Kaburu Anthony: Millions face hunger as African governments impose...

Kaburu Anthony: Millions face hunger as African governments impose...: The coronavirus pandemic that shattered lives throughout high-income countries is hitting the developing world as well. But while many of t...

Millions face hunger as African governments impose coronavirus lockdowns

The coronavirus pandemic that shattered lives throughout high-income countries is hitting the developing world as well. But while many of the world’s poor countries affected by the virus have imposed the same social distancing measures as rich ones, the results have not been the same — and the unintended consequences are proving to be deadly.

Hunger and anger are building in major African cities with little or no social safety net to protect the poor from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of widespread poverty, reliance on imported food and price spikes due to the epidemic could prove deadly if African governments don't act quickly

Africa’s poor are bearing the brunt of a nationwide shutdown part of efforts to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak yet the choice before them is often to stay home and fail to provide the evening meal for their family, or to brave it out into the city and try and fend for their family.

Under new restrictions in some African countries, millions who once lived on daily wages are running out of food. Many work as traders, labourers or craftsmen in the informal sector, which accounts for 85% of employment across the continent, and must now stay home with no savings as a buffer.

And indeed, developing countries that have imposed lockdowns have seen widespread defiance of those lockdowns. Governments have frequently responded with escalating police violence to try to make people stay home. But if people expect to starve at home, they’ll be willing to risk the consequences of breaking quarantine if it means getting work and feeding their family.

In most high-income countries, stay-at-home orders have been a cornerstone of the coronavirus response. But we’re learning quickly that taking a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t necessarily fit very well with the needs of the developing world.

Even worse, the lockdowns, in addition to causing all sorts of misery, are not even stopping the spread of the virus. Poor countries now represent all of the countries where Covid-19 cases are growing most rapidly. That’s because states don’t have the capacity to enforce lockdowns, and citizens don’t have the luxury of obeying them, pushing them to disobey government orders out of desperation.

Even rich countries have struggled — as they’ve locked down — with the question of what to do next. Is the plan just to drag out the epidemic to keep case numbers below hospital capacity? To stay shut down until we have a vaccine? (No country in the world can afford such a shutdown.)

Those questions are even more urgent for developing countries.

Much of the focus of suppressing the virus in rich countries has been building hospital capacity so that people are not turned away from needed medical care. In much of the world, though, that’s not achievable

We know some of what needs to be done to help the developing world — lots of monetary aid and fast, shipments of medical supplies so doctors can keep seeing patients. But there’s little will to do it, as o states fight among themselves for desperately needed equipment.

A few steps have been taken to protect the developing world. The G20 just agreed to a 12-month “debt standstill,” meaning the world’s poorest countries can stop making payments on their debt to rich countries for the next year. That should free up significant money for coronavirus response.

But it falls far short of what developing-world experts have been calling for. The emerging consensus is that what’s needed is a comprehensive aid package from rich countries that enables achievable policies like scaling up PPE purchases, universal aid to help avert mass starvation, quarantines for the sick, and access to treatments and vaccines once we know what the best options are.

And here’s the thing: Paying for virus relief in poor countries is actually much cheaper than paying for it at home, because average income is so much lower. The US has spent $2 trillion at home on mitigating the effects of lockdowns. We could mitigate their effects in developing countries for a fraction of that. Surely we could just pay for everyone in low-income countries to stay home.

Realistically, though, there are no prospects of that larger-scale aid package right now.

And that’s a moral failure by rich countries. It’s also a strategic failure that could have devastating consequences. I think that the virus is likely to become endemic due to countries that fail to suppress it — meaning it will keep circulating the world regularly and making the regular flu season much much deadlier

As I conclude, the world is living through unprecedented times. The coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing anxiety, uncertainty, and disruption. As is often the case, people living in hunger and poverty are suffering the most.

The pandemic should be a reminder that nowhere in the world is safe while many parts of it lack the needed health infrastructure to protect their populations. Now is the time to heed God’s call to care for the “least among us.” #ZeroHunger #SDG2 #StopCoronavirus #Hope #StrongerTogether #Humanity #Resilient #SDGs #Generosity #courageous #humanityfirst #humanspirit #spreadlove #humankind #spreadpositivity #poverty #humanityandinclusivity

Kaburu Anthony: Demand for water in Africa is soaring amidst the C...

Kaburu Anthony: Demand for water in Africa is soaring amidst the C...: Today, with coronavirus present on every continent except Antarctica, washing hands is a difficult challenge in many developing countries...

Kaburu Anthony: Demand for water in Africa is soaring amidst the C...

Kaburu Anthony: Demand for water in Africa is soaring amidst the C...: Today, with coronavirus present on every continent except Antarctica, washing hands is a difficult challenge in many developing countries...

Kaburu Anthony: Demand for water in Africa is soaring amidst the C...

Kaburu Anthony: Demand for water in Africa is soaring amidst the C...: Today, with coronavirus present on every continent except Antarctica, washing hands is a difficult challenge in many developing countries...

Kaburu Anthony: Demand for water in Africa is soaring amidst the C...

Kaburu Anthony: Demand for water in Africa is soaring amidst the C...: Today, with coronavirus present on every continent except Antarctica, washing hands is a difficult challenge in many developing countries...

Demand for water in Africa is soaring amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Today, with coronavirus present on every continent except Antarctica, washing hands is a difficult challenge in many developing countries. Clean water and soap are often in short supply, and many slum dwellers live in homes without running water.

More than 2 billion people live in countries experiencing high water stress, and about 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year. These problems are directly attributable to rising water demands and the intensifying effects of climate change.

More than one out of nine people in the world lack access to safe drinking water, namely 800 million people, and more than two out of five lack adequate sanitation (2.5 billion people).. In many instances primitive latrines release human wastes directly to the environment, contaminating streams and rivers. Worldwide, over 80 percent of wastewater from human activities remains untreated. They also worsen mistreatment of women, who bear much of the burden of providing scarce water to families.

In every country water infrastructure is deteriorating, and people are disposing of drugs, personal care products, and other common household goods into public water systems. These combined trends add persistent, hard-to-treat contaminants to water supplies and threaten public health worldwide.

Many countries are spending money on improving access to water — often by privatizing supplies, which enriches global engineering firms that build infrastructure — access to clean water remains inadequate.

While Africa is still in an early phase of the epidemic, the situation there is “a ticking time bomb” which threatens to become the worst outbreak in the world—thanks to a number of elements, including the continent’s uneven access to sanitary water.

These problems are daunting, but progress is possible if water agencies and government officials engage the public, heed evidence-based advice from experts, and exercise political leadership.

Myriad factors put Africa on the back foot

Africa’s young population will work in its favour—children rarely show symptoms of COVID-19, and young adults are drastically less likely to have severe outcomes than those over 60. This advantage notwithstanding, however, other factors mean that Africa is particularly ill-equipped to fight the respiratory virus.

For one thing, the prevalence of other diseases—notably HIV—may make it more likely that Africans suffer severe complications of the novel coronavirus. Some 70% of all people worldwide living with HIV are located in Africa, and scientists have warned that given patterns seen in other respiratory diseases, HIV-positive people who contract COVID-19 may be disproportionately hospitalised with pneumonia.

A large number of patients in acute respiratory distress would put an almost impossible burden on many African countries’ healthcare systems. For comparison’s sake, at the start of the crisis, France had 5000 ventilator-equipped intensive care beds for its roughly 67 million people. Its hospitals have quickly become overwhelmed, and are ramping up this capacity to hit 14,000 such beds. Kenya’s 50 million citizens, meanwhile, only have access to 130 intensive care beds, while only 200 nurses have the specialised training to care for them. South Sudan’s 12 million residents do not have access to a single intensive care bed with the ventilator which some 5-10% of coronavirus patients need to survive.

The urgent need for prevention

With Africa’s health systems in danger of crumpling amidst infection rates similar to those seen in Western countries, the continent’s best hope is to contain the disease’s spread as much as possible. Many African policymakers continue to be sanguine about their ability to do so. Uganda’s new coronavirus czar is hoping to rely on stockpiles of protective equipment leftover from the Ebola crisis, and declared that Kampala’s emphasis on prevention will keep it from having many critical care patients.

Averting a widescale outbreak on the continent, however, also poses a nearly insurmountable challenge, in large part thanks to Africa’s acute water shortage. Public health authorities around the world are emphasizing that vigorous hand-washing is one of the easiest and most effective ways of attacking the coronavirus. As one doctor explained, soap diluted in water acts like a crowbar, prying apart molecules of COVID-19 and rendering them inert. Studies have shown that proper handwashing can decrease the likelihood of getting infected with respiratory illnesses like the coronavirus by more than 20%.

Hand sanitizer—now missing from most supermarket shelves around the world—does something similar, but isn’t as effective as regular soap and water. The problem is that three quarters of households in developing countries do not have facilities to wash with soap and water—while a full third of healthcare facilities don’t have ready access to clean water.

The water conundrum

This clean water gap isn’t unique to Africa, of course—but the continent is the most affected region. 40% of the global contingent of people living without clean water are in sub-Saharan Africa. Even before the coronavirus, 115 Africans were dying every hour from illnesses connected to contaminated water and poor sanitation. In many cases, Africa’s water sources are tainted by sewage—something that’s particularly alarming given growing evidence that the novel coronavirus may be spread through the fecal-oral route as well as through nasal droplets.

Some progress has been made in recent years at ensuring that Africans have easy access to clean water, but the current public health crisis has made it eminently clear how much work remains to be done. A majority of Africans still feel that their governments are failing to provide them with enough clean water, while progress has been particularly slow in some parts of the continent. A mere 19% of Eritrea’s population, for example, can readily tap into a safe water supply. Even wealthier nations have trouble providing water to their citizens: nearly half of Kenyans do not have enough clean water for their needs, while more than a third report paying bribes for services like water and sanitation.

Coronavirus: the start of a paradigm shift?

The threat of a widespread coronavirus outbreak in Africa for which the continent’s medical systems are drastically underprepared should spark a new, intensive drive to ramp up access to clean water around the continent. In the short term, as Africa fights to contain the virus, providing plenty of bottled water could give citizens a safe way to keep up with the hygienic measures needed to keep the disease at bay.

In the long term, the current pandemic should jumpstart investment in upgrading Africa’s water infrastructure, spending on clean water supplies has lagged because the economic benefits of better water and sanitation were not emphasized. Access to clean water never should have been a purely economic decision for policymakers—but the wrench which the water gap has thrown into Africa’s efforts to avoid a catastrophic public health emergency highlights how invaluable it is.

Finally, COVID-19 is reminding us of the gross inequalities that characterize water and sanitation services and perhaps exposes the lack of preparedness and resilience of the WASH sector in most African countries.

Also, it reminds us that inclusive water and sanitation services are crucial for all. Let’s use this moment to promote collaborative efforts (institutions, governments, citizens etc) in rethinking and acting for improved WASH services. Education, reliable information and sensitization programs are key in these trying times.

I believe that building or restoring public trust is also critical for addressing these problems, governments need to weigh and address community concerns, and to foster trust and confidence in the agencies charged with implementing solutions. In my view, the best way to build that kind of trust is by courageously meeting today’s water crises head-on. #WaterAccess #Sustainability #SDG6 #SDGS #HumanityandInclusivity #SustainableCommunities #StopCoronavirus #Hope #Strength #StrongerTogether #Humanity #Resilient #SDGs #humanityfirst #humanspirit #humankind #humanityandinclusivity

Kaburu Anthony: COVID-19 pandemic has reawakened the true sense of...

Kaburu Anthony: COVID-19 pandemic has reawakened the true sense of...: Some say that life will never be the same again, that we’ll forever be haunted by the tragic loss of life, untold suffering, mental anguish...

COVID-19 pandemic has reawakened the true sense of life

Some say that life will never be the same again, that we’ll forever be haunted by the tragic loss of life, untold suffering, mental anguish, diminished economic prosperity, curtailment of basic human freedoms and so much more. On the other hand, what’s unfolding as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is a reawakened sense of life’s meaning and purpose, recognition of our hidden strengths, and willingness to tap into our core goodness and generosity. We are learning a lot about ourselves, which benefits everyone.

Learning to Quickly Adapt

There is no doubt that what the world is experiencing is a reality that no one could have anticipated. Despite the fact that some in the medical community and those who’ve extensively researched viruses and past pandemics provided warnings of collective ill-preparedness for any pandemic of the magnitude of COVID-19, most people went about their lives unconcerned about potential catastrophic and widespread illness and death.

Now, however, since there is a new reality forcing a reassessment of how to live everyday life while maintaining social distancing, businesses, factories and public and private places closed, we’re learning to quickly adapt. Long-held habits changed overnight. Commutes evaporated, replaced by the recommendation to stay in place. 

Rediscovering Our Humanity

While there are instances of hoarding, selfishness, greed and isolated crime, most people are united in a common bond: We are facing the pandemic, doing what we must to survive, and pledging to work tirelessly to find solutions to universally-experienced problems. In the process, we’re rediscovering our humanity.

Adopting Technology at an Accelerated Rate

From online business meetings to being able to connect in-person and live with family members, loved ones and friends, we’re adopting technology at an accelerated rate. Social media networks, long a technological tool for connection, are even more important during a time when people are inside for weeks at a time.

Mobile and online ordering for curbside pickup of staples, food, meals and medicines is rapidly becoming the go-to way for people world over to conveniently and safely get what they need on an immediate basis. There’s a measure of confidence in adopting technology for these purposes, since it means we’re not going to starve, run out of toilet paper, or much-needed medicine.

Discovering We are Resilient

No one knows when the threat of the COVID-19 virus will subside, or if it will resurface again, perhaps seasonally, or undergo mutations that could be even more deadly. There is an unwavering focus on developing effective treatment medications and vaccines to combat coronavirus. Dealing with such uncertainty calls into question our personal and collective ability to bounce back. Yet, in the face of the crisis, we have discovered just how resilient we are. We have strengths we took for granted, and courage that we didn’t know we possessed. Recognize that resilience is a strength that can be cultivated, and can then serve as a reservoir to utilize as needed.

Repurposing factories, tools and processes to meet urgent medical needs.

From the automakers to plastics-makers to tobacco companies and virtually every type of business with machinery, equipment, and the processes and know-how to jumpstart an entirely new model, we’re repurposing assembly lines, retooling equipment and revamping processes to meet the country’s most urgent medical needs. These include making ventilators, surgical masks, gowns, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPEs) so desperately needed by front-line medical personnel, first responders, police officers, and others serving a citizenry affected with coronavirus.

Becoming More Generous

Parents raising their children at home during this challenging time can impart invaluable lessons about the importance of generosity by serving as examples. Put together shelf-stable items such as canned goods, flour and baking items, spices, condiments, packaged milk and other staples and deliver them to the doorstep of someone who’s unable to get out and shop, or may be ill, or is scrimping just to buy food. People are also showing their increasing generosity by donating money online, funding critical resources for disadvantaged individuals. In times of calamities and natural disasters, people have always stepped up to the challenge, yet the COVID-19 pandemic is proving just how generous this nation’s inhabitants can be.

Realizing Life Is Precious

A recent story about a couple married 51 years, contracted the coronavirus and died within minutes of each other showcases how quickly life can be snuffed out. The two were in good health until the husband, aged 74, came down with a cough, developed breathing problems and had to be hospitalized, diagnosed with COVID-19 and was intubated. His wife, aged 72, wracked by stress, became ill and her condition progressively worsened. When doctors told their son his dad didn’t have long to live, he took his mother to the hospital where she was tested, proved positive for coronavirus, and put the couple together in the same hospital room. She died within six minutes of her husband.

No matter how well you feel at the moment, follow #WorldHealthOrganization on the COVID-19 virus to take precautions and stay home, only venturing out with proper face mask, gloves, maintaining the minimum social distancing guidelines. Send one person to the store for food, instead of shopping together. The least contact with others outside the home as possible is the best practice.

While no one knows how long they’ll live, everyone can recognize how precious life is — every second of it.

Living in the Moment

Now, more than ever, we’re keenly aware that this moment is what we have. This is what is real, the here and now. There’s less time spent dwelling on the past and no reason to engage in endless self-berating, constantly recycling negative and painful memories. We must find constructive things to do, make plans and encourage each other to enjoy today.

Reconnecting with Family and Loved Ones

Granted, living in close proximity indoors takes its toll and familial arguments are unavoidable at times. Yet, even with the fact that staying inside is somewhat claustrophobic and emotions can be overwhelming in some instances, we’ve found ways to reconnect with family and loved ones — even those living in the same house. There’s more time to talk with each other at the kitchen table, while doing chores in the yard and around the house, helping each other prepare meals, clean up, watch favorite shows and movies on TV.

Communicating with family and loved ones honestly and lovingly at this time is more important than ever. For those suffering with anxiety and depression, providing reassurance and support is crucial. Indeed, coping with anxiety now demands attention. Ensuring uninterrupted contact with that person’s therapist via phone, telehealth visits, email, instant messaging is another way to show your love and support.

Learning Perspective

Things that once were annoying and stress-producing may now seem largely irrelevant. Personal peeves about a co-worker’s behavior or workplace habits are perhaps a distant memory. What siblings and family members argued about prior to COVID-19 have little bearing on what everyone is going through now. In essence, people globally are learning perspective, as what is really important becomes abundantly clear: each other. #StopCoronavirus #Hope #Strength #StrongerTogether #Humanity #Resilient #SDG3 #SDGs #Generosity #Goodness #courageous #humanityfirst #humanspirit #spreadlove #humankind #spreadpositivity #bebold #poverty #humanityandinclusivity

Kaburu Anthony: Lessons we can all learn from the Coronavirus pand...

Kaburu Anthony: Lessons we can all learn from the Coronavirus pand...: As many as 2,088,861 cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded around the world and at least 134,755 people have died, a frightenin...

Lessons we can all learn from the Coronavirus pandemic

As many as 2,088,861 cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded around the world and at least 134,755 people have died, a frightening new threat upending familiar routines, disrupting the global economy, and endangering lives around the globe.

Governments around the world are in crisis mode, “waging war” against the coronavirus on two fronts: containing the spread of the pandemic through social distancing and mitigating the resulting economic fallout.

But scientists long warned this might happen, but political leaders mostly ignored them, so now must scramble to respond to a crisis they could have prevented, or at least eased, had they acted sooner. For years, we have been encouraged to be isolated, as in caring only about ourselves, focusing only on our own well-being, which we are told is solely in our own hands.

We have been encouraged to think of ourselves as islands, our health, happiness and prosperity are independent of the larger community, society or country, never mind the world. This way of thinking has naturally led to constant arguments against having efficient and caring governments, paying taxes, and public funding even for health and scientific research.

It is unfortunate that it takes something like COVID-19 to convince us, hopefully once and for all, that as human beings, we can never be independent of each other, and our health, well-being and prosperity is very much in each other’s hands.

The curse of this coronavirus becomes a blessing for those who would use this opportunity to be courageous. COVID-19 once again shows the importance of our collective thinking and acting, of the importance of paying taxes and a fair tax system, of good governments, of public funding and of science and research.

It is not the corporations and the myth of trickle-down economics that can save us from common threats, but good governments, public health systems and collective support. With individual and collective responsible spirit and actions, we can prevent the spread of the coronavirus and eventually defeat this pandemic.

Twenty years from now, we will look back and say, “Thank goodness for this coronavirus!” What we are witnessing is the beginning of a complete and far-reaching restructuring of life, business and communication.

COVID-19 has removed 90 per cent of the vehicles from the streets in a manner that no environmental activist could. It has removed 90 per cent of the people from buses, trains and subways. What caught on as a convenience has now become the only way business can be conducted during this period of social distancing.

We are now talking about working from home. It is safe to estimate that half the labour force can and is now working from home at some level and to some extent. The big question is how entrenched will this practice become post-coronavirus.  This is as good at time as any to think carefully about what our priorities should be in the future.

COVID-19 gives us an opportunity to break away from business as usual, As the crisis worsens, we’re going to see historically marginalized and vulnerable communities, the sudden collapse of our economy will exacerbate the historic lack of protections for housing, healthcare, and basic needs that unequally impact poor people, as we look to provide support in this crisis, and as we look to build back in the future, we must center investments and strategies that address these inequities head on.

Once the crisis is over, we will hopefully awaken into a new world, one where we can learn the far-reaching, long-term lessons.  One where we can see the dangers that we should have recognized a long time ago. One where we can understand the implications of these dangers for the future of government policies. #StopCoronavirus #Hope #Strength #StrongerTogether #Humanity #Resilient #SDG3 #SDGs #Generosity #Goodness #courageous #humanityfirst #humanspirit #spreadlove #humankind #spreadpositivity #bebold #poverty #humanityandinclusivity