The Coronavirus emergency is also a social emergency.
We must not forget that in emergency situations, women and girls are particularly at risk of suffering violence and discrimination.
Our approach to emergencies is based on a response led by women and focuses on the specific needs of communities and focuses on the respect of human rights of all individuals. The pandemic must not erase the great results we have achieved over the years alongside women and communities around the world.
We have also put in place measures to ensure the safety of our colleagues and the women, men and children we work with every day. We are doing everything we can not to interrupt the essential activities we carry on with many communities within the limits set by local governments. Given the rapid and inexorable spread of the pandemic, it is crucial to intervene in a targeted and fast way where the greatest needs are.
We urgently need to do more to support the most vulnerable and save lives.
If you can, please consider donating to our emergency appeal and share it on social media. Thank you.
Learn more about what we have already accomplished thanks to the generosity of our donors both in Switzerland and the rest of the world:
SENEGAL
Following an assessment of the situation conducted by the ActionAid Emergency Committee in the areas where we operate, a crisis response plan was devised that actively involves Senegalese women.
With our work, we have already reached 93,000 people, through the supply of 5,000 personal hygiene kits (disinfectants, soap, containers, etc.) in the communities where we are. In addition, many women, ActionAid activists and Red Cross representatives distributed 8,000 information leaflets, which were translated into different local languages and distributed in collaboration with local authorities.
Women are at the forefront of our response: in fact, they are the first ones to support awareness-raising and prevention work in each of the communities in which we are.
We were able to verify how communities and local authorities have limited access to the health materials necessary to prevent the spread of the virus and little information on the hygiene rules were adopted. Our first activities were therefore dedicated to raise awareness and distribute support kits in the areas that are the most difficult to reach.
In this first phase, hand sanitizers, soap, masks, protective suits for health workers, detergents for cleaning the rooms and communication materials are still very much needed.
ITALY
Italy was one of the first countries in Europe to be harshly hit by the pandemic. From the start, we realized that the consequences for the social sphere and for the most vulnerable population could be enormous. ActionAid has already moved in the first weeks of the epidemic on several fronts and continues its work to reach the whole territory.
Thanks to the rich network of ActionAid activists throughout the country, a new online platform called COVID19Italia.help was immediately founded: an online platform dedicated to mapping the solidarity initiatives that were born immediately day after day, but at the same time it allows you to access and disseminate verified information, data and useful news. The platform also includes a section dedicated to fake news.
In addition, ActionAid's attention immediately went to women and families. Staying at home could not be a safe solution for many women who live with violent partners: ActionAid set up the #ClosedforWomen fund to support anti-violence centers, which continue to support women in danger within the walls of their homes.
In addition to this, in recent weeks, ActionAid has distributed direct aid to 450 families, both Italian and foreign, in the cities of Milan and Naples. This aid, in the form of food and medical devices, went to support families who were left without income due to the pandemic. In parallel, ActionAid is pursuing online awareness initiatives against early school leaving.
The needs continue to be many and increasingly difficult times await us. We at ActionAid will continue to be alongside the most vulnerable communities, to ensure dignity and justice for all.
Please, consider helping us to respond to the needs of our communities now.