is worrying given the number of cases that increases every day. We note 509 positive cases of Covid 19, 8 deaths and 17 cured.
Confinement is extended to 30 April. The population is very agitated and panicked. The villages full of displaced people fleeing from the city to the countryside are even more worrying.
27/03
It's a serious time here at home. Cameroon has taken some measures to try to slow the spread of this pandemic. The government has ordered the closure of schools from kindergarten to university until further notice; the closure of drinking establishments at 6 p.m.; and a ban on the assembly of more than 50 people. It asks us to respect hygiene measures: to wash our hands, not to greet each other while shaking hands, to avoid groupings, to stay at home. The borders are closed. At the airport, the Governor has requisitioned three hotels to quarantine all passengers who have arrived with AIR FRANCE for 14 days. To date, Cameroon has revealed 88 positive cases at Covid-19, 1 dead and 2 cured.
At the CPSS, all activities are running at a standstill. The staff is at home. The small community made up of companions are playing maintenance. We took the risk of continuing the sensitization in the villages following the barrier measures that the Ministry of Health asks us to respect. Unfortunately, in some villages the minimum vital requirement of water to wash our hands regularly is missing. Life in our group is dark with a very delicate functioning due to the confinement.
Congo (D.R.)
06/04
According to the coronavirus response team, the country has just recorded a cumulative total of 161 confirmed cases between 10 March and 5 April. A total of 18 people died. The same source indicates that 5 people have been cured and 54 patients are progressing well.
The city of Goma, which houses the headquarters of the CAJED group, has already had 2 confirmed cases since 3 April. Bukavu, the neighbouring town of Goma, separated by Lake KIVU, also has 2 cases and the towns of Beni and Bunia have their first cases.
The partial confinement measures adopted by the Governor of the Province of North Kivu are being implemented as of 6 April: interprovincial traffic is prohibited, only food can enter.
As for the CAJED's activities, they are of course continuing in compliance with the measures decreed by the authorities (hand washing with soap, disinfectant, and taking the temperature in our offices and in each centre).
An exceptional case is observed at the Transit and Orientation Centre (TOC) of children who have left armed groups and who continue to come out of armed groups and surrender to the Armed Forces and whom we continue to receive en masse: more than 60 children at the TOC currently for whom family tracing is being launched with a view to their family reunification.
27/03
Suspension of flights from high-risk countries except for cargo with careful personnel screening. Prohibition of any gathering of more than twenty people, /organization of mourning in rooms (going from the morgue directly to the place), closure of schools, bars and restaurants, suspension of worship, sports activities. The measures taken by the government are not followed by accompanying measures from which other corollaries related to the confinement will also be deadly (lack of food, water, electricity and health care...).
Closure of the CAJED school. Ongoing sensitization at the Transit and Orientation Centre (CTO) where 88 children from armed groups are cared for. With the ban on the gathering of more than 20 people, family reunification of these children placed in the CTO is facilitated by MONUSCO with their aircraft. Two reunification waves of 14 children per flight were carried out on 20 and 23 March respectively for children from the Grand Nord region of North Kivu province, in the territories of BENI and LUBERO. Further family reunifications are scheduled for 24, 25 and 26 March. This is being done as a contingency plan to avoid the worst in the centre. Hygiene measures are being respected and facilitated thanks to the provision of kits (thermo flash, disinfectant, hand wash, etc.) acquired with the EBOLA project which was funded by Emmaus Africa in September 2019.
Ivory Coast
27/03
There is a worrying situation. In the JEKAWILI group, protective measures have been taken. Closure of the reception centre from 18 March to 18 April.
23/03The containment has been put in place, the structures are gradually being closed. Mayors have closed access to their municipalities. 30 cases of contamination, 3 of which have healed. The President of Côte d'Ivoire is due to make a statement this evening, so further measures will be taken.
South Africa
26/04
The current situation in South Africa is as follows. People infected so far : 4361. New cases : 141. Fully recovered :1 473. Death :86
Government has intensive the number of testing people. Especially by going to the townships where majority of people are living. In the coming weeks we can see numbers increased. The number of infections does not reflect majority of the south african being tested. Currently around 124 000 people where tested as compared with the population of 58 millions south Africans.
23/04
The government announced the new steps that they are going to take to ease lockdown. From the 1st May 2020 south Africa will be in stage 4 of lockdown. This means the following sectors of business will be allowed to operate but under strict regulations. :agriculture, finance, mining, telecommunications, information technology etc. There will be a curfew. People will be allowed to be in the street from 5am to 20pm every day. Also the presence of soldiers will be increased from 2000 to 73 000 to enforce curfew.
Before businesses can operate they must ensure that the environment meets the health standards and employees are screened those affected referrals to the relevant institutions.
Challenges facing ordinary people.
In most of the places I have visited and enquired about since the beginning of lockdown, most people are hungry since they can't go out to get food for their people.
Cordis in partnership with St Vincent de Paul of Johannesburg embark in finding a lists of affected people. We were able to have lists 70 people. We are in a position to help with food parcels for 32 people. We intended to supply this food parcels next week. We also intend to supply food parcels for the remaining people in mid May. Our observations is that many people go to bed without food. With this information St Vincent de Paul will mobiles other stakeholders to help.
21/04
The government announced the program that will help to revive the economy and also help the affected industries. Around 26 billion dollars was set aside to help economy, health workers, businesses and the vulnerable. Most of these money will be spend in acquiring health equipment, businesses and food for the vulnerable and unemployed who are not covered in any government assistance. It is important to mention that foreigners won't be help. Most of the foreigners like the rest of ordinary south Africans are doing odd jobs to survive daily.
06/04
In South Africa, there is a lack of understanding of the language used by the President, the laws and rules that force people to change their normal lifestyle. During this period of containment (21 days) the members of the CORDIS group believe that this epidemic has robbed them of their food and jobs. The group is forced to suspend its economic activities and asks the President to relax the rules and regulations of containment.
27/03
An outbreak of coronavirus. Faced with the pandemic, the government establishes rules of hygiene and invites the population to respect them, but they do not believe in the existence of this virus. This behaviour has increased the number of infected people. Closure of schools, borders. Total confinement from March 26 to April 16. The government has promised to help small businesses, vulnerable people and civil society. We will see if this aid will be effective and if everyone will have access to it. This confinement forces the CORDIS group to remain without income for three weeks for pick-up. The same applies to the sale of the bricks. The CORDIS office has decided to give an allowance to the companions during the confinement but obviously this is insufficient. Lack of facilities for the respect of hygiene rules (soap, etc.) in CORDIS and its surroundings. In case of infection in these communities, the situation will only get worse (no space, ...). CORDIS will close its doors from March 26 to April 20.
WOMEN PROJECT ITSOSENG. Confinement has serious consequences especially on the little people: some people can no longer earn their living and this is a real problem. Lack of water in some localities, so how can you wash your hands several times a day? Homeless people and people who do not own land are left to their own devices. We teach our groups solidarity, respect and discipline to fight this evil. Not all employers are registered with the unemployment insurance fund. This means that there will be no financial support for employees during this difficult time.Confinement has begun. So far, so good. We have two people (aged 28 and 48) who have died because of the coronavirus. The number of infections has increased to 1117. We have few cases of people who don't comply with the regulations.
24/03 The first time we heard about COVID-19 in South Africa was three months ago. The South African government responded by assigning a minister of health. At first, most South Africans relied on the media to find out what was going on in the country, and the first reported case in the country occurred on March 9, 2020. The South African government began to raise awareness. It also promised South Africans that the country was ready. South Africans were encouraged to practice good hygiene, wash their hands, wear masks, and be sensitized, etc. The South African government also promised South Africans that the country was ready. South Africa continues to have infected people, especially those who have visited Europe and America. The number of infected people has started to slowly increase. People who have never visited abroad have not been infected. This has led to the situation where people say that this virus is for the rich. Many people ignore the warning or follow good hygiene. With this kind of behavior, we have started to have internal infections and this greatly increases the number of infected people. On March 15, the President declared a national disaster. Restrictions imposed to prevent the gathering of hundreds of people led to the closure of schools, day-care centres and universities.Borders of entry into the country have been closed. Several nationals from these countries in Europe, Asia and America were banned from entering South Africa. At the time of reporting, the total number of people infected with the virus was approximately 150.
From 16 to 22 March, the number of people infected with the coronavirus was three hundred. At the time I am making this report, there are 554 people infected, 2 have made a full recovery and there have been no deaths yet. Current projections estimate that the virus could affect 60% of South African citizens at some point, but not all at once. On 22 March, the government consulted stakeholders on how to stop the pandemic. On 23 March, the president declared a 21-day lockdown on the country. This lockout will begin at midnight on March 26 and end at midnight on April 16. Only essential activities will be allowed.
At the level of our group, CORDIS, our merchandise collection is already affected, and our donors have anticipated the lockout before it is decided. They told us that they would not bring any merchandise for the next two weeks. With this lockdown, it will be 3 weeks with no revenue. The same goes for the brick sales. We also expect our tenants not to pay their rent during the confinement period. Beyond 21 days, it will be a difficult period. The CORDIS Board of Directors has decided to grant an allowance to companions to help them during this period. This will not be enough, but we hope it will make a difference. As for the community of Orange Farm and the Cordis camp, it's going to be very difficult to get disinfectants, soaps, and basics like water for hand washing. They've been struggling with water and electricity for some time now. One wonders what will help if infections occur in this community where there is no infrastructure. Since the majority of our people do not work. We wonder how people are going to adhere to these restrictions and the possible use of force by the police in cases where people want to go out to eat or anything that can improve their situation. The government has promised to help small businesses, vulnerable people and social organization. This assistance will only be applied to registered South African organisations and businesses. We are well aware that this assistance is not easily accessible. We hope and are convinced that few people are infected by people who live in informal places like ours. We know very well that those who live in uptown suburbs will be able to survive with sufficient space if they contract this virus, because it will be easy to quarantine them. The same cannot be said for people living in townships.
Togo
06/04
Maison Béthanie
In Togo, 37 positive cases, 2 deaths, 1 cured. Confinement is not total in our country, everyone goes about his activities but what is requested is the wearing of masks, which is normally compulsory but not respected. Schools and training places are closed. Since April 2nd a curfew is decreed from 7pm to 6am.
As for the care of the sick the conditions are not adapted.
Financially it looks difficult because often in this situation one tries to take advantage and the prices increase.
23/03
The current situation in Togo is critical, apart from the pandemic. Indeed, since the elections of 22 February, all activities in the country have slowed down due to the psychosis caused by the results proclaimed and contested by the opposition. The coronavirus pandemic, of which Togo now has 18 confirmed cases and several dozen suspected cases, has thus been added to this context of very high tension. Given the rapid increase in the number of proven cases within a short period of time, the WHO declares a very high risk of contamination of the virus. The country's authorities have taken steps to slow down the epidemic. These include: closing borders, sealing off certain towns, closing schools and churches, banning gatherings, etc... So far no member of our group M.A.R.S. is affected by this disease. These situations thus created are slowing down our activity and will have a strong impact on our already fragile economy. Just as in March, Maison Béthanie's activities are slowing down.
28/03
At the moment we are in confinement, but some of us continue their small daily activities. MARS ONG has not closed its doors, but there are no customers in the store. Tonight we learn of a death in the country. All foreigners who enter the country by air are quarantined for 15 days. Popular markets are closed as well as bars.
America Region
Argentina
06/04
Emmaus Mendoza
Our group has 14 companions, 9 volunteers, of which 3 companions live in the community and the other 11 are external like the volunteers. The 14 companions are those who receive a weekly salary and a monthly aid in merchandise consisting of 3 paq. of noodles, 1 kg of yerba, 1 can of tea, 1 paq. of coffee, 1 kg of milk, 3 paq. of rice, 2 litres of oil. I must inform you that the vast majority of our companions are young, some are single parents and others are breadwinners.
All our income comes from the work of the Trapería, that is to say, from collecting, sorting and selling, which has been affected because we have been banned from circulation since March 17th and ; from March 19th, the quarantine was decreed throughout the country, from that day on, here in Mendoza, it is no longer possible to circulate since they charge us fines that range from 310 to 450€ and they can also take away our vehicle.
Because of the above, we know how much it will cost us to return to normality, because we are in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city where most people are "changarines", that is, informal workers, and where there have already been cases of families affected by the virus, which makes the situation even worse when we have to go back to work and resume our daily lives.
4/04
Emaus Resistencia
On 18 March we presented a synthetic report of the epidemiological and social situation of our Province, and the main decisions of the Government of the Province where we clearly feel concerned because our activity is developed specifically in the city of Resistencia and its surroundings.
Up to now, this situation has worsened considerably, and this Province is the second, after Buenos Aires, with the number of people infected and dying from coronavirus, always in relation to the population density. In addition, the circulation of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, carrier of the dengue virus, in this coastal region has also increased.
On 17 March, the provincial government imposed mandatory isolation of outbreaks throughout the province, restrictions on entry into and exit from the province, administrative disruptions and restrictions on all activities except those related to the provision of basic goods and services: fuel, food and medicines.
In this context, we were forced to close the doors of our sales room at the Bazaar, the recycling, grading and sale of various materials and scrap metal were halted. Collections have been suspended due to the restriction of traffic.
Emmaus Resistencia is made up of 15 companions, most of whom are volunteers, but those who receive a weekly allowance are left without work and without their weekly social support.
Educational activities have been suspended at all levels.
We made all the planned expenditures in March, but we have total uncertainty about those in April, as we did not generate resources for most of the previous month.
We were forced to suspend the development of our Solidarity project.
At the moment, we are engaged in a support and advisory task with the social work professionals of our group, who provide free online advice on public policies and attention to different social problems, as well as the preparation of food or food parcels that are shared with individuals and families in vulnerable situations.
We live in a time of great uncertainty, perplexity and anxiety, we have no certainty, we imagine that this scenario is not very different from the rest of the groups in America and the world.
01/04
Emmaus Burzaco
Traperia and community of life
Precautionary measures were taken immediately at Traperia. As of Monday, March 16, the collection of donations was suspended to protect community members who were in the truck. Tuesday 17 was the last day of the sale and from Wednesday 18, work was only done in the workshops until Friday 20 when all activity ceased, bringing us to the quarantine that began on 19/03.
In anticipation of this, a cook was hired to come every day to cook for the community members, so that they did not have to go to the Casa del Niño. It has provided and continues to provide all the necessary food, secos, vegetables, meat and fruit. The community is isolated and every day a companion from outside visits them to see how they are doing and if they have any unexpected needs.
As far as the economic aspect is concerned, the decision was taken to suspend all payments other than those made to all those who are paid with the resources of the Trapería, that is, all its members, plus the administrative staff of the Technical School and the Central Administration. These salaries have been reduced to 80 per cent in order to obtain a longer duration of the funds made available to us.
These funds allow us to pay for three weeks, that is, until April 4, at which point we are totally overdrawn. This has been brought to everyone's attention so that they can see if the government is going to increase the subsidies it gives, the universal allowance per child, schooling, large family or others that are given. Most of them are already receiving them because of their social status.
The funds mentioned are the reserves from each sale we made throughout the year for the payment of Christmas bonuses (5%) and for the annual payment to Emmaus International (1.5%).
We have also launched a voluntary support campaign for the teachers at the Technical School and Kindergarten, whose salaries are guaranteed by state subsidies.
We also appealed to friends of Emmaus who offered to do the same.
We are now waiting for these two requests to see how much money we will be able to obtain to pay part of the salaries due from Monday 6 April.
Educational programmes
The first measure imposed by the government on 16 March was the suspension of classes, and all our educational sectors, the children's home, nursery school, kindergarten, technical school and vocational training have adopted this measure.
This first step has changed the geography of the city and the institution.
Courses in Argentina began on 3/03 and it is a major economic effort for families to buy the necessary supplies to get started. They were suspended on 16/03, leaving the children and adolescents in the illusion of the beginning, without understanding what was happening and without the confining framework that the educational spaces offer. Our discourse on the importance of not missing school was empty.
Our population is in God's hands, like everyone else, but more... Respecting social isolation is an almost impossible task. The houses are very small and house very large families, and in this situation the temptation to go out is irresistible. It is difficult for children (and their parents) to understand that they will catch the disease by playing ball, or by sitting at the door of their house, or by cycling around the block. There are no towels for the whole family, there are no linings in the bathrooms or kitchens, and especially the ability to change daily habits so radically is something that can't be done in a short period of time.
Food Program
On 19/03, the quarantine was decreed until 31/03 and now it has been extended until 12/04.
It was necessary to completely modify the feeding programme, to avoid the contact that occurs when serving food and handing over bread and fruit. The delivery of food and bags of food per family has been introduced and is delivered with extreme precautions. Teams of only four people have been set up for this work. The distance of two metres between the people queuing and waiting on the pavement is maintained. We deliver between 360 and 400 meals every two days.
Economic situation of the education zones
The food programme that is being developed at Casa del Niño depends on the United Nations in association with the national State. No additional aid has been received from the State so far to cope with the situation, which will complicate the economy in the future because delivering food means a higher cost than cooking.
All areas of education are supported by agreements with the province or nation for teacher salaries and general operations.
The continuity of these programs is a question that needs to be answered over time.
27/03
In Emmaus Paraná we are 26 people, of which 16 people live exclusively from the income generated by day-to-day work. On March 12, Emmaus Paraná closed its doors for a total obligatory quarantine, without knowing when they will open again and in what conditions. Emmaus Paraná does not have debts, but neither does it have savings so it is impossible to sustain salaries without working. All salaries for the month of March were covered, as well as the fixed costs of services. But for the month of April there is no money, so there are 16 companions who are left without work and without income to live on. We are united, we are accompanying and helping each other and we will continue in that unity. We trust that this will soon pass and we will work as always with commitment and responsibility.
26/03
All the groups had to cease their activities.
23/03In response to a request from health professionals at the Lucio Meléndez Hospital, Emaus Burzaco searched, sorted and sent: 307 charlottes, 132 gowns, 17 aprons, 50 over-shoes and surgeon's sleeves.
18/03
In Argentina, we are complying with the strict instructions given by the state to prevent the spread of the virus. Local transport is restricted, long-distance transport is suspended. Tourists are not allowed to enter. Airports and borders are closed. The State has chartered flights to bring back Argentines who are abroad. Schools, churches, clubs, cultural centres are closed. Social contact should be avoided and we expect stronger measures in the future. The Emmaus groups that provide catering services for community canteens continue to do so for the time being, taking special precautions. Emmaus' educational areas are closed, as are our second-hand stores. We no longer make any collections. We are torn between the fear of falling ill and the worry of daily economic obligations and future obligations that we will not be able to meet. We put all our energy into taking care of ourselves, if we preserve our health, we can solve the rest.
Bolivia
03/04
They are fine, in quarantine like everyone else, they have suspended their activities. There are 5 community members in the group.
Brazil
27/03
Federation Emaus Brasil
In Brazil, we have ten Emmaus groups. Most of the groups are self-financing through the work of collecting donations and selling bazaars and recycling materials. With the resources collected, they maintain their income-generating activities and social and educational services for children, young people, teenagers, the elderly and the street population. Some groups have a community life and others do not. Some groups have companions who provide a workload and receive a daily allowance, while others have companions who are registered wage earners with full labour rights. Those who are registered, the wages are according to the occupation in which they have worked. And as we all know, with this coronavirus pandemic, we all have to follow the guidelines of the government and the WHO, all groups are quarantined, all activities are paralysed, activities that generate work and income such as collections, and social and educational actions.
In a chaotic situation, we preserve life and health, but for this we need at least the basic elements, food, medicines and cleaning and hygiene materials.
Some groups are already suffering the effects of this, because we know that most groups do not have reserves or working capital to provide all the necessary assistance to their members, and when we talk about members we are talking about families, many of whom depend exclusively on the salary or allowance they earn in their group.
We know this is a difficult time as the whole world goes through this situation which affects all systems, financial, psychological, emotional, but it is also a time to be closer together and in solidarity.
1 - Emaus Igualdade is a group that helps men in street situations, it is a community of work and life.
2 - Emaus Reviver: out of a total of 15 members, 6 live in the group and 9 outside.
3 - The Emaus Ubatuba community, which serves 26 families, has a total of 98 members including children, youth, women and the elderly.
4 - The Emaus Resende community has 20 companions, 13 of whom work as day labourers. It is not a living community.
5 - Emaus Novos Alagados has 31 companions, among whom are collaborators and social educators. There is no community of life.
6 - Emaús Recife has 25 companions, of whom 2 couples live in the community or the Emmaus House.
7 - Emaus Teresina has 13 companions who work during the day and at the end of the afternoon they go home. There is no living community.
8 - Emaus Amor & Justiça has 37 companions and collaborators, 13 of whom have their work card. Among them, 4 companions live in the community and the family of Erivania who also lives in the community.
9 - Emaus Amor e Vida has 17 companions. Four people live in the group.
10 - Emaus Amor e Cidadania has 36 people, including companions and service providers. No living community.
26/03
Emaus Amor e Vida
With the arrival of Covid-19, in our country and especially in our state, many preventive actions were decreed by the federal and state governments to prevent the effect of the coronavirus from being greater than our fragile health system could withstand, actions that have had fairly positive effects in the fight against the virus, but which for some have been synonymous with suffering, insecurity and even despair.
The main action of the Ceará state government has been to decree the closure of businesses and all services that are not considered essential to human life, even establishing a daily fine of R$50,000 (9,000€) for merchants who disobey Governor Camilo Santana's decree. We understand that the governor's decision is to preserve the population, but this decision has affected the lives of some people and consequently the activities carried out by the Emmaus groups and their companions.
A large part of our group members depend on the help they receive to support their families. Even before the decree, we were already experiencing problems with the vehicle, which spent two weeks in the workshop and when it finally came out, it ended up burning in the middle of collecting donations, once again causing the collection activities to stop.
The members of the Amor e Vida group suffered greatly from the period of social isolation, as without the Emmaus activities, their lives became even more complicated as, as mentioned above, it is their only source of income.
These companions have suffered due to the paralysis of our activities, which a priori would continue until 2 April, but due to the current situation and according to the Ministry of Health's forecasts, it could last until the end of April and the beginning of May. This will be the peak of contamination in our country and, for this reason, we are even more concerned and worried about the well-being of our companions and how we can help them to overcome this bad phase, but our hands are tied, because any activity we can do requires the participation of them and of the population that is currently socially isolated.
In any case, this is our current situation, as you can see in the report above, we are not worried about the profitability we will no longer have during this period, although it would help a lot in the restructuring of the group, but for the moment the most worrying thing is our members and how they are coping with this very difficult time.
26/03
The context is made very difficult by the irresponsible positions of President Bolsonaro, who is not enforcing the barrier gestures to begin with in his own government team. The initiatives are therefore taken by the states and municipalities in accordance with the directives of the health authorities. There are very few masks and hydro-alcoholic gel, and their prices have become prohibitive.All the groups have closed down their activities. Some groups are communities of life (Emaus Igualdade with 30 companions, Emaus Reviver with 10 companions) and therefore, as in all the other communities, they organize activities for the companions. The school in Recife, which has 60 pupils, is closed, and 2 companions live in the community in addition to the person in charge, and have had to close their bric-a-brac. The social, educational and cultural activities of the 3 groups in Fortaleza are also all at a standstill due to the confinement.
24/03
In Brazil, we're all in quarantine. We are sorry because we can no longer be at the side of the most vulnerable, the people on the streets. In the whole of Brazil, there are 1891 people infected, 34 of whom have died. In the state of Sao Paolo, the worst affected, there are 745 people infected, 30 of whom have died. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, 233 people were infected, 4 of whom died. In Bahia, and its capital Salvador, 63 people were infected. In Minas Gerais, 128 people were infected, including in its capital, Belo Horizonte. In Fortaleza, 94% of the population is said to be infected, 164 cases have been confirmed.
23/03
All groups have closed down; some, like in Fortaleza, are in confinement and are not allowed to go out or receive visits. Some groups are communities of life, and therefore, as in all other communities, they are busy organizing activities for companions.
21/03
Emaus Amor & Justiça In view of the latest events surrounding the pandemic and the need to prevent the spread of the virus, we would like to inform you that the health and safety of colleagues, employees, donors and clients is now the most important factor of the moment.
19/03
Emaus Igualdade In our group, which is a living and working community where many people and people in socially vulnerable situations live together, we take the following actions: - the doors of the COMMUNITY are closed: no one enters, no one leaves.- most of the people who come from outside just for work have been laid off indefinitely, because we have to avoid contact and we have no way of paying them - only three people were kept on to monitor internal operations- Pick-ups are suspended, as well as all group activities, meetings, anything that brings people together.As much as possible, we will try to help outside people to get food if they need it.Emaus Recife By order of the Governor, we cannot open our sales to the public!We cannot work internally or externally to repair or collect donations!Our vocational school was supposed to start classes yesterday, but until this critical moment has passed, we are closed!In our community today we have Luis and Laércio with their wives who are also housebound!We are still closed without being able to predict when we will resume our activities!
Chile
01/04
Traperia Emaus San Bernardo
The traperia has 17 companions living in the Community, 6 volunteers and 10 collaborators. A few weeks ago it was defined that the companions of the Community, aged over 60 years, were only dedicated to internal tasks, without contact with the public. The activities of the daily bazaar sale and collection were limited to half a day, after which the volunteers and collaborators return home. Some volunteers and staff stopped coming for various reasons.
Traperia Emaus San Luis
The traperia has 24 companions living in the community, 12 volunteers and 9 collaborators. As at the Trapería San Bernardo, the hours of service of the Bazaar, which sells the recovered objects, have been restricted and companions over 60 years of age and in delicate health have been assigned to internal tasks or workshops. Some volunteers had to stay at home. We are working on the collection in a small radius of the city, as the vast majority of the communes where we have carried out this work are isolated due to the pandemic.
This is where the coordination of Santiago and National works. More drastic measures have been taken for those over 60. The place only operates for half a day and the members of the Community who live there are particularly concerned. There are 6 companions who live in the premises and 8 volunteers.
27/03
Emmaus Temuco
In the Araucanía Region, as at the national level, the weakness and inefficiency of the health system have been reflected, as well as the timely decisions taken by the government to address a situation such as the one experienced worldwide with COVID-19, where all the decisions taken, both political and social, have affected workers, small and medium size businesses and the poorest people with limited resources.
In terms of health, the centres are not equipped with the necessary equipment to deal with this pandemic, there is a cost to access the COVID-19 test, and in the pharmacies items such as gloves, masks, alcohol are either unavailable or have been increased in cost in an exaggerated way that is practically inaccessible again to those who have less, with the pharmacies benefiting because they do not have a regulatory body and the government itself does not regulate these prices in the face of the state of catastrophe decreed.
As for food, it has also been affected by the rise in prices of basic products such as toiletries. In the face of a possible quarantine the government would decree at any time, it has led to more excessive purchases by people in the face of a possible shortage of supplies and long queues to enter supermarkets, which is supposed to avoid the crowding of people, as recommended to avoid further contagion.
There is no coordination between the measures taken by the mayors of the small communes with the measures taken by the government, which seem to be much more successful than those taken by the mayors ; for example, the sanitation of the streets during the early hours of the morning.
As we know in the region of the Araucanía, the Mapuche culture and philosophy is very present. From their point of view, the Mapuche authorities believe that all this had an announcement and evidence from the eclipse of the sun that was like a warning that this pandemic was coming, urging the authorities to reflect that as always the words of the Mapuche authorities were not given credibility. All this that is being lived is nothing more than the result of all the technology and greed of the guilty man and not the nature of what is happening since before so much experiment it escaped from their hands, and now they cannot control it, that science is guilty as a product of what today is taking these deadly consequences of both Mapuche and non-Mapuche because of these great laboratories. A government that clearly takes care of and favors the big businessmen (supermarkets, laboratories, pharmacies) with its decisions.
Here, a national quarantine has not yet been decreed, but our daily work as Emmaus in the Araucanía region has been affected by the behaviour of the people (donors) who are even more distant when it comes to collecting donations. Some of them have cancelled the collection, and we do not have the crowds in the bazaar as we are used to, and as we know, our source of resources that allows us to manage ourselves is our work, for which we have agreed to take the following measures:
- Recommendations given by the Ministry of Health and the WHO: the use of masks and gloves (for the companions who go to the collection, those who are in the daily bazaar, and those who do a shift in the Emmaus home), permanent hand washing.
- Companions who are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses or who come from far away (as there is a drop in daily travel due to government restrictions) are placed in preventive quarantine and are not exposed to the other companions.
- A general meeting was held with colleagues explaining the importance of this emergency and taking the necessary precautions such as avoiding going out after work hours or being in spaces that could expose them.
- The work in the Traperia is developing normally, only with a change of schedule in the activities being this from 09:00 am to 15:00 pm.
- Vaccination of both colleagues in the community and those who come to stay at the hospital for people more prone to respiratory diseases.
On March 27 at 11:39 am was decreed total quarantine in Temuco because the region of the Araucana to this minute comes to be the second region with more cases of coronavirus, after the metropolitan region of Santiago.
Last measure in this minute we happen to close the Trapería and in our we keep the permanent users whom we will continue to feed during the quarantine.
Emmaus Talca has 9 companions in the Life Community, and there are 6 volunteers and 9 collaborators. Among the companions, there are several elderly people who are our first priority in care. For about 15 days we have implemented some Emergency Measures that the National Executive sent to the four Emmaus Centers in the country.
With this we have arranged a series of internal measures in our Community, as well as in the workplaces and in the Bazaar where we attend the public that arrives which has been very reduced.
Our colleagues and ourselves are being treated in the Polyclinic of the sector to be vaccinated against the flu, we have provided a bathroom in the reception of the Traperia for the public to wash their hands with soap and other disinfectants.
As for the collections we have had to suspend the trips to the cities of Chillan that has a cordon sanitaire that does not allow to enter nor to leave the city, we suspended the trips to the cities of Curico and Linares we have only been taking care of our city of Talca.
Emmaus Concepción
The regional office has 5 companions who live in the community house and 3 collaborators. We take care of the public twice a week. All measures have been taken with regard to companions over 60 years of age.
The Trapería Chiguayante has 18 companions in the Community, and there are 10 volunteers and 5 collaborators.
Like all cities and towns in Chile, our Community of Life and Work is living the phenomenon of the Coronavirus pandemic. For this reason we have been taking some measures to protect our colleagues and partners at the Regional Headquarters in Concepción and the Trapería in Chiguayante.
One of the first measures, taken a few weeks ago, is that our companions over 60 years old, have no relation with the public that comes to our premises and they have been assigned internal tasks. Similarly, we have restricted the opening hours of the sales points, as well as the collection points in the greater Concepción area.
Since the situation is complicated, especially by the issues of contagion in public transport, it has been determined in recent days that the volunteers remain in their homes. The well-being of the companions of the Community of Life who remain in Chiguayante and Concepción is being ensured.
27/03
Urracas Emaus Temuco has 16 companions in the Trapería Life Community, and there are 14 volunteers and 8 collaborators.
Emaus Temuco informs that for the time being and until further notice, their activities are suspended, including sales. As for collections, we will take calls but will schedule withdrawals when the quarantine is lifted. The accommodation will continue to function because we cannot leave those who come to spend the night unprotected; the permanent staff will do their quarantine inside the house. We hope that this emergency will be lifted soon, because our daily sustenance is the collection and your ongoing support. We ask that those who come to deposit donations (food or other items) in our facilities take sanitary and preventive security measures.
Emaus Talca: Many of us are doing a voluntary quarantine in the hope that this way the virus will not spread. At Emmaus, we continue to work, helping our neighbours in difficult times and for our own survival.
Colombia
27/03
Emaús Buga
We can't go out to work by decree of the national government. This same government delivers perishable food that lasts a week per person, you cannot work or go out on the street, under penalty of being taken prisoner and fined.
19/03
Emaus Pereira There are already more than 100 cases of contagion in the country, which is a very high number, and in Pereira there are two cases. As far as our group is concerned, we have taken certain measures and recommendations, taking into account those of the Ministry of Health. It is impossible for us to close the community. Most of our companions live there and have nowhere else to go. The economic aspect is very much affected, since many businesses have closed until further notice
18/03
Until recently there were 2 cases identified but the Ministry of Health has 64 cases, which seems to be a rather high number that shows the acceleration of the spread. Border closures have begun; passengers from other countries must remain in quarantine for 14 days when resident in Colombia, but otherwise the entry of foreigners is blocked. There are cases in Pereira (the town of one of the country's Emmaus groups). Many companies have sent employees home to telework, while others have kept staff to a minimum. Our group is going to be very affected. Also in Pereira, the government has decreed a curfew for young people under 15 and adults over 65 until 24 May. The community of Pereira is implementing the measures and recommendations of the Ministry of Health with the companions, but life goes on in the community where 25 companions live.
17/03
In Colombia, courses in colleges, institutes and universities have been stopped by presidential order. Meetings, forums, assemblies that gather 500 people are cancelled and at departmental level, events or meetings of 10 or more people are prohibited. Visits to prisons are prohibited throughout the country. Curfew for children under 24 and over 60 years of age. Temporary quarantine for two weeks.
Guatemala
25/03
Here in Guatemala, the whole country is in a state of emergency since 14th March when the first cases appeared, evaluated and put in quarantine, therefore for the security of the population the Government has decreed a curfew, so that we are safe in our homes and avoid the contagion of the virus, like all the educational centers are closed until further notice, the businesses are not enabled all the time only in a schedule.
Peru
01/05
Cuna Nazareth
There are many questions, which make us rethink what will happen next. And then it's as if we've been put on pause in our lives...
In Peru, we are still in a state of emergency and social isolation, which will end on the 10/5, our number of infected people and deaths is increasing, it is impossible that it stops there, according to some analysts it will continue for a few more months, it is above all the health of everyone. The local economy has been seriously weakened, affecting many families who do not have the economic budget to acquire the basic family basket, and who ask for help from local governments (vouchers and food baskets). This has caused the emigration of dozens of families from the capital (Lima) to their place of origin (province), and they are burdened with extreme needs. Due to the same situation (lack of work), the central government and the local authorities prevent them from taking the risk of continuing, the local authorities become alarmed and start the sanitary control and the relevant rapid test of COVID 19 so that they can reach their destination. The government is trying to reactivate the economy in stages by launching some commercial activities, food sales, delivery restaurants, and others. The government, in order to help vulnerable families, independent programs and other social inclusion programs have provided some monetary subsidies, although the filter they have used to actually reach families in need has not been very strategic, thus alleviating some of the basic needs, including ensuring food for many families.
In the case of Cuna, our main educational activity, the health emergency makes it difficult to start the activity with children, since from 1 to 5 years old it is enough to comply with the strategies established by the government to fight the pandemic, so this year's activities will be virtual from home. The State has created television, radio and Internet spaces where various educational activities are developed, which strengthen the skills and teaching strategies that teachers use to transmit to families, who, through the virtual space, share them with children and their families. In Cuna, during these months, we will only carry out administrative activities of management, coordination, planning of a reactivation plan, reformulation of our work strategies. We have foreseen that from the month when the state of emergency is lifted, if possible we will continue to generate some resources, 11 companions will remain without activity, until they authorize us to return to normal and develop our activities.When it will be our turn to reactivate the work of the Traperia, we will have a lot to do there, considering that several factors will be against us, the recovery of our economy, the restoration of confidence for the reception of donations, because of their direct relationship with the donors, before that we are already preparing the personal protection equipment against COVID 19, the publicity related to that, to guarantee as always a good reception by the donors. We see a little complicated the opening of the sales spaces, perhaps with the months and little by little we can review the visit of our buyers.
At these times, we have received exceptional support from the solidarity sent by Emmaus International, which will help to alleviate the groups' difficulties.
In fact, this whole situation has taken a big turn in the life of our group. At the local level, we already had our continuity agreement with the food bank, with the receipt for the year 2020 of great help in preparing food for our children, all of which was postponed until the return of our activities.
20/04
Emaus Piura
After 35 days of social isolation, the death toll in Piura is, according to the data, 300 infected and 40 dead, and almost all the infected are workers in the city's markets. In addition, we have only 19 mechanical ventilators, so we can start deciding who we are going to save and who we are going to condition to their fate because of the demand from patients who are having severe respiratory attacks.
We at Emmaus Piura, as environmental logistics operators, are not risk-free and we contribute daily to the health strategy with our services, which are more than just a job, a vocation and a commitment to the world.
We are characterised by our solidarity with people wherever they need us. It is part of our strength to bring peace and rest where they need it. Águilas Emaús Piura does not rest and we continue the arduous task of getting involved. We know the enormous risk we face every day, but we must be there, we continue in the resistance, we only ask you to stay home. We are also taking care of you by maintaining a clean, healthy and safe environment that generates hope so that we can meet again tomorrow.
03/04
Emaús Trujillo
At the local level the rules dictated by the authorities have to be respected and we have paralyzed our activities leaving only a number of 10 companions to perform the services we do to the supermarkets. This activity with supermarkets is also allowing us to rescue some food that has always sustained our community and now we can provide for our companions who are obligatorily at home. We are 62 companions of which 7 live in the community.
Our group has been living a very difficult situation since last year after the fire in July with many losses and at present we are not clear how the situation will be for the future since all economic activities of our groups are paralyzed. At the moment we only deliver food on Wednesdays and Saturdays to our companions who are working to take home.
It is a very difficult and worrying situation since most of our companions depend only on the income they receive from Emmaus.
01/04
Emaús Lambayeque
The spread of the pandemic has been so rapid that it has created a crisis never seen before. First the formation of great uncertainty about what to do, then fear among the people and the reaction of the Peruvian State, which issued very harsh restrictions, such as social isolation and because it knows the idiosyncrasy of Latino people who are reluctant to see their freedoms restricted.
Prior to this decree, we had meetings within the group to define its importance and to analyse the information coming in particular from China, which is why we knew in advance that these measures were going to cause serious problems, food, hygiene articles, disinfectants, etc.
We published, and we warned of what was happening to our neighbours and customers, but being a small group like ours, it is very difficult for us to provide more help, since we do not have these possibilities, in this sense our attention has been focused on our colleagues, who are supporters of their families; we therefore feel the need to help overcome this moment of quarantine, even when we are frustrated by the impossibility of doing so due to the lack of economic resources that can provide such assistance.
However, the virtual meetings between us continue, our communication is very fluid and we are making a special program for the post-quarantine period, because it is certain that the problem will continue, will have lowered the infection curve but there will be cases, so we are in it:
To make people aware that the problem will continue, as long as there is no safe vaccine, it will be an evil that will kill people, so we will have to continue to apply the rules of disinfection both at the personal and domestic level. We are thinking of leaflets, radio spots. Reorganize neighborhood meetings as we did with the work on urban solid waste and take stock and promote the culture of hand hygiene while respecting the environment. Support very poor families with what we can collect, because after being without work for more than a month, their situation must be difficult.
We need to resume our preventive health programme, which, although it was designed for contamination by organic and chemical waste, we will be able to redefine it, deepening the healthy diet that generates antibodies harmful to health.
19/03
Emaús Solidaridad y Apoyo
At this very moment in Peru, there are already 234 confirmed cases of coronavirus and, according to the latest news, a 78-year-old man has already died of high blood pressure.
Our group is small, it lives from day to day work and suddenly we have been affected by the measures that have been given by the government, which we are taking responsibly because we know it is for the health of all Peruvians. We also have to be realistic, in reality our group and perhaps others did not anticipate this emergency, which is definitely making life difficult for all of us at the grassroots level, as well as food and health.
18/03
Emaus Lambayeque The state of emergency decreed in Peru is very strict, it has even restricted people's fundamental rights, to assembly, to free movement and others, which means that we have to stop when the police demand it, anyway the collection of food for families is very difficult and expensive, we are concerned about poor families who live from day to day, it also involves a pressure cooker that can explode at any given moment. The group has had to close, the companions who have relatives have gone home, others have travelled and there is only one companion left in the house, our economy is very affected, the price of sacrifice is very high. Let us hope it is worth it. These days of solitude should make us reflect not only on the future of the groups when they have to live under pressure, but also on the service of the Movement.
Emaus San AgustinThe situation in the country: - 15 days of sanitary quarantine.- Work permit with 15 days salary - Suspension of individual guarantees for citizens.- Suspension of courses for schools, universities and institutes.- Suspension of vehicle traffic - Suspension of all professional activities.- Increase of basic necessities such as food.Only hospitals, banks, shopping centres, telephone, electric company, water supply, food transport are functioning. The armed forces and the police guarantee social security.Situation of the group :- This situation surprised us and we were unprepared.- We have to pay the WAGES of the companions for 15 days.- We live from day to day thanks to the two weekly sales.- We have to pay for basic services such as water, electricity and telephone.- We also have to pay social security and other contributions.- We are about 40 people in total, and it will be difficult to pay the 15-day wages.- We hope to be able to resume the pickups, repair the furniture and see the return of the buyers.We hope that the Peruvian government will not extend the quarantine, otherwise the situation will be chaotic.
Emaus Piura Today our country and our community are facing a difficult situation that affects first and foremost our colleagues and the beneficiaries of our social programs. Our community has three defined structures with their own infrastructures and partners who manage and operate them:- The original Traperia, with its own premises, workshops, warehouses, sales room, vehicles, tools and where 39 people work, 23 of whom live in the community.- The Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre, with its own premises, duly equipped with the technology necessary for good care, where 12 people work, plus 11 practitioners from local universities.- The school "Los Aguiluchos de Emaús" with its own premises, where 9 people work and which, at certain times of the year, receives 2 volunteers from the Public University of Navarre.Our entire budget for the rag shop, the therapy centre and the school is covered by our daily work.- Of the 60 companions who work at Emmaus Piura and receive a monthly allowance, 75% are parents who are heads of households, have dependent families and young people who help their families financially.The Peruvian government issued a decree of national emergency and isolation for 15 days from Monday 15 March.As a result of this decree, we had to close the Traperia, the therapy centre and the school. We can only travel with our vehicles to collect solid waste in some of the food centres we work with. We have formed a team of 8 people for this work. We have no economic income, there is no sale of materials, the bazaar is closed and our colleagues have to receive their support voucher which allows them to live. And just like our 60 colleagues, there are thousands of families who make a living from their daily work and who today cannot generate their own resources. And of course, the government never really reaches these poorer sectors. Today we are facing a difficult situation that directly affects our colleagues and thousands of families. And we know that it also affects other Emmaus communities in Peru that live day to day like us and that it also affects other communities in our region of America. We know that this pandemic is affecting all the Emmaus groups around the world and that it is time to find creative and supportive ways to help us overcome the difficult situation in which we find ourselves and, above all, to enable us to take care of our companions and continue to do our social work alongside the most disadvantaged.
Emaus Villa El Salvador We were aware of the situation, but in spite of this, the presidential message took us by surprise: closure of our premises for 15 days, stopping our activities during this period. We had to send the companions home. We are sure that this situation is suffered by all the comrades in Peru, let's hope that these 15 days are not prolonged (because it seems serious); our main concern is the payment of the comrades, which is done on weekends. We live from day to day, and with this situation it is very difficult for us to comply.
17/03
The government declared a state of emergency in mid-March, and a 15-day lockdown to begin with. The military are on the streets and only essential movement is allowed. Only hospitals, pharmacies, banks, shopping centres and food transport remain open. The government no longer allows work, so the 6 groups present in Peru have had to close: Emaus San Agustin, Emaus Lambayeque, Emaus Aguilas-Piura, Emaus Cuna Nazareth, Emaus Villa Salvador and Emaus Solidaridad y Apoyo. Emaus Trujillo, a group on probation of which we have no news at this time. The situation is going to be very critical as we will no longer have any resources but we have to pay the salaries of the companions and families who work in our communities. There are 40 companions in San Agustin, 60 in Aguilas-Piura as well as the 11 teachers of the nursery school and the 12 practitioners of the rehabilitation centre, the teachers of the nursery and primary school run by Cuna Nazareth, 6 companions in Lambayeque and Villa el Salvador.
CUNA NAZARETH In Peru, according to the studies we are in phase 3 and the cases are increasing. We Peruvians take the instructions of the executive in a responsible way for the good of all. We sincerely hope that the infected people will soon recover and that everything will return to normal. At the local level, these measures, for which we must take responsibility, have affected 100 per cent of the life of our institution and of all Peruvians. With regard to our local economy, there has been a rise in the dollar, an increase in the price of the family basket, the closure of private and public enterprises, except those related to the production of food and basic services, because there must be no shortage of supplies for the population to subsist during these 15 days of emergency, and we hope that this will not come to an end. That is why, in our case, we have closed the crèche services, the community and a small shop, which will not allow us during these 15 days to generate income, nor to look after the children directly.
United States
27/03
Here in the Maine groups, we work with caution. At H.O.M.E., the community has had to send most of our employees home. We've closed our stores and completely closed them to the public. We only serve the people in our homeless shelter and give food to those who need it. We've only kept the staff who are essential to take care of the people in our homeless shelter. We are not far from New York City, but we are fortunate in our state because the local government is careful. The federal government has done some things to help, but the president is having a hard time comforting us. Many people in our group are affected in other ways. In the United States many people have families across the country. It is difficult to deal with this separation of families. HOME also has a wide range of people that we normally serve and now there are many that we cannot help as we used to because of the need for social distancing. It is so difficult for us, but we have to give priority to the families in our homeless home. In every possible way, we must unite to be strong for the weakest among us. If we can be strong for those who are not strong, maybe we can weather this storm.
At HOME, we normally have 47 employees, so far we have sent 21 employees home. 55 people can live in our homeless shelter at the same time. At the moment there are 32 people in the shelter. We serve an average of 65 boxes of food to families in our community. We usually have a day care center with 12 children. This is closed due to the pandemic. We can no longer hold classes and events for the public.
Uruguay
20/03
Emaus Maldonado In view of the new recommendations of the national and public health authorities, and consultations with professionals in the search for health protection and the best possible income situation for our colleagues and their families, as well as for our clients and donors, we will close our sales premises and all the activity we carry out until the health measures called for and decreed by the government are reduced.
19/03
Grupo Emaus APORTES We have decided to close our premises and send our workers home to comply with the regulations. Naturally, this situation radically affects our management and social action. Our income depends exclusively on our daily collection and sales work.
We know that this aggravates our already deteriorated economic and operational situation, but it is our ethical and civic duty to collaborate to the maximum in these circumstances. More than ever, we must preserve our objectives of SOLIDARITY AND FRATERNITY with everyone, at this time. And to keep our institutional and founding values at Emmaus high.
18/03
Emaus Nuevo Paris We would like to inform you that the companions of Emmaus Nuevo Paris, during the plenary session, decided to close the doors from 19 March to 30 April, thus adhering to the call for civic awareness made by the Presidency of the Republic.
17/03
Since Friday 13/03, there have been confirmed cases of coronavirus, which have led to measures being taken since Monday: suspension of classes in all levels, compulsory quarantine for all those arriving from Europe and Asia; since this morning, closure of the land border with Argentina. A few days after these initial measures, the Presidency of the Republic called on all people residing in Uruguay to respect the barrier gestures and take containment measures, to participate in a responsible citizen dynamic necessary to contain the spread of the virus as much as possible.
The three Uruguayan groups, Emaus Aportes, Emaus Nuevo Paris and Emaus Maldonado, therefore proceeded to close their business premises and sent all employees home. There are no living communities in these groups, but all the journeymen and women are employees of the groups, and do not yet know if and how the state will allow compensation for their technical unemployment. The Secretariat of the American Region is also based in Uruguay, in Montevideo; there are teleworking offices.
Asia Region
Bangladesh
03/04
Bangladesh has a health crisis in the making. Already one of the most densely populated countries in the world, Bangladesh also has thousands of stateless Rohingya housed in refugee camps in the south eastern region of the country, in conditions prime for rapid spread. Activists are warning that conditions at crowded camps in southeast Bangladesh are leaving a million Rohingya refugees at risk of contracting the virus.
Currently there is a 10-day nationwide lockdown until April 4, and possible of extending it until April 11, during which Army is enforcing social distancing across the nation. The ready-made garments sector which accounts for more than 80% of Bangladesh’s manufacturing income has already suffered a loss of $3 billion. Daily wage labourers such as rickshaw-pullers, are the hardest hit as the closure of schools and colleges have led to lower demand for their services. The country of around 165 million people has so far reported 6 deaths due to the coronavirus, with 56 confirmed cases.
03/04
THANAPARA SWALLOWS DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY main actions are related to Fair Trade, Micro credit, Education and Domestic violence program. Until lockdown, all the staffs were asked to stay safe in home with paid leave. Only production center is open making samples for both fabric and garments, but in a smaller scale. They contact the donors, buyers and the staffs through telephone and social media.
Education & Domestic violence program has come to a halt after the Government has announced the lockdown since 26 March. Both are donor supported projects, and the donor has given their consent to pay staff salaries involved in the projects.
Micro credit program has also been stopped as per the Government order until 30 April. This will incur loss of Taka 500,000 (6000 US$) to the organisation from the service charges earned each month. It has put the organisation into difficulty to pay their staffs.
Fair Trade activity: nearly 20,000 US$ orders from Taiwan, Korea and UK is ready, but due to lock down the buyer has not taken and it is stocked in the warehouse. Thanapara is not sure when the buyer will take this order. Other new orders from Japan and Korea for Autumn-Winter are in process to a tune of 19,000 US$. All the fabric for Japan is in the loom now, but due to lock down, they could not weave the fabric. Thanapara has got permission from local administrative office to run the weaving unit, but weavers are scared to work. Thanapara is in regular contact with the buyers explaining the situation to not lose them, and to keep them in the loop.
Initiatives to the people in need:
Thanapara is producing cotton masks, and has distributed 500 pieces to the producers, school children and local community people. They are planning to distribute another 1000 masks to micro credit beneficiaries soon.
They create awareness to nearby village people on how to avoid getting infected from virus by door to door visits and through mike. Medicines are distributed to Mutual Health members, if required.
They are in regular contact with local administrative authorities to ensure regular distribution of food to people on streets.
With the income from handicraft & micro credit program, and from the voluntary contributions of the staffs, Thanapara is planning to distribute food materials (5 kg rice, 2 kg potato, 1 Kg dhal & 1 ltr oil) today to 55 people who are daily wage labourers who don’t have job at the moment.
03/04
POLLEE UNNYON PROKOLPO is mainly involved in handicraft program, in imparting training in embroidery and skill development, and in campaigns in exposing violence against women and children. After the announcement of lockdown, all the activities of PUP has come to a halt, with staffs on paid leave until 4 April, which may be extended to 9th. The office is opened for a short while everyday to manage their mask production and to organise food distribution. Also to communicate with individuals, networks, forums and organizations to mobilize funds to support the people in need.
Initiatives to the people in need:
Since the lockdown commenced, the price of all sanitary materials has gone up with less supply and increase in demand. This resulted in a big crisis for the poor people who cannot afford to buy them in the market. Hence PUP took initiative to make handwash at their office using bleaching & detergent powder, and distributed to poor people. Also they produced cotton face masks and distributed to their staff members, handicraft producers and to community members.
PUP also distributed COVID-19 awareness & safely related leaflets to people in rural villages. They managed to collect these leaflets through one of their staffs who is a member in the sub-district level ‘Covid-19 transmission prevention - Government task force committee’.
PUP also supported the people in streets and daily wage labourers by providing 55 packets of food materials (rice, potato, pulse, oil, salt & soap). They are planning to help more people by mobilising funds from local & international sources.
26/03
The Government of Bangladesh has decided to confine the entire country from 26 March to 4 April. All government and non-government offices, shopping malls, theatres and places where people can gather will remain closed during this period. Only pharmacies, grocery stores and vegetable markets are allowed to remain open during this period. All public transportation is at a standstill.
The Emmaus PUP group is closed during the lockdown, but can still be reached via the internet. So far, our initiatives in response to the epidemic are as follows:
- We manufacture masks that we distribute to our staff, craft producers and the inhabitants of neighbouring communities;
- We manufacture a product for washing hands with bleach and detergent powder, which we distribute to our staff and to all craft producers;
- We print leaflets from different organizations about VIDOC-19 and distribute them to our craft producers and people in the community;
- We are already mobilizing funds to provide food kits to 100 families among the producers who live in extreme poverty.
The group hopes to eventually provide food support to 700 families who are either already living in extreme poverty or who can no longer earn an income due to confinement and therefore can no longer meet their minimum needs.
The Emmaus Thanapara Swallows group is also closed for the time of confinement. Nevertheless, the group carries out health awareness actions (hygiene, information about the virus but also how to access healthcare) as part of their various programmes. The group is also involved in the manufacture/distribution of hand gel and masks. Micro-credit beneficiaries are not able to repay their loans, even though demand is increasing.
17/03
All schools have been closed since yesterday, and until March 31, and all sports activities have stopped. The government is asking that large gatherings of people, such as in shopping malls or local markets, be avoided. 5 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed, but there is strong concern that this number will increase in the coming days. Public health messages are being regularly disseminated by our groups. The buyers in our groups are all shifting their orders or even making no commitments pending an improvement in the situation. We are going to have to face a very difficult situation.
India
03/04
India is now among 44 countries in the world where the number of Covid-19 cases are above 2,000. WHO has found that the speed at which the number of confirmed cases rose from 100 to 2000 has been relatively slower in India compared to the most affected countries. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in India rose to 2088 by Friday 3rd April, with the virus claiming 56 lives. However the situation is becoming also serious and the cases are increasing day by day. Thousands of migrant workers do not have adequate food and shelter. They have started moving to their hometowns after few days of lockdown, throwing mandatory social distancing norms to the wind, posing a massive health risk. The pandemic can reach the small villages where these labourers are headed and then spread like wildfire. It is also a gigantic task for the government to help them financially with a huge population. Unfortunately, though the government have taken some actions to support the workers, it is minimal. Many organisations /enterprises are at the verge of disappearing due to huge losses and no hope and guarantee for work in near future. The coming days in India are going to be challenging with rise of virus cases.
TARA PROJECTS ASSOCIATION
All the activities of the group continue to be in halt after the lockdown since 24 March. TARA had to close down their offices, workshops and all other operations.
TARA, which is involved in community and livelihood generation programs for economically marginalised persons and artisans, all those actions have come to a standstill. Almost all the Fair Trade orders had got cancelled due to the grim situation in Europe and in USA. A big question for survival for the next several months due to the fixed costs and no possibility of work availability in near future with no revenue generation.
Due to the nature of work, all the staffs of TARA are inactive and remain at home. However, the community actions continue on a smaller scale with the help of few volunteer friends and some community workers, but it is limited due to social distancing and lockdown rules.
Initiatives to the people in need:
TARA has been doing awareness work and distributing surgical masks. Seeing the scarcity of masks in the market, TARA produced 10,000 masks in early March spending Rs.150,000. Poor people and the beneficiaries could not afford them in spite of the need. Therefore TARA provided the masks to their beneficiaries who have health issues, to people living in front of hospitals who are prone to diseases, and to the migrant workers who lost their jobs and became very vulnerable in the present uncertain circumstances. There still continue to be a shortage of masks for the ordinary poor people.
TARA had also been helping in providing food to those in need, specially the migrant workers and poor people who have taken refugee in Government shelter homes. Some of the community members and youth volunteers had taken risk but remained high in their spirits. Small community kitchens were organised to cook food for the community people and other vulnerable. Food packets costing of INR 25/- per person were distributed to more than 2000 members in Badarpur and Bawana. Due to lack of sufficient resources, this action is limited for some time now.
Until lockdown, Tara’s MHO centre was operational helping many sick members. Due to complete lockdown and the risk of Corona virus infection, it was decided to shut it down indefinitely. But through its health workers, TARA continue to create awareness to the community members on hygienic measures to avoid infections.
03/04
FLORANCE HOME FOUNDATION
Group’s source of income mainly comes from their organic farm situated in Veerappar village. Many people from this village were working in Kerala (neighbouring State) which is one of the worst affected by Corona virus, and also by Bird flu. Hence all these people had to return back to their village before the lockdown was announced. Most of them were visiting FHF farm to buy chicken, eggs, milk, fruits & other farm products.
Local health authorities through their assessment, came to know that many of them who returned from Kerala were affected by Corona, and hence Government has quarantined the whole village to stop spreading the virus. Authorities from Health & Veterinary department also visited FHF farm, and they asked to bury all the chickens which were sick, and clean the farm as a precautionary measure. Hence FHF is now left with few number of chickens and other cattles. Their Sales unit & Bio-organic input preparation unit is also closed down. All the economic activities of the organisation has come to a halt, adding fuel to their existing FCRA issue.
Centre at Killai village: 15 children were staying in the Home, who were either orphans or having single parent. After the lockdown, 8 children were sent back to their parent, and 7 are staying with FHF. Their evening tuition centre is also closed down.Organisation finds difficult to feed the children staying in the Home with lack of enough food materials. Government has announced relief materials, but not sure when it will be obtained.
Initiatives to the people in need:
With precaution measures, the tailoring unit in Killai is functioning with few girls helping in preparing the masks. Everyday they manage to prepare 500 masks, and distribute to local hospitals around the village, to community members, and to people who cannot afford to buy it.
FHF also prepares food in their Killai centre, and distribute for around 25 street and homeless people everyday.
03/04
VCDS activities are of two types – Field level & Farm activities. By March 18, VCDS closed all its school programs, village level farm activities, dairy & poultry farms as a precautionary measure to stop spreading the virus.
From then, VCDS could not sell its farm produces (vegetables, milk & eggs), which makes a loss of Rs.1000 everyday.
VCDS could not sell its paddy & grains from their farm to the wholesale market. They were stocked in their farm. On the long run, it will be affected by insects, which will reduce their quality & quantity. This is estimated to incur a loss of Rs.35000.
Paddy which is getting ready for harvest, could not be carried out, because of lack of men and machinery.
Under 2019 Solidarity project, VCDS has planned to conduct farmers’ training on Azolla & mushroom cultivation. But due to lockdown, trainings could not be conducted which will affect the timeline of the project, and the execution period of farmers as the summer is approaching.
Currently Farm animals are being looked after by caretakers. Weeding the crops is also done regularly by them to prepare it for harvest, once the lockdown is over. Fodder for the cattles has been stocked enough to meet the needs.
All other staffs were asked to work from home with paid leave. They are in regular contact through phone with the teachers & village federation leaders to know about their daily life and work.
Initiatives to the people in need:
VCDS has no direct activities, but they help the local officials & police to identify new infections, and people who have come from other parts of India to quarantine them.
They inform the farmers in their working areas to continue in agricultural activities, but to follow the guidelines specified by the Government for self-protection.
Teachers under NFED program educate the people on how to avoid from infections by being hygienic, and how to identify the people infected.
On request from the Home Ministry for NGO’s to come forward to help in COVID situation, VCDS has offered its buildings at Vellakulam & Karasanur to function as a quarantine centre & to open Community kitchen.
03/04
KUDUMBAM facilitates Sustainable agriculture & environment promotion activities in its ecological farm established at Kolunji. They also facilitate micro credit program through NABFINS (a National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development). They work in 3 districts of Tamilnadu. Program coordinators, Cluster managers and Field staffs use whatsapp and telephone contacts with their borrowers and beneficiaries to keep track of ongoing activities, and to inform different government schemes announced for Covid-19. Kudumbam is trying to raise loans or grant to pay 50% of the salary to their staffs for for April, May and June 2020.
Administrative headquarters: Kudumbam coordinate all its activities in 3 districts from its office in Trichy. After the lockdown, 5 programme co-ordinators, 4 accountants and 4 supporting staffs have been asked to work from home upto 14th April. 2 Swedish interns have expressed their willingness to stay in Kudumbam until June.
Micro credit activities: Kudumbam facilitates micro credit program in Pudukottai & Nagapattinam districts. In each district, 3 cluster managers & 10 field officers are in regular contact with their women borrowers (approximately 4000 in each district). As per the order from Reserve Bank of India, the borrowers have been informed that the repayment period has been extended, and they do not need to pay installments for next 3 months. So Kudumbam will not be able to get its service charges for these 2 months, which will have an impact on the salaries of the staffs working on Micro credit program.
Ecological farm: Kudumbam facilitates training program on Sustainable agriculture to university students, farmers, school & college students on monthly basis at their ecological farm in Kolunji. They get a regular income from the training fees collected from the participants which covers part of the salaries paid to the farm staffs. Now all these training programs are cancelled for next 2 months, and Kudumbam is trying to mobilise funds to pay the staffs. 7 staffs are working in the farm, who have been requested to come to work in team of four during the lockdown period, to take care of the tree nursery, cattle, vegetable garden and fodder plots. Children Home in the farm have been shut down, and they will return back after 15 April.
Initiatives to the people in need:
1500 group leaders of Micro credit program have been asked to identify the widows, single women and differently abled in their villages. They will be helped with groceries and vegetables which will be mobilised from the borrowers. It will be distributed on weekly basis for next 3 months.
Kudumbam has requested all its borrowers who have petty shops and vegetable farms to support the widows in the villages with grocery and vegetables.
Farm staffs in Kolunji have been informed to distribute vegetables and eggs to elderly and widows in the neighbourhood of the farm on daily basis.
26/03
Containment has been announced until April 14 for the time being. People have had 3 hours between the announcement of the lockdown and the beginning of the lockdown, the situation has been chaotic... There's been police violence. People who do not respect the confinement and leave their homes without "good reason" risk 6 to 12 months in prison.
The Emmaus VCDS group had closed one week before the confinement because they work with children and the authorities asked them to do so earlier. They were able to give a month's salary in advance to the employees, almost all of whom returned home. They have two people staying in their main centre to feed the animals, but nobody comes anymore. Problem for many people who cannot confine themselves (especially informal workers). They try to organise information sharing on the situation and solutions with the communities and collectives they work with. They also try to support the effort to check people arriving from Chennai, especially to prevent infected people from spreading the disease.
The Emmaus FHF group was forced to close its farm on 25/03. Goats and chickens had to be killed as people from Kerala (where there are cases of infection) came to the farm to find work as everything was already closed down there, so they were looking for work/food. The authorities preferred not to take any risks. So the group no longer has any money coming in. The activities with the children were also stopped, but they kept the orphans with them. However, in their Killai centre and with the help of the sewing unit, the group produces masks which are distributed to the local population, as well as food to the poor and homeless whenever possible.
Kudumbam closed its offices on 24/03, the employees work from home. On the farm, they still have a few employees who come to look after the animals and the plantations. All their activities and programs are closed. They were able to give the employees one month's notice. They launched a survey among their beneficiaries by telephone to understand the level of difficulty and how to respond. Most of the people they work with are workers who earn their money on a daily basis. Future complications for the repayment of micro-credits. Distance learning so that everyone can develop small vegetable gardens and survive, and in the medium and long term strengthen and refine their action to defend organic agriculture and defend food sovereignty and food autonomy. They try to challenge the State of Tamil Nadu on the situation and the exact problems encountered by the most excluded, so that it can act.
In Delhi, the Tara Projects group has also closed its offices. Orders are cancelled (no exports allowed). They do not know how they will pay their employees. They think that the situation will not return to normal within 6 months, so a lot of concern for the craftsmen they work with. Their mutual health insurance company has been very much in demand (for "flues", without knowing if it is Covid-19), so they are worried about the doctors and nurses. Prices of basic necessities have tripled in Delhi.
25/03
India has ordered a 21-day blockade of its 1.3 billion people since yesterday (March 24, 2020). Health researchers have warned that more than 1 million people in India could be infected with the Coronavirus by mid-May, prompting the government to ban all air and rail travel, close businesses and schools/colleges.
Dozens of people rushed to shops in all parts of India to buy essential items before the ban orders came into effect yesterday. To date, the number of positive cases stands at 574, with a death toll of 11. The government has assured that basic essential services will remain open and available, but until when?
23/03
Curfews were introduced today in several major cities, including New Delhi, and containment has been in place since Friday 20/03. No support is planned for the actors of the solidarity economy, or informal economy, and even less for associations; this will be a terrible blow to all these actors. Other measures will be taken on 31/03, according to the evolution of the situation.
17/03
Our country is experiencing an increase in the number of confirmed covid-19 cases. We have moved to stage 2 of the pandemic, and we are moving toward strong shutdown measures. To date, 129 cases have been confirmed, and 2 deaths. In South India, the state of Tamil Nadu and its border states (Kerala, Andhra, Karnataka...) have announced since yesterday the complete cessation of educational activities, shopping malls, theatres, bars, museums and any place where people gather; these measures are being taken until the end of the month. The idea is to fight the spread of the virus. There is no longer any authorization for parades, public meetings, summer camps, conferences, exhibitions or cultural events. The government is asking people to avoid all gatherings and to travel even to a border state for the next 15 days. People working in the informal economy will lose their jobs, children from poor families will no longer get their daily meal provided by the school, which is sometimes their only meal of the day. Their parents will no longer be able to work because they have to be kept at home, the elderly or sick are particularly vulnerable. Small business and tourism activities are already very largely affected... We are going to need to show solidarity!
Lebanon
08/05
As commonly known, AEP’s beneficiaries are among the poorest and most vulnerable in society. Due to their living conditions and occupations, their families often have a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 than others. They are also among the most financially vulnerable, with little or no savings at all to allow them to get through the current period of severe economic hardship in Lebanon.
Following the Lebanese government decision to take strict public health measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and allow its health system to cope, AEP suspended its activity and operations in terms of provision of new loans, field visits and technical assistance, consequently the whole work was shifted to online and working from home has been adopted.
AEP’s board of directors and executive team conducted several online meetings to evaluate the current position and find appropriate solutions to support the borrowers and keep AEP in a strong position to be able to lend again and play a vital role in the recovery once the crisis recedes. We do believe that we need to be proactive with our vulnerable members and offer them flexible solutions in terms of loan payment.
As of April 27,2020, AEP started resuming its activity gradually, the key operations performed are as follows:
1/ Support the borrowers with regular phone calls and technical assistance
2/ As AEP’s core purpose and mission is to stand beside the most vulnerable and next to its borrowers to enhance their social and economic state and to keep on holding a decent life within their families while assuring the basics of their daily needs we are conducting a profound analysis for each beneficiary to tailor and execute support measures as per the following: easing the terms of debts that the borrowers cannot pay when economies seize up; suspending repayments, restructuring existing loans, applying discounts on file fees, modifying repayment schedules to make smaller monthly instalments.
Till date a large number of borrowers benefited from these initiatives but there is still a good number of entrepreneurs to be assessed and visited by our team to evaluate their major needs and way of support.
03/04
As Lebanon faces a harsh financial crisis crippling the state’s ability to face health crises, the Lebanese people are growing increasingly anxious about the new coronavirus. Health and other officials focussed on Lebanon, Iraq and Syria fear the numbers of people infected with Corona virus far exceed the official figures disclosed by all three governments, and claim non-state actors are quarantining entire communities of patients in areas outside state control. Health officials in Lebanon are stepping up efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. While the virus's spread appears to be under control so far, its evolution remains uncertain, especially since the health sector in Lebanon has been impacted for months by the economic crisis.
As the pandemic continues to spread, authorities are intensifying containment measures. Across the country, medical teams are holding crisis meetings to prepare for a large influx of patients. Protective equipment is not produced in Lebanon. Importing them is very difficult due to the economic crisis. As of today, Lebanon had recorded 494 confirmed cases, with 16 reported deaths. At the current rate, the number of cases is doubling every five to six days.
L’ Association d’entraide Professionnelle through its micro credit activity help in creating new jobs to the marginalised, and to promote solidarity between the different categories of the civil society. They provide technical assistance and human support to the small entrepreneurs. Credit extended to women has a much greater impact on household consumption and the quality of life for children. After the lockdown, all AEP offices in Lebanon are closed, with the staff team and borrowers remain confined. The team continue to work from home contacting the beneficiaries. Group has launched a survey to know the situation of the beneficiaries, based on which emergency aid will be organised in coming days.
26/03
The virus arrived in the country in the midst of other political, social and economic tensions. The country has been under lockdown for the past two weeks. Today the government is announcing two more weeks of containment. The situation is particularly difficult for the self-employed and those working in the informal sector (those with whom AEP works, the Emmaus group in Lebanon, which provides micro-credit). The AEP offices are closed, everyone is at home, but the team continues to work, to be in contact with their beneficiaries, and the group will launch a survey on the situation of its beneficiaries at the beginning of next week. The group plans to organise emergency aid for its beneficiaries with the support of other organisations, this is their priority. In this context, "political tensions are fading and solidarity is taking over".
25/03
The AEP and its borrowers are confined. This is very hard because in addition to the confinement there is a financial problem related to the fact that the banks are closed. There are too many people in Lebanon who have lost their jobs, therefore their salaries, so it is their survival that is threatened. There is no compensation as the state is totally bankrupt.
17/03
Everything is closed, the AEP offices are closed and the teams are trying to do what they can from their homes. But it's absolutely forbidden to go out unless it's urgent.
Europe Region
Belgium
29/03
In Belgium the spread of Covid-19 is very important, but without reaching the level of Spain or Italy. The government has decreed the containment of the population first until 5 April and afterwards until 19 April. Cafés, restaurants and shops (except food and pharmacies) are closed. Hence the closure of the Emmaus stores. All cultural and sports activities are at a standstill. The hospitals are facing a crisis, but there is fear of overflow if the situation continues for a few months. Thanks to the crisis, Belgium has managed to form a government to take radical measures. It must be said that since the last elections in May 2019, the government was in routine business and could not make new laws. For the first time in Belgium our Prime Minister is a woman.
In Belgium there are 3 Emmaus communities. 1- Ghlin-Mons with 7 companions (only men).2-Marchienne-au-Pont (Charleroi) with 8 companions (only men).3- La Poudrière with 45 companions on 3 sites: Brussels, Péruwelz (Wallonia) and Rummen (Flanders). 3 communities are at a standstill: no more sales, no more pick-ups and no more customer deposits since mid-March. The journeymen work within the community. At the moment there is a contact between the houses of La Poudrière with the movement of one vehicle per week (truck or van). On two of the three sites of La Poudrière there is a garden and environment part, which facilitates the work of the companions and the contact with nature. The 3 communities live for the moment on their financial reserves. The concern of the population for the current situation means that few people contact us for our activities today. In Belgium we have very few employees in our 3 communities. Several have stayed on and others are temporarily unemployed. Our volunteers stay at home and do not come to the community. We have also stopped any new welcome.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
25/03
The situation in Bosnia, when we compare it with other European countries, is not so critical, but the number of 168 cases and 3 deaths so far is really something we should be concerned about. The number of cases is increasing. Everything is closed down except for supermarkets and some public services. Between 6pm and 5am it is forbidden to go out unless you have special permission, minors (under 18) and elderly people (over 65) are not allowed to go out under any circumstances. The next step is to isolate each town and limit traffic. We understand and support these measures taken at the state level, as we are aware of the lack of the health system in Bosnia, so prevention is the best thing that can be done. The International Forum of Solidarity (IFS), as a humanitarian organisation, is at the disposal of the government, with all its human, technical and logistical resources, to support those in need.
Normally, we distribute meals every day for 456 elderly people in some local communities and every day we receive new requests to provide humanitarian aid, due to the fact that the elderly cannot go shopping, even if they have money for it. In addition, we have never stopped our support for migrants, who arrived from the Serbian border. Since October 2019, we have provided food, hygiene products and medical/technical assistance. In Tuzla (where they arrived and stayed longer before continuing their journey), we distributed food to 500 people. Then, with the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of migrants suddenly decreased. Those from Tuzla were moved to the centre near Sarajevo, and so far we are distributing almost 40-50 meals a day. We are present and ready to monitor other situations. Our second-hand shop is closed and we don't know until when.
Denmark
10/04
On 6 April, the Danish Prime Minister held a press conference on the first phase of the gradual reopening of the country. Denmark will remain closed until 10 May, despite some relief, under certain conditions, progressive after Easter for childcare for small children, nursery and primary schools, secondary schools for certain classes/terminals. All this is subject to the evolution of the virus and the behaviour of citizens during Easter.
The impression of the provisions is unanimously positive in our country since the restrictions already dated 11 March. The epidemic is moving in the right direction: the curve is flattened (preventive measures). In addition, the number of people in hospital has been slowly but surely decreasing over the past few days. On 9 April, 433 people were hospitalised, 120 of whom were on respirators. The total number of deaths was 237.
A maximum of 10 people are still maintained. The Abbé Pierre's Klunsere group sales shop, the sole source of income, two days a month, was closed in April and will be closed in May.
The festivals are all cancelled. The Chamber of Deputies has decided that all persons over 65 years of age will be offered free vaccination against pneumonia.
26/03
Parliament and the government impose fairly strict rules on us, but they are broadly respected by the people and appear to be effective. The numbers of deaths (41) and hospital admissions (approx. 350) are relatively modest so far, but the future is unknown. Many shops are closed and all events cancelled.
In the group Genvej til Udvikling (GtU) we have a large stock of handicrafts that cannot be sold at the moment. We cannot meet the close associations we collaborate with. But fortunately the digital life goes on. We are aware that our problems are modest compared to the situations in which many of the member associations of our Movement live.
Finland
26/03
The government declared a state of emergency on 18 March. Restaurants and bars are closed, people over 70 are asked to stay at home and the rest of us are asked to refrain from social contacts as much as possible.
25/03
In Helsinki, all those who are 70 years of age or older must stay at home and stay away from others. Fortunately, we are still allowed to go for walks in the parks and woods around the city. Tonight Emmaus Helsinki held its very first board meeting on the web and it worked surprisingly well. We have decided to close down our activities completely and lay off our staff until further notice. Only our coordinator will continue on a part-time basis of 30%.
France
Further information on the French groups can be found in the Facebook group created by Emmaus France and on their extranet. Emmaus France invites the groups to send feedback on the Facebook group or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
17/03
1st day of strict containment measures, for at least 15 days. Emmaus France has opened a crisis unit, regularly sends information to all its groups and has opened a "covid-19" account to collect voluntary contributions to help the most fragile groups. They are currently taking stock of what they know about groups in difficulty.
Germany
31/03
The German Emmaus groups had their last meeting on 17 March in the Emmaus Bergisch-Gladbach/ Punto shop and there were no more customers.
All the German groups have ceased their sales, transport and recycling activities. All the soup kitchen activities for the homeless in Krefeld and Cologne have ended (we think until the end of April). We are all aware that this dramatic drop in income will have as a last consequence the bankruptcy of all groups in May/June 2020. A national support system - also for small businesses with between 5 and 50 people - has just been set up and Emmaus Krefeld and Cologne will receive financial support (depending on the number of companions and workers).Emmaus Cologne submitted an application in mid-March for "part-time work" for all companions, hoping that the National Labour Agency will fund 60-67% of the companions’ wages (Emmaus in Germany is obliged to guarantee a minimum wage for the companions). In the 60 years that Emmaus has existed in Cologne, we could not have imagined a situation as dramatic as the one we are experiencing worldwide. In Cologne, we feel privileged thanks to our community house, thanks to the solidarity between the companions and the 3 families of the community.
Italy
06/04
As you probably already know, the number of death has exceeded 15,500 and is still rising. Fortunately, the rate of contagion has slowed down considerably. The situation is very critical in the north, the other regions are much less affected. There are no people affected in our communities.
The groups have started a fundraising campaign among volunteers, friends, churches, foundations, institutions and associations. At the local level, many communities have been able to raise funds to strengthen the stability of their groups. At the national level, Emmaus Italia also received a contribution and 5 Italian communities in difficulty asked for economic aid (this aid only covers the months of April and May). To cover the month of June, the communities will need further support. We also foresee economic difficulties in June and July as it is not said that a reopening to the public immediately corresponds to an increase in revenue. Sales will likely slow down and the communities will have to pay their debts anyway.
Those in charge are in "integration funds" (80% of the salary is paid by the state for 9 weeks) but can work only 2 hours a day. They can therefore go to the community and continue to follow the group. The income of the companions is maintained.
A group of young people, ex-volunteers of the summer workcamps, is leading the campaign on Instagram and other social networks. They are collecting photos and videos to animate the campaign and are thinking of looking for sponsoring artists to help spread the message and the call for donations.
At the moment, economically speaking, communities have some stability thanks to foundations and civil society who have responded well to the call for donations. For the next two months at least. Each community is busy tidying up the store, the warehouse, renovating the house, looking after the garden or vegetable garden... But if the health crisis were to continue in June we would be left in uncertainty.
26/03
Emmaus Italy launches an appeal for solidarity. All the Emmaus groups in Italy have stopped all their activities and are closed. Work is therefore focused on internal work. This is going to generate major financial problems for all the players in the Italian economy, especially the social and solidarity economy. The government could open financial loans and aid to the sector. We are trying to project ourselves one month ahead and see how we can help our groups/communities most in difficulty. The leaders and companions have, for the moment, reacted well and are focused on the battle not to allow the virus to spread.
24/03
Emmaus in Italy lives day after day with the fatigue that this situation entails and with a significant economic concern, especially for communities with lower incomes or with significant investments already made. All the "small markets" are closed and for the communities that have sheds far from the place where they live, the difficulty is doubled because the companions have to be kept busy and given tasks to avoid depression. Emmaus Italy is considering internal measures to be taken, especially in relation to the economic situation and what can be asked of the state, politicians and foundations: technical unemployment, financial aid, etc. The executive committee decided to set up a solidarity fund. We are living in the present with all the difficulties that the pandemic entails... but our eyes must be turned away, because we have a duty not to leave the construction of the new society to the markets and politics...
17/03
In Italy all the Emmaus groups have stopped all their activities and are closed. Work is therefore concentrated on internal work. This will therefore generate major financial problems for all the players in the Italian economy, especially in the social and solidarity economy. The government could open financial loans and aid to the sector. We are trying to project ourselves one month ahead and see how we can help our groups/communities most in difficulty. The leaders and companions have, for the moment, reacted well and are focused on the battle not to allow the virus to spread.
Netherlands
03/04
The situation in The Netherlands is comparable to France, I presume. We do not have a formal lock-down, but in practice our daily life is similar. We don’t have news about the health situation of our Emmaus persons. Almost all Emmaus shops are closed, mostly because social distancing is impossible in most shops. To protect (often elderly and voluntary) co-workers suspension of all activities is the only option in that case. Some shops are open to a limited number of visitors and only on special demand. Most groups accept donations and some are still collecting articles in the neighbourhood. An online web shop has been developed: Emmaus Langeweg will test the software and will make the format available to all other Emmaus groups. We are looking forward to this innovative activity. The Dutch government announced a package of economic measurements that can be beneficial to Emmaus groups. The secretariat made an overview of these measurements and sent it to Emmaus groups. Some groups encounter very difficult times. Other groups show ample solidarity, but the means of most groups are limited. Everybody does what he/she can.
27/03
So far, we are all healthy and have not had too much activity. A call has been sent out to all the groups to give feedback and the Emmaus Nederland board will meet on Tuesday 31/03.
Poland
28/04
Emaus Lublin
We are starting sales in our store. Of course, we have to respect the rules caused by the epidemic: only 12 people will be allowed to stay in the store - with a basket; people waiting outside have to keep a safe distance; masks and gloves have to be used; we provide disinfectant liquid!
07/04
Emaus Lublin
Due to the pandemic, we have closed our store and pizzeria since March 13. As a result, we have no income to fund our day-to-day operations. We have cut costs to the maximum, including the dismissal of one employee. We also have no financial reserves - if the quarantine period is extended, we will have a problem ... The public aid declared by our government seems illusory.
We have about €10,000 for the construction of a new sales hall - in case of necessity we should earmark part of these funds to cover the daily running costs.
The atmosphere in the community is good even though we are in quarantine. We organize the work for all the members of our community. Because we are in the countryside and the weather is good, we do a lot of work outside, we do cleaning, repairs, our production workshops are also working (carpentry, welding workshop, masonry), we do the work for which we usually don't have time.
We are committed to solidarity for the homeless and the poor of the city. In this respect, we cooperate with the people of the Lublin Volunteer Centre. This action is also supported by the army, which distributes food parcels to the needy. We prepare hot meals and sandwiches every day. This work is mainly done by disabled people in the community. We help with logistics, for example, we lend our car.
27/03
At Emmaus Krakow, our stores are always open, because in accordance with the Ministry of Health's guidelines, they can be opened while maintaining safety rules. Those who work in the stores are equipped with personal protection, and we also disinfect the hands of the few people who visit us. At Emmaus Nowy Sacz it's a bit better, they still have buyers; in Krakow we have no income; Emmaus Rzeszow has closed its shop in the town centre and still has the one in the village, but it is deserted. The companions work in the community houses. In Krakow, as in Nowy Sacz, it is forbidden to leave the community unless necessary. We have food reserves for a few weeks, some money earned at the beginning of the month, a few friends, who help us. We try to sell things online with a contactless delivery at the door, but it doesn't work much and we don't know how long it will be possible. There are no signs of infection in the companions, but as we know, the disease can be asymptomatic. In the country today there are 1244 people infected, 16 deaths, but these are official statistics. So far, we are at the stage of self-help, organization, self-help, the streets are empty, there is no panic. Factories are working, grocery stores and pharmacies are open. April will be crucial for us, for the country and for Europe too.
Portugal
18/03
Due to the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and taking into account the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, the Lisbon Emmaus group has taken the decision to institute a two-week prophylactic isolation period from today. Our Solidarity Market will therefore be closed during this period and collections and deliveries will be suspended. However, we will continue to be available for emergency support situations or situations that warrant our participation. This preventive measure is not viewed with alarm, but with the caution and responsibility that is demanded of all at this time.
Romania
25/03
Emmaus Iasi We are currently going through a sad and difficult time for our community. We never thought we would find ourselves in a situation of this magnitude, as the Covid-19 pandemic is. We hope that together we can overcome this period of economic, health and social crisis. Romania has been in a crisis situation for some time. The financial situation of the Emmaus Iasi community has been fragile for several months now. In addition to this situation, there is also the health crisis at Covid-19: a drop in sales followed by the closure of the store, a rise in the prices of basic necessities and a halt to lorries carrying goods from outside the country. Our colleagues in the Emmaus groups in Romania, Satu Mare and Târgu Jiu, are also experiencing a difficult situation. We are currently 90% dependent on European solidarity for transport. However, we received the last lorry in mid-March, and we do not know when the borders will reopen for the goods. We are also faced with the closure of the store to the public, due to the measures put in place to limit the expansion of Covid-19. We are trying to find other sales solutions, such as online sales for the furniture we have in the store, and we are making deliveries. However, this solution is not enough, as people have reduced purchasing power due to the crisis and prefer to buy basic necessities. Sales, which are already low, will therefore continue to fall day by day. We are trying to increase our food autonomy by developing market gardening on our Belvedere land, in addition to the usual crops. Our financial situation is therefore problematic. We estimate that we have sufficient financial resources for one month. We are now operating in an economic regime: reduction of salaries and technical unemployment for 8 of the 10 employees, reduction of pocket money for the 30 companions, reduction of expenses as much as possible. Despite everything, we have important costs in terms of transport (our two residential centres are 50 km apart), charges and salaries. The situation of homeless people is confusing and worrying. They do not have access to hygiene and real protection solutions. It is stated in the military order of 24 March 2020 (Art 6. paragraph 1) that "the local public administration authorities have the obligation to identify and keep homeless persons in evidence, but also to provide them with shelter and care". However, we are convinced that the authorities do not have the capacity to provide shelter and care to people on the street or in precarious situations, since the conditions are not met even outside times of crisis. "Stay safe in your home". For them, this is not possible. This public, already weakened, is currently in very great difficulty. Indeed, the small jobs they used to do (cleaning streets and other public spaces, helping to transport goods from small shops) are no longer possible. In addition, they can no longer receive food and/or financial aid from passers-by, as there is no one left in the streets. We can no longer support them from a food and clothing point of view, due to our financial situation and health regulations. So, if we consider only the city of Iasi, there are hundreds of elderly people, children, pregnant women who do not have access to health care and basic food. By the end of April, we will be in great financial difficulty if the situation does not develop in the right direction. We will keep you regularly informed of our situation, both health and financial.
24/03
Frères Europe In Romania, the confinement is gradually being put in place, it will certainly be complete by the end of the week. On our side, we have almost no customers since the end of February, and we took the decision to close the store last Thursday, to protect everyone's health. Since then, we've been organizing ourselves to ensure basic needs, do a lot of pedagogy, and find activities so that everyone can spend their energy without too many conflicts... Nobody is sick at the moment, that's the most important thing! On the administrative side, we are waiting for more details from the government to find out if as an association we can benefit from the technical unemployment measures supported by the State (as all our young people are salaried, this creates obligations but also potentially opportunities to get over the crisis). Otherwise it could become complicated!
Spain
01/04
Spain is one of the European countries, together with Italy, that has the highest number of infections (over 90,000) and a high mortality rate (over 8,000), but we cannot see the top of the infection curve. The statistics are overwhelming, the news generates more fear and insecurity, and the various health professionals are opposed in their opinions on the measures taken by the government in declaring a "state of alert".
All professional activities are closed, except those considered "essential services". Waste management is considered "essential".The Government has announced numerous social measures so that the most disadvantaged sectors can be covered (food, health, housing, basic income, access to credit at 0% interest, etc.). Likewise, economic measures have been announced to avoid redundancies (prohibited during and after the state of emergency) and to maintain employment by guaranteeing that all activities closed down because of the coronavirus can be subject to Temporary Employment Regulation by guaranteeing 70% of salaries . The Emmaus groups are communicating and to date there have been a few infections and no deaths. Most of their activities are closed and with a minimum of services. All of them have carried out temporary regulation files for some companions, which ensures that all of them will have resources to deal with this situation. The Communities (Murcia and Pamplona) are with all the colleagues carrying out internal activities and taking all the hygiene and prevention measures... and work very specially individually and collectively the fears, insecurities and anxieties that all this produces.In almost all groups, "basic services" have been set up and some of us are also required to provide "essential services" (social care and waste collection and treatment).In the last communication, one of the groups told us: "With many contradictions and hoping that this will resituate us as a group and as a society... we agree that our groups cannot relax, that we live in continuous resistance.... This dynamic in the society of capital is what makes us invincible”.We hope to continue to resist, and not only at this complicated moment of the pandemic, but at all times when human rights are violated and life is in danger, whether it is that of individuals and peoples or that of nature itself.
17/03
Strict containment measure, pronounced for 15 days but expected to last 1 month. Permission to go out to work or to do basic shopping; food stores, pharmacies, newsagents, petrol stations are open. Finally, the closure of borders has just been decreed.
Sweden
01/04
Regarding the health in the groups, we have not yet, as far as I know, had any serious or confirmed cases of Covid-19. In Sweden, people are advised to stay home when experience symtoms but will not necessary be tested without it being severe. We do, as others, experience uncertainty in many aspects. One group has closed its shop for a month, others experience a large loss of costumers. In Sweden, we are encouraged to keep distances and avoid social contacts but we do not have mandatory lockdowns. A lot of people who can, stay at home.
We had a national meeting this evening and we are trying to support each other where we can.
Switzerland
27/03
Like most communities in Europe the Swiss groups have closed shops and are confined to preserve companions, volunteers, employees, etc.. The Swiss confederation has released quite a lot of funds to support companies and individuals who have to resort to partial unemployment. The various management bodies of Swiss groups have all asked employees to reduce their working hours in order to limit the burden. We are all working at a slower pace, while maintaining the support of the companions of the various communities. The crisis is being managed by the Federal Office of Public Health, which gives directives to the cantons, but the cantons have a certain flexibility to implement the measures. For example, in Ticino all companies are closed and a strict containment is put in place. In Valais, construction and production companies are open and the movement of people is simply limited. The communities can count on the support of ARCE (Association Romande des Communautés d'Emmaüs), which manages the assets, profits and salaries. The income of the companions in our communities should not be impacted. At Emmaus Valais, we have been spared for the time being and the measures taken appear to be good. We are taking advantage of the closure of the store to rebuild shelves, paint and carry out small jobs. We have also set up an online sales service on Facebook (Marketplace) which is working well and which enables us to reach another clientele who are not necessarily aware of what we do on a daily basis and to sell certain items that were not finding takers. A volunteer and citizen solidarity in the city of Sion has been set up for vulnerable people who do not go out of their homes to buy food, medicine or other items. The Emmaus Valais support team and young people from the civil service volunteered to help out locally as best they could.
26/03
All stores in all communities are now closed. Internal occupations are offered to companions, social distances are introduced. At the Swiss Emmaus Federation Committee meeting on 12/03, a request was made to set up a Solidarity Fund for groups in difficulty. Short-time working is requested for some of the employees. In Fribourg, an appeal for donations was launched. The coming months are going to be very painful. The 40 billion committed by the Confederation does not, in principle, concern the most vulnerable.
United Kingdom
26/03
All the groups are now closed, they were only 6 closed on Thursday 19/03. The stake is now the survival of the groups; the government is studying possible support, but nothing is really set. A reflection is under way to set up a solidarity fund for the communities, and it is necessary to see how to maintain the work of the Federation.
Ukraine
22/03
In these difficult times of pandemic and isolation in their homes, our community is also aware of the difficulties faced by the homeless. They are left alone on the empty streets, without food and without the ability to protect themselves from the pandemic. We are staying with them. Emmaus Oselya continues to manage all the solidarity projects for people living on the streets. It is very difficult because our shops are closed because of the quarantine and we have no income at the moment, just some savings and donations from other people. But we continue to do this.
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