People with disabilities living in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Humanity & Inclusion is raising their awareness of preventive measures to help protect them from the disease and allow them to continue working.
For more than a decade, 54-year-old Ahmed has lived with his wife and nine children in a sheet-iron house in the Kakuma refugee camp. Ahmed has post-polio paralysis, and has been assisted by Humanity & Inclusion since he arrived in the camp.
He runs a small shop allows him to earn his livelihood and feed his family. Thanks to donors, our local teams can pay him regular visits to help him improve his business skills and to prosper. They’ve also provided him with crutches to better navigate the camp community.
Since the start of the pandemic, Humanity & Inclusion has explained to Ahmed the importance of taking preventive measures against COVID-19. Since then, he wears a mask, tells his customers to maintain a social distance, and invites them to wash their hands before entering his shop.
"This information is really important because it helps protect us against the virus," he explains.
As medicines are lacking in the camp and there is currently no cure for the virus, he understands how important it is to apply these measures. This is why he and his family wear masks whenever they are out in public.
Ahmed would like to continue being assisted and supported financially by Humanity & Inclusion to better weather the pandemic, which has affected his trade. "It will take time for me to get back to a normal life and start making money again," he says. When the situation improves, he hopes to set up other small shops in the camp.
Photo copyright: Humanity & Inclusion