Covid and schools

 

Covid and schools

 

Had there been no Corona Virus this would have been the last few days of school.

But it is also here in Central Africa, and we must take this into account.

For now, while we were waiting for the Government's decisions, which were slow to come, we decided to end the school year, taking into consider the first two semesters. At the end of the month we will give report cards, and we plan to reopen the schools (covid permitting!) in early September, so as to try to make up for lost time.

People testing positive for the virus continue to increase: today we are 2,605 positive, with 417 recovered and 19 deceased. A worrisome fact is that related to testing: out of about 20,000 tests, 2,605 have been positive results, which represent a very high 13%.

We continue, as diocese and as Caritas, the work of fighting the virus. Trucks with buckets and handwashing materials have been dispersed and local manufacturing of masks continues.

Fortunately, the children raise our spirits a bit. Like Jonas, who made a paper mask ...

Pseudo mascherina da gioco
Masque à jouer

Materiale per la lotta al covid19
Materiel pour la lutte au covid19

Maschere
Masques

Aggiungi didascalia

From 1,288 to 2,088

 

From 1,288 to 2,088

Unfortunately, this week our news is marked by the increase in Coronavirus cases. In one week there was a jump of 800 cases, from 1,288 to 2,088.

Our commitment continues to try to battle this pandemic! We have just completed the training for the 50 people, foreseen in the project in collaboration with Caritas of the USA (CRS). These people of Bozoum and Bossemptele were on duty in Bozoum on Friday and Saturday, while Tuesday and Wednesday it was the turn of those of Bohong, Bocaranga, Ndim and Ngaundaye.

To organize this last training, I went to Bocaranga on Monday afternoon. The state of the roads continues to deteriorate: it takes almost 4 hours to travel 125 km. And beyond Bocaranga, the road is even worse!

Tuesday I went quickly to Ngaundaye (80 km from Bocaranga) and then to Ndim, to return in the evening. These visits allow me to have an idea of ​​the situation, and to try to find some solutions. For example, in Ngaundaye, a village on the border, they received only 25 rapid tests for Covid19 ... And it is an area of ​​passage to and from Cameroon (the neighboring country that has almost 9,000 people infected).

We finished training on Wednesday morning and I left for Bouar.

There was a lot, a lot of tension, because one of the (many) rebel movements, called the 3R, had attacked a military camp in Bouar during the night between Monday and Tuesday. Strangely, along the almost 600 km covered in these days, I have seen less than half a dozen armed men ...

In Bouar I was able to see some of the material we bought, with the help of CEI and Caritas Italiana, for some hospitals. Unfortunately, the closure of borders and airports makes the arrival of protective and care equipment very difficult. But, with God's help, we will do it!

Bozoum

Ngaoundaye

Formazione a Bocaranga
Formation à Bocaranga

Sapone e materiale per la lotta al Covid19
Savon et materiel de protection pour la lutte contre le Covid19

Training, training, training

Andando al lavoro nei campi
Depart vers les champs pour le travail

 

Training, training, training

The rainy season is approaching, which means it's time for work. There is a lot of work to be done in the fields: the sowing of peanuts, corn, beans and various tubers, and the renewal of the cultivation of cassava. Every day people leave their homes at dawn for the fields, which are  a few kilometers away from their houses. The work lasts throughout the day, and people return in the evening, with some fruit, produce and a little wood.

The number of coronavirus cases in Central Africa increases inexorably: this evening we are at 1,288 people affected by the virus. The first 4 deaths have also recorded.

We are all moving to cope with the pandemic. This week I went to Bouar, where we started training for Caritas. The staff were trained Wednesday and Thursday, and on Friday and Saturday we began the training of 50 educators from the 12 parishes of the diocese. They will go to neighborhoods and villages and train and inform the people on the risks of the virus and on protective measures. In the next few days, buckets and soap will also arrive to create hand washing stations  (in a country where a tap with running water is almost a utopia).  This is in thanks to the availability and generosity of many people and institutions, in particular CRS, one of the Caritas of the USA.

Still on the subject of generosity, thanks to the Italian Church (with the Italian CEI and Caritas), we have ordered protection and treatment material for 4 hospitals. We are waiting for it to arrive, despite blocked airports and closed borders.

Solidarity and a good heart don't stop at details like these.

Formazione personale Caritas a Bouar, progetto Covid19 con CRS
Formation du personnel Caritas à Bouar, projet Covid19 avec CRS

Seminario Yolé Bouar
Séminaire Yolé - Bouar