Here’s how to help out while you’re locked down
Sitting at home, being locked down, watching the virus infections going up every day all over the world, is quite depressing. This blog is not written to make you feel worse. It’s written to make you feel a tiny bit better. By showing what people are doing to fight this big hairy beast, and making it easier for you to contribute.
The good news is: we can all do something, and I’ve actually been incredibly inspired over the past 10 days or so since I posted my previous blog. Many of you have written to me saying you would love to help out here in South Africa, and that’s exactly what we need, so my goal is to get you going. This blog is broken down into three parts — the first part has things you can do in your city (targeted towards South Africa, but many ideas will apply anywhere), then there’s things you can from wherever you are, to support people here. And in the last part I share some great ideas for medical innovations I came across, which I think might be worth spreading in case some genius engineer/entrepreneur/doctor can do something with it.
I feel like maybe I should just reiterate a little sense of urgency, before we dive into the good stuff, especially for those of you who are not from South Africa. If you feel like you’ve had enough of bad news already, and you believe me on my word that people here need help, just skip the next paragraph and go straight into reading the good stuff.
As of Thursday night the 27th of March South Africa went into a complete lockdown. The country is holding its breath whilst a crisis is unfolding underneath its feet. Countless people are finding themselves overnight without an income, and no luxury of stockpiled cupboards. One in six South Africans who work, work in the informal sector. This means that the package of measures which the government announced to go with the lock-down, is unlikely to reach them. (The government says it is working on a plan, but the need is urgent and I have no idea how they will reach all these people effectively and quickly — even if they wanted to.) Moody’s downgraded South Africa to junk status. Yesterday (Monday the 30th) I read in the local newspaper that the virus has spread into Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain — densely populated areas on the Cape Flats. That’s very bad news. As many people in those areas can’t self-isolate. (Read also this great article on the Correspondent on a similar situation in Lagos, which is probably worse than in South Africa) So — support is very much needed.
Opportunities to support locally
Making donations to support those who usually depend on you (but you weren’t aware of it)
If you’re wondering how you could help, think about all the things you’d usually spend money on, which you currently aren’t. Do you have a cleaner? Continue to pay them, give them an advance. Our cleaning lady plus superhero Regina gave us a superhappy call yesterday explaining how proud she was that she was sitting at home, with all her supplies, all prepared, not having to queue at the overcrowded supermarkets in Khayelitsha, because we had paid her in advance. Do you take Uber once in a while? Think about the drivers you’ve had. They don’t have any safety nets and are most likely running out of cash as of last week. You can still tip them a month backward in the Uber app. So do it generously. You’re probably not going to be taking an Uber (or Bolt, Taxify, etc) any time soon.
Where do you get your coffee? Your lunch? Do you have a favorite restaurant? There are quite a few ways to support. After my previous blog post, I’m very happy that Zapper has been super pro-active in responding to this crisis, and has built a donate-option in the app. You need to make sure you have the latest version of the app (I also had to restart my phone to get it to work). You go to ‘Zapper nearby’ and then you find all restaurants close to you, and you just push donate. Very easy and efficient! Just make yourself a nice lunch or coffee at home while you pretend like you went out at your favorite place, and give them some support.
I’ve been in touch with Dineplan, and they’ve launched a feature which enables you to buy vouchers from local restaurants! You can find it here. In other countries you can find similar options, such as Open Table in the US and UK, and Helpdehoreca in the Netherlands.
Did you ever go to the movie? At the Labia, you can buy vouchers. Want to continue to support local producers whilst eating healthy? Get a veggie box. Many places offer them, just check out what’s happening in your neighborhood. One of them here in Cape Town is Granadilla Swim in collaboration with Woodstock Bakery and the Oranjezicht City Farm. The Umthunzi Farming community is currently evaluating what they can do to keep operating. In the meantime, they desperately need donations to keep their farmers afloat.
Want to just be active in your community without having to donate?
You can! Sign up at Cape Town together — a Facebook group active in almost any neighborhood in Cape Town, linking people who need support with those who can give it. For Good SA also has numerous projects where you can help out — by sharing social media posts to raise awareness on COVID-19, or by donating skills to NGOs who need them. There’s also One Love SA — a platform with the goal to match care with need in South Africa.
Opportunities to support for anyone who has the ability to do so, from anywhere
Support the government in fighting the epidemic with basic services
President Cyril Ramaphosa has referred to this moment in history as the ‘thuma mina’ moment for South Africa. If you have no idea what thuma mina means, listen to this song by South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela. (It pairs quite well with reading this blog.) The South African government has, in conjunction with it’s stringent lockdown measures, announced an extensive economic support package. Part of the package is the Solidarity Fund, to which anyone can contribute. The fund will contribute to prevention and detection of the virus, as well as care and support to those who need it most. It is in line with the president’s call for support from those who can afford it, to be able to assist those who need it.
Support those who are most vulnerable
You can also donate to Food Forward SA, an organization which sources excess edible food from farmers, factories and retailers, and distributes it to community organizations serving the most vulnerable groups in society. They are raising R50 million to be able to upscale their work. A smaller initiative, but nonetheless impactful, is Food Flow. Set up by active Hout Bay citizens, they source food from small local suppliers which would usually go to restaurants in Cape Town which have now been shut down. If you purchase a harvest bag from them, you have a double impact: you’re supporting the small-scale farmers with continued offtake and income. Also, the bag will go to a family whose kids usually depend on school feeding schemes, which are not happening now that the schools are closed.
Amava Oluntu is a fantastic grassroots organization based in Muizenberg, Cape Town. They’re supplying data vouchers to ensure people can continue to get access to information, or students can continue to study. They’re also doing a COVID-19 awareness campaign, which is much needed in townships where general awareness of what this virus means and what the risks are, is still quite low. Lastly, they have a program to provide cash support for vulnerable households. You can choose on their website which of the three causes you’d like to contribute to.
The cities in South Africa are building improvised shelters for homeless people to take them off the streets. They collaborate with existing soup kitchens, who provide food to those in need. I once volunteered with the Hope Exchange, which is an amazing organization needing help to give people food and access to basic sanitation. Massimo’s, our favorite pizza place in Cape Town which is always extremely socially active, has now upped their game incredibly. They are cooking meals for people who need them, including families with kids who used to depend on school feeding schemes. You can support their fundraiser here.
If you are keen to donate money to these types of community organizations, check out For Good SA or Back a Buddy — they have quite a few crowdfunding campaigns specifically for COVID relief.
Want to do something else, apart from giving money?
The World Design Organization and the United Nations have each set design challenges to the global creative community. Make or join a team and learn how to bring creative approaches to solving complex problems.
If you have any other skills, check out Catchafire — it’s matchmaking between organizations who need skills, and those who have them available. They run some tailor-made programs for COVID-19 support.
Other things shared with me, which I thought are useful to spread
Quite a few people reached out following up on my previous blog, with stuff that’s happening in the medical supplies-arena. I’m not an expert in this space, so I don’t know how reliable or promising these ideas are, but I’m just gonna mention them in case they’re useful. I guess some of them are. There’s a Dutch initiative to make mouth-caps from vacuum cleaner bags. My friend who is a doctor in the Netherlands, suggested that this could be interesting to do in low-income areas as it is low-tech and creates jobs.
There’s Free Breathing — a non-profit initiative for low-cost/build-your-own ventilators. They’re also seeking donations. There’s the Mass Ventilator project — an attempt to refurbish compressors into ventilators. There’s the Incision Academy, which provides free high quality online courses for medical care professionals.
And then — if you want to have a face mask (I’m not sure whether it’s actually advisable to wear them, I’ve heard different stories) here’s how you can make a really good one yourself. So the professional ones (which are in short supply) can be used by doctors.
Lastly — if you just want to have a moment of peace, and serenity, and beauty, and comfort, increase the volume on your speakers or earphones and listen to this. I’ve been listening to it a few times in the past days and it literally made me cry because it’s so beautiful — especially in the time we’re in.
That’s it for now. If you have any more ideas or suggestions, please share them! If you’re feeling overwhelmed by choice, just choose a couple of causes that lie close to your heart, and spread the love. Remember that even the smallest contribution can make a difference. Every person you help, is one.
I wanted to do a special thanks to Theresa, Teresa, Anne-Geerte, Hanneke, Marloes, Cath and Zoe for being such proactive do-ers, thinkers and contributors :-)
Cheers guys, and keep the vibe going!
Thekla
