South Africa is in its 11th day of lockdown. The lockdown is very severe there, and the ability to move around without the necessary permission is limited. Schools and nurseries are closed. The government has also banned exercise outside the home and walking dogs, and the sale of alcohol and cigarettes.
We have been in touch with all our beneficiaries to find out how they are managing, and also to offer additional financial support should they need it. As schools and nurseries are closed and movement is restricted, it has unfortunately not been possible to continue to feed children in certain areas.
In other areas, our beneficiaries are managing to get e’Pap to the most vulnerable families. Missionvale Care Centre reports, for example:
“We are continuing with the feeding, as it is such a critical need at the best of times, but even now more so as people who had menial employment now have nothing. It is quite an undertaking as people are not allowed to come to us for food, so we have to deliver to them. The way we are doing it, is by packing weekly food parcels into containers and delivering it to the doorstep of our listed beneficiaries. Our staff were stopped by the police this morning, but were fortunately allowed to proceed.”
We expect that the situation in South Africa is likely to become more difficult over the coming weeks, particularly in the townships and informal settlements. We will continue to stay in touch with our beneficiaries and we will keep you updated regarding the evolving situation there.
