Juan Ciudad NGO has launched the "STOP COVID-19" campaign to raise awareness of the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus epidemic in Latin America and Africa and to urgently raise funds for 25 centers and hospitals of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God in 10 countries in Africa and 6 in Latin America.
As explained Gonzalo Sales, director of Juan Ciudad NGO: âAlthough infections are currently decreasing in Europe, they are increasing globally, so it will only be possible to stop the spread of the coronavirus if we ensure that health centers in disadvantaged countries can screen COVID-19 cases so as not to become overwhelmed, and for that, it is necessary to send international cooperation funds.â.
St. John of God Center in Ghana during the COVID-19 epidemic.
With the money raised in the campaign, the organization will strengthen two areas that must operate simultaneously in the context of the pandemic. On the one hand, it will allow the organization to maintain triage and protected healthcare professionals, with the aim of detecting all COVID-19 cases arriving at the centers, and being able to isolate them and safely refer them to the services designated for their treatment.
On the other hand, they can be maintained Maternal and child health and prevalent disease services are open such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and other infectious diseases that cause high mortality (higher than COVID-19). The goal is to prevent the closure of essential health services, thus avoiding thousands of deaths, as occurred when hospitals and health centers collapsed during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.
After this experience with the virus Ebola, which the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God experienced firsthand, the organization is aware of the importance of maintaining and reactivating channels of cooperation. That's why it created a Crisis Committee for Africa last March and also maintains ongoing contact with its counterparts in Latin America.
All ongoing projects have had to reorient themselves to the new context brought on by the pandemic, and an initial emergency fund was sent to cover immediate needs in response to the first cases that arrived two months ago. This aid was used to purchase protective equipment in local markets, provide training in SARS-CoV-2 control and prevention protocols, purchase essential food supplies, and cover the maintenance costs of health services (staff, electricity, diesel, transportation, etc.).
Distribution of basic food items in Ghana.
But the situation is worsening considerablyIn Latin America and the Caribbean, where nearly 900,000 confirmed cases have been recorded (according to Johns Hopkins), the COVID-19 epidemic continues to advance strongly. Among the countries where we have partners, Peru remains the most affected, reaching 170,000 cases.
In Africa, where there are 153,000 confirmed cases (according to Africa CDC), From Ghana reports Valentine Bruku, responsible for finances of the San Juan de Dios centers on this continent: âCOVID-19 cases are increasing, and government restrictions in different countries are increasing. This could increase fear and hardship for the population, who will stop going to centers and hospitals even when they need to.â.
For all these reasons, Juan Ciudad NGO is calling for the widest possible dissemination of its STOP COVID-19 campaign and to help the 25 centers of the Brothers of St. John of God in these 16 countries continue to contribute to the global fight against the coronavirus: Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, Togo, Benin, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Chile.
Infographic source: Juan Ciudad ONGD
Text: Adriana Castro, Head of Communications at Juan Ciudad NGO.
Photos: Prov. San AgustĂn OHSJD.
