The vulnerable have been the most affected by the current COVID-19 global pandemic. We have been working hard with our staff on the ground to ensure that families and communities in need have the essential resources needed to survive this unprecedented disaster.
To date, nearly $613,000 CAD has been distributed to 44 of our sites in 14 countries, helping thousands of families in dire need of support. We’ve used funds generously entrusted to us through our disaster relief fund, gift catalogue program, and our COVID disaster fund (totaling $400,000 CAD to date). Thanks to these thoughtful contributions, extra family funds, food baskets, and essential items have been distributed to those in most need.
Our sites in Haiti were hit hard by COVID-19, as they have also been enduring violent protests causing food and fuel shortages. “We are going through very difficult times, but we stay confident that the world will get through this with faith in God,” writes our Haiti North site. “Thank you for thinking of the poor and unfortunate people all over the world due to this pandemic, and thank you very much for thinking of our sponsored families in these difficult moments by providing additional support.”
In Baraka, Kenya, our staff delivered 200 food baskets to needy families. “The families we support are already needy and the COVID-19 pandemic is an additional obstacle to people who are already struggling to feed their families,” the site explains. Villagers were grateful they were blessed with a good harvest this year, which helped their food stores immensely. The site also delivered food, medications, and supplements to people who are sick and in need of additional nutritional support.
As with many other countries, as soon as COVID-19 was detected in Paraguay, the government implemented a strict quarantine to slow the spread, causing massive unemployment and instability. In response to this crisis, our CMAVIL sponsor site assembled and delivered 663 food kits to 519 sponsored families and 144 non-sponsored families to see people through the worst of the quarantine.
Our Nellore site in India is also helping the most vulnerable in their community. Our Sisters are providing breakfast for community members with disabilities. Many of these individuals struggle financially on the best of days, and have been hit especially hard by the economic effects of the pandemic.
As devastating as this pandemic has been on all of us, every day our hearts are lifted as we hear stories of how people are working together and doing everything they can to help others.
One example of this is at our Pochaiv site in Ukraine, parents of sponsored children are using their sewing skills learned from life skills classes and sewing machines provided through donors of our gift catalogue to sew gauze face masks for health care workers. “Today, these sewing machines are invaluable,” says Halyna, our site director. Thank you, dear donors!”
As we continue to navigate through this difficult time, we send out much gratitude to you, our dear donors. Without your continued support, we would not be able to help the most needy in our world. Click to learn more or to contribute to our COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund.