Zawadi Balagizi, 31, is an entrepreneur living in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Through training and mentoring, Humanity & Inclusion’s staff helped her cope with the effects of COVID-19 and expand her small business.

Zawadi was exiled from her family because she has a disability. After first seeking refuge in a church, Zawadi chose to migrate to Kenya.

“I began my journey from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Kenya in April 2018,” Zawadi says. “The main reason I embarked on the journey was to get medical attention at a hospital in Nairobi.”

After arriving in Kenya, Zawadi ran out of financial resources and was transferred to the Kakuma refugee camp. There, she started a small business using her sewing skills to make tablecloths.

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global markets, Zawadi felt the impact as well. She depended on her church congregation to sell her products. Due to social distancing and quarantining, people stopped coming to help her, and her customers dwindled.

Expanding her business

Zawadi met Humanity & Inclusion’s team at the rehabilitation center where she received physical therapy sessions and a wheelchair. Zawadi was also included in HI’s livelihood support project. To help her conduct her business, the organization gave her a smartphone and supported her with counseling and training sessions.

“The support I received from HI has helped me cope with life in Kakuma and the business sector,” Zawadi explains.

Zawadi used the grant money she received from HI to improve the accessibility, expansion, and dignity of her business’ workspace. Thanks to HI’s support and the new skills she acquired during training and mentorship programs, Zawadi saw her living standard and business operations improve.

Zawadi intends to expand her business to provide uniforms, covers, and other fabric materials for a local school. She is hopeful that, with time, she will be able to promote her business on social media and open new branches in the Kakuma refugee camp and nearby Kalobeyei settlement.

These actions are supported by the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program.

Humanity & Inclusion U.S. is thrilled to announce a new funding partnership with the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP).

Two grants of $250,000 each, provided through the CDP’s Covid-19 Response Fund, will support Humanity & Inclusion-operated projects addressing the impacts of Covid-19 among communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.

In the DRC, Humanity & Inclusion will encourage community-based prevention on Covid-19 and good hygiene practices, and promote access to health care through the strengthening of women's clubs in the communes of Bumbu and Selembao in Kinshasa. In Somalia, the Humanity & Inclusion-led project will place persons with disabilities, their caregivers, supportive networks of choice, and their representative organizations at the center of Covid-19 preparedness and recovery activities, which will include community consultation and training in inclusive health practices.

Both projects are scheduled to launch in late summer 2022.

The CDP’s mission is to leverage the power of philanthropy to mobilize a full range of resources that strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur.

Humanity & Inclusion is excited to work with the CDP in launching these much-needed community-based projects in the DRC and Somalia. And we are looking forward to building on this partnership moving forward.

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Around 15,000 people are unhoused in Togo’s capital, Lomé. Humanity & Inclusion is helping them combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated circumstances for people living in vulnerable situations, especially those who are unhoused. Lockdowns and social distancing measures have deprived them of support; they are now experiencing more isolation, insecurity and malnourishment than ever.

Promoting prevention measures

Humanity & Inclusion teams have been conducting outreach work to limit the spread of the virus in Lomé and the city of Sanvee Condji. Between April 2021 and February 2022, Humanity & Inclusion’s teams implemented the following:

• Installed public showers to help promote and facilitate hygiene measures for an average of 210 people a day; more than 80,000 showers were taken
• Nearly 16,000 people participated in awareness-raising sessions, learning how to protect themselves and others from the virus
• 1,000 informational posters on Covid-19 prevention and vaccination were produced and distributed
• More than 25,000 face masks and 15,000 containers of hand sanitizer were distributed during outreach activities
• More than 8,000 hygiene kits were distributed, containing hand sanitizer, face masks, toothpaste, a tooth brush, soap and a sponge, as well as menstrual pads
• Around 100 peer educators were trained to share good practices and raise the awareness of others
• Almost 1,000 people were vaccinated

Providing medical and psychological support

Two health surveillance teams, each with a nurse, a psychologist and a midwife, conducted night rounds in Lomé. They provided medical and psychosocial care to over 15,000 people. Whenever possible, medical conditions, such as headaches, sores, rashes, malaria and sexually transmitted diseases, were treated directly on site. Thanks to these activities, more than 8,500 people accessed health care between April 2021 and February 2022.

As part of the outreach work organized by Humanity & Inclusion in Togo, more than 4,500 people were given mental health and psychosocial support.

"We provide unhoused people with psychological support because they are a sector of the population that feels vulnerable and neglected,” explains Issa Afo, a psychologist for Humanity & Inclusion. “When we offer them specialized services that are otherwise inaccessible to them, they feel seen. It is part of Humanity & Inclusion's mission to give hope to people who feel forgotten.”

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As the security situation in Afghanistan worsens, the country is also battling its third wave of Covid-19. Humanity & Inclusion has adapted its activities in Afghanistan to continue providing critical care, as well as resources to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Since 2020, more than 144,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Afghanistan. And that number could be higher, given that many people do not have access to health centers. Herat, Kabul, Nangarhar, Daikundi and Ghazni appear to be the worst-affected provinces.

Humanity & Inclusion’s Covid-19 response in Afghanistan includes:

Raising awareness

Humanity & Inclusion provides the local population, particularly people with disabilities, internally displaced people, and host communities, with information on the risk of infection with Covid-19 and how to protect themselves by social distancing and wearing a mask. These awareness-raising activities are particularly important in a country where rumors and misinformation about the pandemic continue to circulate, such as drinking or washing your face with Coca-Cola or drinking black tea as a cure for Covid-19. Teams have conveyed key messages through radio broadcasts and door-to-door outreach to raise awareness.

Rehabilitation care

Humanity & Inclusion has continued to provide physical therapy to patients in need at the Kandahar rehabilitation center, and its mobile teams have made at-homes visits in camps for internally displaced people, particularly in Herat and Kandahar provinces. In 2020, more than 17,000 people participated in rehabilitation sessions. So far this year, the organization has trained 120 physical therapists.

Psychosocial assistance

The pandemic has left many people feeling depressed, with many facing job loss or other challenges exacerbated by Covid-19 and its restrictions. Humanity & Inclusion’s teams provided psychosocial support to people who needed it, and set up a hotline. The organization also distributed “leisure” kits containing items like beads or sewing and knitting equipment, as well as games, puzzles and books children to enjoy. Teams have trained medical center personnel in psychosocial first aid.

Humanity & Inclusion continued to provide psychosocial support to people psychologically affected by the conflict or other traumatic events, including Afghan refugees previously living in Pakistan who have been sent back to Afghanistan. In 2020, Humanity & Inclusion provided psychosocial support to nearly 6,000 people in Afghanistan.

Hygiene kits

The organization distributed protection and hygiene kits containing soap, hand sanitizer and other items to people unable to afford those products. Humanity & Inclusion plans to distribute 200 kits containing clothes, blankets and more to people with disabilities, widows and internally displaced people.

Referrals

Humanity & Inclusion also referred people in need of other services such as health care and protection to other organizations able to offer them appropriate support.

In addition to Covid-19 related activities, Humanity & Inclusion has continued to assist victims of the conflict in Afghanistan by providing them with rehabilitation sessions, psychosocial support and mine risk education, along with assistance to conflict victims.

Global response to Covid-19

Humanity & Inclusion teams around the world have been responding to the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020. Donors helped launch more than 170 Covid-19 projects in dozens of countries to protect and care for the people that others overlook. Between March and August 2020, staff have reached 2.2 million people with care and aid to keep Covid-19 at bay.

Covid-19 has presented numerous challenges, changing the way Humanity & Inclusion teams around the world work with the communities we serve. One of those challenges was figuring out how to safely continue providing rehabilitation to people with disabilities. The answer in many places? Telehealth.

For instance, take Priti, a 3-year-old girl living with cerebral palsy in Nepal. Doctors suggest she do regular physical therapy sessions to improve her condition, but her parents find it difficult to afford treatment on top of other living expenses.

A community member and former patient referred Priti to Community Based Rehabilitation Biratnagar (CBRB), a local partner organization of Humanity & Inclusion, for physical therapy and assistive devices.

Priti completed three physical therapy sessions at the center and received a specialized chair that helps stabilize her body and maintain upright sitting posture. She can also use the chair during daily activities like playing and eating.

Then, as the second wave of Covid -19 swept through Nepal reinstating travel restrictions, Priti completed four telerehabilitation sessions by video. Physical therapists gave Priti’s family advice on continuing home exercise to help Priti grow stronger and checked on the condition of her chair.

“It was difficult for me to continue regular exercises on my own during this pandemic as I could not remember techniques taught by the physical therapist,” says Priti’s mother. “With regular video calls, I am satisfied and happy with the services that helped me to continue exercises."

After three months of regular rehabilitation services, specialists have noticed that Priti’s neck is growing stronger and that her arms and legs are more flexible.

Many people living with disabilities, like Priti, lack access to regular follow-up services that they need because of Covid-19 safety measures and travel restrictions.  

“Through the provision of telerehabilitation, another easy way of reaching out to the individuals who need such services, we tried better at our level,” explains Rinki Adhikari, CBRB physical therapist. She added that telerehabilitation can be an alternative way of making rehabilitation services accessible for people in the future.

Humanity & Inclusion’s Covid-19 response in Nepal

These physical rehabilitation activities are supported by USAID and managed by Humanity & Inclusion. The program supports the establishment of a sustainable, integrated, public-private rehabilitation system in order to improve the mobility and functional independence of victims of conflict as well as other adults and children in need of rehabilitation services in Nepal.

With Covid-19, the program has adapted to offer telehealth services and distribute information to prevent the spread of coronavirus. So far:

• 922 audio messages have been broadcast in four different languages on the radio
• 257 accessible video messages have been broadcast in four different languages on television
• 10,726 posters and leaflets have been delivered to government and rehabilitation stakeholders
• Health workers have received 275 sets of personal protective equipment; 16,750 pairs of gloves; 32,500 masks; 62 gallons of disinfectant; and 19 gallons of hand sanitizer
• 7,067 physical therapy sessions have been conducted, including 3,390 telerehabilitation sessions
• 483 assistive devices have been provided to people with disabilities or injuries
• 678 people received essential medical items
• Specialists have offered guidance to government officials related to inclusive health and rehabilitation and to rehabilitation care for people with Covid-19

Header images: Priti sits in her special chair to help her posture while eating and playing. At center, her mother helps her with exercises during a telerehabilitation session. Inline image: A CBRB Prosthetist and Orthotist teaches a woman to re-learn to walk, gain balance, strength and mobility with their new prosthetic device in a parallel bar at the rehabilitation center. Copyright: CBRB/HI

Humanity & Inclusion staff member Jimmy Müller Baguimala Kobé offers a glimpse into life on the logistics team during conflict in the Central African Republic.

Jimmy Müller Baguimala Kobé is not your average delivery guy. He delivers life-saving goods in a life-threatening environment. While it may be said that “neither snow, nor rain, nor heat” can stop the postal service, for Jimmy and his colleagues “neither heat, nor armed conflict, nor land mines” can stop their vital work.

Jimmy is a logistics officer for Humanity & Inclusion in the Central African Republic (CAR), based in Bangui, where millions of people and numerous NGOs depend on him and his team to deliver essential supplies amid tense and dangerous internal conflict.

 “We transport goods for humanitarian aid throughout the country. This includes medicine, kits of essential items, and coal to fuel generators in hospitals without electricity. It is extremely important to have this delivery system in place because the people need supplies, and so many organizations and NGOs providing aid here are not able to transport these items on their own. They come to us, and we make sure it gets to the [communities] for them. I love the work I do because it does such a huge service to the population.” —Jimmy Müller Baguimala Kobé, Logistics Officer for Humanity & Inclusion

Already considered one of the poorest countries in the world, a recent blockade at the border has forced the CAR to depend on surrounding countries for goods, causing prices to skyrocket. More than 2 million people are experiencing dangerous levels of food insecurity and rely heavily on humanitarian aid to meet their needs.

“Safety is a major concern,” Jimmy explains. “Some of the internal roads are finally starting to open back up, but they are dangerous, which can block trucks and slow down road deliveries. There have been several serious incidents recently where vehicles were set on fire. Mines are also a problem, causing both injuries and deaths.”

Transportation in this context is already difficult due to fragmented infrastructure and security threats, but movement is even more constrained by Covid-19 restrictions. This further isolates the people disproportionately affected by crisis such as children, aging people, women and people with disabilities.  

“The population is experiencing a terrible crisis and urgently needs humanitarian intervention, and the work we’re doing makes that possible,” Jimmy says. “We are asking our supporters to continue helping us bring this aid to every part of the country. These goods are essential in order for help to continue, and for the benefit of the people.”

While Jimmy recognizes the immense value in his work, he ultimately hopes for an end to the conflict and a return to a time where these efforts are no longer necessary.

“I wish with all my heart that things would go back to normal. I don’t want to relive the situation we’ve been in,” he says. “For now, people are depending on us.”

Header image: The Humanity & Inclusion logistics team delivers a truckload of supplies in the Central African Republic in November 2020. Copyright: Adrienne Surprenant/HI; Inline image: Portrait of Jimmy Müller Baguimala Kobé. Copyright: HI

Despite a daunting economic crisis caused by restrictive measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 in Cambodia, Humanity & Inclusion continues providing in-person and virtual rehabilitation care.  

While many regions around the globe may be seeing a drop in Covid-19 cases, Cambodia is experiencing its first wave of infections. Largely spared by the pandemic in 2020, the country began seeing a rise in positive cases in February 2021. Numbers steadily rose until May, and have remained mostly stagnant since. 

“We have hundreds of new cases a day, and now it’s spreading to the provinces,” says Edith Van Wijngaarden, Humanity & Inclusion’s country manager for Cambodia. “The rates haven’t decreased over the past few weeks, and the real numbers may be even higher than the official figures.” 

Economic deterioration 

Strict government restrictions were put in place to prevent more infections, but efforts to stifle one crisis have fueled another. Following the mandatory closure of businesses, travel and social gatherings, people found themselves in the midst of a serious economic crisis, with no means to make a living. 

“The situation has been really difficult,” Van Wijngaarden explains. “People in the high-risk, or ‘red’ zones could not even access food. Many people have lost their jobs. There is no more tourism, so everyone in that industry is struggling. There were outbreaks in the garment factories. The entire economic situation is degrading.”

While the pandemic situation appears hopeful with a promising vaccination plan in place, the government opted to prematurely lift restrictions to provide some economic relief, renewing risks posed by the current wave of cases. 

Work continues despite challenges

Despite the difficulties imposed by both the pandemic and economic crises, Humanity & Inclusion’s teams have continued to support the population’s most vulnerable people. 

In addition to providing Personal Protective Equipment to reduce Covid-19 infection risk, staff members are distributing food kits to those affected by loss of income. Teams continue to provide rehabilitation services to people living with disabilities. Since February, staff have implemented in-person care as well as tele-rehabilitation to ensure accessibility. Using dolls as demonstration tools, parents are learning how to practice physical therapy exercises and continue care for children with disabilities at home. 

“Our rehabilitation center is still up and running,” Van Wijngaarden says. “It has had to open and close a little, but it hasn’t impacted our ability to support the community. When we have no other option, we follow up and support them remotely. We are currently training five other centers to do remote rehabilitation as well.”

Global response to Covid-19

Amid the health crisis, Humanity & Inclusion specialists continue to provide vital rehabilitation care for people with disabilities in physical therapy units and alongside local partners. This is increasingly important, as overworked medical facilities and government restrictions limit access to other care services. Teams are also providing mental health and psychosocial support to assist frontline healthcare workers, people with disabilities, vulnerable people and their families.

Humanity & Inclusion teams around the world have been responding to the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020. Donors helped launch more than 170 Covid-19 projects in dozens of countries to protect and care for the people that others overlook. Between March and August 2020, staff have reached 2.2 million people with care and aid to keep Covid-19 at bay.

Image: A Humanity & Inclusion physical therapist uses a doll to demonstrate rehabilitation exercises a mother can practice at home with her son who has cerebral palsy. Copyright: HI

Resources are proving insufficient as Nepal faces a surge in Covid-19 outbreaks. Humanity & Inclusion teams in the country are responding with vital supplies and accessible risk education. 

A second wave of Covid-19 continues to overpower Nepal’s population and resources. Hospitals are ill-equipped and understaffed, with insufficient space and materials to meet the heightened demand for care.

Providing the essentials

In an urgent response, Humanity & Inclusion’s team in Nepal is preparing to support government hospitals with the most vital supplies at this time, such as personal protective equipment, oxygen monitors, and masks among other medical items. Staff will continue the Covid-19 intervention projects that have been in place since the initial 2020 wave, including the distribution of hygiene kits, promotion of sanitary practices and assisting partner organizations with food aid for people with limited access. These initiatives have already benefited nearly 90,000 people in Nepal. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the country has reported more than 566,000 confirmed cases and over 7,000 Covid-related deaths since January 2020. Strict government restrictions are in place to curb the most recent wave. After an alarming peak a few short weeks ago saw more than 1,200 deaths in a single week, the number of Covid-19 positive cases is finally starting to fall. However, experts stress that the situation remains dire, as the infection rate hovers above 34%. 

“People with disabilities and elderly people are more likely to be affected,” says Reiza Dejito, Humanity & Inclusion’s director for Nepal. “They are often the first to be isolated when Covid restrictions are in place, and therefore don’t have access to essential goods or care.”

Making information accessible

While rates may be decreasing in Nepal's urban areas, this is not the case in rural regions, where the number of infections is likely even higher than reports indicate. Lack of access to information and the stigma associated with Covid-19 has deterred people in these areas from being tested, and often people hide their symptoms or deny them. This leads many to seek hospital care only once symptoms become severe, in part causing an increased need for medical oxygen despite a decrease in infections.

In an effort to raise awareness and increase information accessibility, Humanity & Inclusion is implementing risk education initiatives. Along with a partner organization, Humanity & Inclusion has developed Covid-19 prevention messages to reach people with disabilities. One such message is a video broadcast to 75% of Nepal’s population, explaining virus prevention protocol and care in both the local language and sign language. 

Continuing our mission

Amidst the health crisis, Humanity & Inclusion specialists continue to provide vital rehabilitation care for people with disabilities in physical therapy units and alongside local partners. This is increasingly important, as overworked medical facilities and government restrictions limit access to other care services. Teams are also providing mental health and psychosocial support to assist frontline healthcare workers, people with disabilities, vulnerable people and their families.

Humanity & Inclusion teams around the world have been responding to the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020. Donors helped launch more than 170 Covid-19 projects in dozens of countries to protect and care for the people that others overlook. Between March and August 2020, staff have reached 2.2 million people with care and aid to keep Covid-19 at bay.

Image: A young boy and his mother attend a rehabilitation session in Nepal in November 2020. Copyright: HI

Humanity & Inclusion has built a new rehabilitation unit in Sana’a, North Yemen, where patients will have access to specific rehabilitation equipment such as treatment tables, shoulder wheels and exercise bikes.

Yemen has been torn apart by five years of conflict. Before the conflict, rehabilitation services were already deeply insufficient. Now, these needs have skyrocketed with half of the country's medical infrastructures unable to operate.

Humanity & Inclusion's new rehabilitation unit at the Al Kuwait hospital, one of the main hospitals in Sana’a, will enable patients to receive the high-quality medical support they need before being discharged. The rehabilitation unit will be run by one physical therapist and three assistants trained by Humanity & Inclusion.

This project is possible thanks to the support of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and Luxembourg.

Who will benefit from the new rehabilitation unit?

300 patients are expected to benefit from the new facility every month.  This will include inpatients from every hospital department such as orthopedic, neurological and surgical departments as well as outpatients.

The injuries of the patients who will be treated at this unit will vary from those caused by traffic accidents to those caused by airstrikes or explosive devices arising from the ongoing conflict. Patients may also receive rehabilitation support if they experience chronic diseases or have disabilities. Other NGOs will refer patients to Humanity & Inclusion’s unit if they are on a list to receive prosthetics or orthotics.

Why is the rehabilitation unit so vital?

Al Kuwait hospital is the third largest public hospital in the capital with a capacity of around 300 beds. Patients who are admitted to this hospital travel from different regions within an average radius of 125 miles. 

Rehabilitation work in Yemen

• Humanity & Inclusion’s team operates in nine health facilities across Sana’a, Aden and Mokha and has supported 30,000 beneficiaries since its operations started in late 2015.
• 34,000 mobility aids have been distributed since 2015, including equipment such as crutches, wheelchairs, walking sticks/canes, walkers, etc.
• Almost 500 people have been provided with prosthetics or orthotics.
• Humanity & Inclusion has helped train nearly 900 medical professionals.

Adapting to Covid-19

Humanity & Inclusion has adapted its activities in Yemen in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. For example:

• Humanity & Inclusion has provided staff and patients with hygiene kits and personal protective equipment.
• The team has also worked to set up information sessions for the most vulnerable populations to highlight the risks and raise awareness of the pandemic.
• A telephone line has been set up to allow staff to continue monitoring patients and their families remotely.
• Humanity & Inclusion has followed more than 200 patients with Covid-19, identifying their needs, and referring them to the appropriate services.

Image: Two treatment tables and other equipment are shown in a room at Humanity & Inclusion's new rehabilitation unit in Yemen. Copyright: HI

The COVID-19 crisis hasn’t stopped Humanity & Inclusion from providing personalized care for people with disabilities.  

Danwell P. Esperas full-time job is helping people with disabilities find gainful employment opportunities, something that often proves difficult due to discrimination, inaccessibility or stigma. But his work doesn’t stop there. As a personalized social support officer for Humanity & Inclusion, Danwell provides tailored follow-up care for people in Valenzuela, a city near Manila in the Philippines, helping them access community resources and take care of their mental, physical and economic wellbeing.

Danwell works under Humanity & Inclusion’s Forward Together Project: Empowering Youth with Disabilities in Asia, which aims to help people between 18 and 40 with disabilities access meaningful employment in Manila, Philippines and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Preparing people with disabilities for the workforce

Danwell, a registered nurse by profession but a development working by heart, provides personalized social support that empowers project participants to learn more about themselves, improve their skills, access employment opportunities, and reach their life goals.

In May 2019, Danwell met a man who is deaf, with aspirations to work for a manufacturing company. Starting with an initial assessment, Danwell guided the man in creating a personalized action plan and provided advice on writing a resume and giving a successful job interview. After two weeks of coaching sessions, the participant landed a job, where he was also able to teach his co-workers the basics of Filipino sign language.

Covid-19 presents unique challenges

Unfortunately, like so many people around the world, Covid-19 pandemic plunged the man into a new and serious economic crisis. He lost his job, but Danwell continued to support him by providing sessions to cope with the trauma and information on accessing assistance from different government agencies. 

He is just one of the project participants who Danwell has continued to coach amid the pandemic through remote sessions on Covid-19 prevention and awareness, stress management, the importance of self-care, and how to access financial assistance and goods being provided by the government. Humanity & Inclusion’s Forward Together project also adapted its strategies to Covid-19 by providing cash transfers to project participants so they can afford basic needs like housing, food and medicine.

Image: Danwell P. Esperas is a personalized social support officer for Humanity & Inclusion in the Philippines. He meets with participants in the Forward Together project, which works to connect people with disabilities to gainful employment. Copyright: HI