Millicent sin situasjonsrapport vedrørende Corona-situasjonen i Kenya

Thank you so much for your concern about us in Kenya and the project activities we do in our communities.

The working situation in Kenya is slowly getting back to NEAR normal except for teachers who can’t be in school but of late the govt has come up with a plan to the teachers to start conducting community teaching to learners. This is a situation whereby any teacher is expected to train at least a group of 15 students daily on life skills - they do not necessarily need to follow curriculum. This is to keep students busy and engaged while still at home until January 2020. The learning can be under a tree or any open community facility for at least 2 hours daily.

The other sectors have already resumed normal operations and at times people work in shifts. This is to do to minimize spread of the virus.

In any working environment, WHO protocols of keeping safe, maintaining social distance, provision of  hand washing points in every corner with soap and provision of sanitizers to all workers in every desk/work station has to be observed, avoiding crowds, use of masks at all times have to be maintained.

For an institution like us/Aro, we must have a Thermo gum at the gate and take temperatures of everyone entering Aro and keep good records which can be inspected at any time by the relevant govt. ministries.

This is helpful in case of contact tracing should anyone around be found with the covid 19.

Regular fumigation of rooms and offices and sanitization must be carried out throughout the day in common arrears.

Any staff with similar symptoms with those of covid are allowed to stay at home until safe.

The government had allowed normal operations to resume so long as we keep and maintain the conditions above.

As Arc Kenya, i meet regularly with the staffs whose work involve interaction with other people in the community e.g. Childcare and protection for updates to them and to me should they face any challenge.

As had been reported in their progress reports earlier on, the demand for our services are overwhelming in the community resulting from children cases being reported and majority of clients visiting staff at home with urgent matters to be addressed - regarding child abuses, neglects, family conflicts. The situation is not good enough to explain.

We now have freedom of movements, but one have to be extra careful.

Keeping 1.5m social distance.

The low financial situation being faced by Arc-Kenya cannot allow full execution of activities that directly need out intervention in the area of operation. The staffs are only allowed to undertake what they can comfortably work with due to financial constraints and also to protect them from unnecessary infection.

I regularly meet with the field staffs; C.P  and CC over precautionary measures they need to take while on duty. We have provided a few basic items they may need for protecting themselves and more so avoiding the dangerous clients. Awareness is with them and it takes personal initiative to keep safe as well.

Staffs may not necessity need to wok 100% since the infection rate is still high in our communities but again I train them on prioritization of work to do, where to do it and when. Most important thing is to protect themselves and their families first.

Those offering essential services e.g security, janitorial/cleaning come to Aro daily due to their low interaction with other people. 3 employees plus 2 volunteer students under scholarship work daily to keep Aro clean.

Rest of staffs are on reduced salaries and work around times a week.

Hope I've tried to address most of the concerns. Should you still feel unsatisfied, please feel free to ask for further clarification.

Thanking you in advance and stay safe,

Warmest regards from all of us in Aro.

With best wishes,

Millicent