The African Pandemic Response Alliance (APRA) has partnered with Save the Children (SC) to help contain and prevent the spread of Covid-19 in African nations, and address the impact of the pandemic on children in the continent. The organisations have launched an Africa Pandemic Response Campaign (APRC) to fund activities that will help reduce the impact on children and their families, such as providing personal protective equipment to health workers, running remote training and handwashing campaigns, and implementing testing and tracking systems.
The campaign will focus first on higher risk countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda, while other countries will be included on a case-by-case basis.
The Head of Africa Philanthropy at SC, Keith Kibirango, commented, ‘We are delighted to be announcing this partnership with APRA. The combination of our networks, knowledge, and our presence in affected communities across Africa will enable us to provide immediate and meaningful support to vulnerable children and their families affected by Covid-19. In countries already grappling with food crises and health challenges, [SC] is working to help to slow the spread of [Covid-19], distribute protective equipment and medical supplies, ensure children’s nutrition and vaccinations are not falling behind, and grow our network of community health workers’.
The founder of APRA and partner at Altica Partners, Dawda Jawara III, also remarked, ‘The scale of the Covid-19 pandemic has shifted traditional boundaries between the private, public and third sectors, and demands that everyone step out of their comfort zone. It is a privilege to be joining forces with our partners and [SC] to help prevent the spread of [Covid-19] in Africa. As professionals and entrepreneurs with deep ties to the continent, we couldn’t sit back and do nothing. We plan to raise funds, pool resources, and work on a pan-African basis to address immediate humanitarian and ongoing economic concerns raised by Covid-19’.
The funds raised from the campaign will be spent on providing medical and protective equipment for healthcare workers in at-risk countries, as well as a range of activities focused on raising awareness and prevention. The campaign will also finance systems for Covid-19 contact tracing surveillance and case reporting. To alleviate the economic burden in vulnerable communities, it will work alongside African governments, increase payments to parents and healthcare workers to expand health and nutrition services.
Source: CNBC Africa
Photo source: Residentevil_stars2001
