The Effects of Covid-19

The Effects of Covid19 — Ubuntu Mundo on Lockdown

At the time of this writing, life as we know it has come to a halt for most of the world’s population. The novel coronavirus has spread to 175 countries, and 20% of the world’s population is or has been on some form of lockdown. This worldwide pandemic has plunged countries into an immediate health and economic crisis — we do not yet know when it will end and how life may be forever changed by this experience.

With this highly contagious virus spreading across Africa, the government of South Africa has imposed a 21-day strict lockdown. With schools closed, children have lost access to their one government-sponsored meal per day, and now with Ubuntu Mundo forced to close, the extremely vulnerable children of Ubuntu Mundo have been deprived of their second source for a daily meal. We are monitoring the situation and stand ready to resume operations as soon as possible.

Sadly, in any crisis, the vulnerable suffer the greatest impact. In a community where more than 30% of the population is infected with HIV and the majority lives in extreme poverty, the arrival of this virus has the potential to add another level of devastation.

While we are currently unable to provide meals to the children of our community, the Ubuntu Mundo program manager, Mr. James Moyeng, is overseeing the property to keep workers safe and the garden thriving, so that fresh food will be available as soon as the lockdown is lifted. Feeding the children remains our number one priority, but this crisis has shown that we need to shore up our capacity in both normal times and in times of crisis. To that end, we are exploring ways to:

• Improve infrastructure on the ground in South Africa, so that Ubuntu Mundo may be able to support the community when regular operations need to be suspended,
• Increase our connections with other NGOs in South Africa, so that we can work together to offer services and support vulnerable communities,
• Grow our staff in South Africa to cover more complex operations and to offer more complete support for families, and
• Develop additional fundraising and business initiatives to support and grow the work of Ubuntu Mundo.

While the current crisis is overwhelming, we remain hopeful that Covid19 can also be the catalyst for change. It shows just how much we are all connected. It shows how much we rely on people working in essential jobs, and how strong, fearless and selfless those people can be. It shows how quickly, when given a break, the environment can recover, and canals and skies can turn blue again. It shows that love can overcome fear, and how important it is that we understand that we are all in this together.

Ubuntu Mundo remains committed to these children. The moment this crisis abates enough to let us resume operations, we will begin again, and with your continued support, we will work tirelessly to bring daily meals into these children’s lives, and to improve conditions so that Ubuntu Mundo and the children of Bodlayabongolo can better handle future challenges.

Ubuntu Mundo is comprised of a growing community of friends, colleagues, family, and loved ones with shared values of kindness, respect, justice, generosity and concern for the most vulnerable. We realize that everyone is facing their own personal challenges during this crisis, and we are wishing everyone safe passage through these stormy seas. We thank you for your continued support. Ke a leboga.