Although Europe is now the epicenter of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the virus continues to spill across continents and countries, causing widespread disarray. The number of affected people increases daily by the thousands. Given this unprecedented and dramatic situation, Humanity & Inclusion is taking special measures to protect its teams, maintain its operational capabilities, and continue assisting the most vulnerable.
Informed & engaged teams
Our top priority is the health of our staff and beneficiaries. We’re doing everything we can to provide our teams with information on the protection and health measures to take and implement to protect themselves and the community from the virus. Worldwide, our teams continue their efforts where possible, mainly through teleworking. Our goal is to remain operational in aid of beneficiaries in the 60 countries where we have field teams.
Our beneficiaries: the most vulnerable
The pandemic is growing in most of our program countries. The people we assist every day--people with disabilities, people with injuries, refugees and displaced people—have the right to the same protections and precautions. The most vulnerable of the vulnerable, our beneficiaries already experience poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. At this stage, the dire situation facing Western countries may prove disastrous for people living in some countries where we work, and more specifically for the very individuals we assist. The goal is to provide them with more support than ever.
Assessing how best to assist the most vulnerable
Our teams are drawing up activity continuity plans to continue our essential work in changing circumstances. The organization is putting arrangements in place to adapt its action to developments in the pandemic and provide an operational response, while assisting in the general effort to combat the coronavirus.
Photo caption: Claudia, a field coordinator with Humanity & Inclusion, who is wearing a tan vest with an HI logo, walks toward a family of refugees in Uganda. The photo was originally taken in 2017.