It's In Our Hands: United Against Covid
CORONAVIRUS:
Stopping the Spread in 50 countries and counting
COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in nearly every country in the world. The novel coronavirus has overwhelmed even the world’s best health systems. We wonder: how can such a microscopic virus have such gargantuan might? We remember: our might is stronger still, especially when we act as one.
This is the moment to join together, to keep each other safe, to protect our most vulnerable, and to spread kindness.
You Can Help: Make a donation to help communities from Darfur to San Salvador weather COVID-19
COVID-19 emergency response funding is urgently needed. The most pressing needs include: isolation units, medical support, personal protective equipment for front line care givers, soap and handwashing stations, disinfection supplies for medical centers, direct support to local organizations, food aid to those in desperate need, and prevention messaging.
Make a secure online donation today.
There are still millions of people unprepared for COVID-19 - who haven't heard much about it, don't know how to
protect themselves, and don't have the tools to prevent the spread. We're dedicated to ensuring marginalized people
get the information they need (in the form they need it) and helping communities create their own plans for fighting
the coronavirus.
Here's what our teams are doing right now, worldwide:
In Our Hands. Alongside our partner IDEO.org, we’ve developed a set of health messages to give people more information about COVID-19 – particularly vulnerable and marginalized people. Created from WHO guidelines, these health images and messages have been translated into many different languages and are available for use by anyone – with the goal to reach people who aren’t otherwise being reached. We’re sharing these messages through influencer marketing, digital, radio and advertising, text messages and through partnerships with governments and organizations. The #InOurHands campaign is uniting people everywhere against COVID, and has reached more than 54 million people with health and hygiene messages that can help stop the spread of the virus and keep themselves and their families safe. The goal is to reach 100 million people worldwide.
The Color Movement is a partnership with Catholic Sisters worldwide to fight the spread of Covid-19. So far, we’re working with Sisters in 19 countries on 5 continents. Alight, in close partnership with Sisters Rising, provides direct access to health professionals and trainings, small grants, and virtual community support.
Pakistan –The Alight Pakistan team has conducted health messaging and hygiene demos in remote Afghan refugees’ villages. They are providing food support to families who can no longer work. They’ve taken to the airwaves, sharing health messages about how to prevent and protect against COVID with hundreds of thousands of children and parents on radio programs throughout the country and via SMS. And they’ve recruited dozens of celebrities, government officials, and influencers to share health messages via social media. They are also partnering with a university to make and distribute hand sanitizer.
You Can Help: Make a donation to help communities from Darfur to San Salvador weather COVID-19
Alight in Rwanda is the Health and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene lead in three refugee camps. The team’s role is to identify, isolate, and coordinate with the government’s three district rapid response teams for safe transport and referral to government-run isolation, management and treatment centers. Our teams have installed handwashing stations throughout camps, and set up symptom screening checkpoints at camp entrances and all service points.
Somalia – The Alight Somalia team provides health care in 21 different clinics across the country. The team has been rapidly working to train and equip the front-line teams. We’ve also been distributing soap and doubled our food and nutrition support, as food insecurity is increasingly a challenge in Somalia.
South Sudan still has relatively few cases of COVID-19. The team is using the time to rapidly teach people – in some of the most hard-to-reach places on earth – about the disease, including door to door information sharing, posters in offices and centers, and encouraging social distancing at gatherings.
Alight Sudan is responsible for health and water services to 1,500,000 people in south and east Darfur. The team is rapidly expanding hand washing facilities and training and equipping all health teams with PPEs and other vital supplies. Community awareness activities are in full-swing with door-to-door canvassing and information sharing at service points like clinics and water points.
In South-East Asia, Alight runs and guides community-based health programs in five countries. Teams are trained to identify and report cases. The teams are testing a new community isolation model, and are screening people for coronavirus symptoms at 49 different regional checkpoints. They’ve incorporated COVID-19 awareness and prevention information into their existing TB and malaria prevention campaign.
Alight Uganda is the Protection lead in seven settlements. In partnership with TO Foundation, a community-driven response is being rolled out in Nakivale Settlement. Using real-time feedback from Kuja Kuja, the response focuses on engaging community members to help respond to community needs. Community members are constructing handwashing stations, making enough soap to sustain the settlement, and sewing face masks to distribute and keep everyone safe.
Everywhere. We know that a coordinated effort will save lives.
ALIGHT CORONA RESPONSE: Related Information
The COVID-19 Vaccine
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Addressing Questions From Our Global Alight Community
For so many, the COVID-19 vaccines are the light at the end of the tunnel, a spark of hope amidst a truly devastating year. Yet there are also questions, concerns, and challenges being raised, too—including from our global staff, who want to return to normalcy with the people we serve after so many disruptions. Read MoreGoing Remote: Questscope Keeps Kids in Jordan Learning
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Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the Non-Formal Education program finds a solution
30 years ago, our partner Questscope was founded with a mission to put the last, first. Decades later, the organization has grown to serve thousands of young people in the Middle East and beyond. Working with individuals, communities, local organizations, and international partners to produce social, education, and entrepreneurial opportunities for marginalized youth, they’ve stayed true to their original vision – to lift up the most vulnerable. Read MoreRefugees on the Frontlines of COVID-19 Response
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ORAM helps to spearhead ambitious soap-making project in Kakuma Refugee Camp
With close to 200,000 refugees, Kakuma Refugee Camp is one of the largest camps in the world. It’s also home to hundreds of East African LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees, who have fled from Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, and Burundi. LGBTIQ refugees are often doubly stigmatized — firstly for being foreigners or refugees, and secondly on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Read MoreOn the Frontlines of COVID-19: Meet Hodan
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How one teammate from Alight’s Somali Program is helping to stop the spread of the coronavirus
Hodan Abdi is a Protection Program Officer for our Somali Program. Originally from London, Hodan made a giant leap in 2019 to join the Alight team, leaving her work at a London-based homecare company to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a humanitarian. But when COVID-19 hit in March, Hodan’s work, like everyone else’s at Alight and around the world, had to evolve. Now, she’s on the frontlines of the fight to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to reach some of the most remote and vulnerable communities. Read More100M People: COVID-19 Health Messaging Reaches New Heights
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The #InOurHands campaign gets virus prevention information to marginalized and remote communities through global grassroots efforts.
Alight’s In Our Hands COVID-19 health messaging campaign has officially reached 100 million people worldwide—many of whom would not otherwise have been reached. Read MoreGet In Touch
We’re here to answer your questions and talk about your concerns. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch. If we’re not immediately available, we’ll respond to your message as quickly as we can.