Three days Feeding Program during COVID 19 Lockdown

18 May 2020

As COVID-19 continues to spread across Sierra Leone, evidence from expected that there is community transmission. The President therefore declared a 3-day nationwide lockdown to break the chain of transmission. The lockdown started on Sunday the 3^rd and ended on Tuesday the 5^th May 2020. According to NaCSA report, on May 2^nd, the last day prior to the lockdown, the government of Sierra Leone through NaCSA provided the sum of SLL250,000 to each beneficiary, reaching up 8,000 vulnerable persons including persons with disabilities (PWDs) most of whom are residing in camps/homes across the 16 districts. This decision did not however make provision for those in the street who rely on passers-by to feed them or cannot cook or even go to the market as they have a mental disability.

It was against this background that OneFamilyPeople through the Ministry of Social Welfare solicited funding from UNDP to fill this gap by providing hot meals to homeless people with (mental) disabilities and those without in order to ease the impact of the 3-day lockdown on them.  Through this funding, 150 persons were reached each day for day 1 & 2, while 300 persons were reached on day 3.Which means, during the 3 days, 600 packs of hot meals were served to homeless people.  And 100 face masks donated by AfriLosophy were distributed.

In order to ensure the safety of staff and the people they are serving, we provided face masks, hand gloves and sanitizers.  

OneFamilyPeople, in collaboration with UNDP addressed some recommendations to the Government of Sierra Leone and to all stakeholders working in the field such as:

1. Increase the quantity of food to at least 300 and reach a wider range of beneficiaries including their caregivers/helpers;
2. Provide facial masks to beneficiaries, educate them about the importance of wearing it and encourage them to wear it. 
3. Improve WASH facilities in PWDs Camps and Rollout a quick impact livelihood support to reduce the dependency of persons with disabilities on charity, build resilience to overcome the secondary impact of COVID-19
4. Provide urgent medical care to 10 beneficiaries with festering injuries