Covid-19 Reaches Nigeria, Will You Help? - LLEM International | Impacting Lives...
Africa

Covid-19 Reaches Nigeria, Will You Help?

For the latest stats on the COVID situation in Nigeria, please visit the Nigerian Center for Disease Control. 

The article below was recently written by LLEM and distributed as part of a special mailing LLEM sent to fund care packages for 6,000 residents in Agu Na Ebere Nigeria.  

COVID-19… A World Pandemic
Our world is changing. Who could have believed that things would change this quickly? COVID-19 is changing the world rapidly and systematically. Our world is not ready or prepared for so many changes and for this magnitude of financial and human suffering. 

  In the West
In the West and in some other parts of the world, people have been forced to make dramatic changes in their daily living. Here are just a few of the changes we’ve all had to make in the last month. 

  1. Not visiting our favorite restaurants and cafes with family and friends. 
  2. Taking meetings via the internet instead of face-to-face.
  3. Participating in on-line schooling.
  4. Shopping in stores (or on-line) in stores that are often low on merchandise.
  5. Learning how to quickly apply for financial assistance. 

The haves and the have-nots
The situation surrounding technology in non-Westernized countries is far different from the situation in the United States and in other developed nations. Most of us have not really thought about the situation in countries and societies where the internet is not readily accessible. What will become of people who do not have internet access? How will adults and teens learn about COVID-19 and get reliable information? How will their lack of understanding about how to stay safe affect their day-to-day lives?

What will become of the children who may not have access to on-line schools and who may be out of school for many, many weeks, or even for months until the virus gets under control?
How will children learn? How will families buy necessary supplies if stores are forced to close and they don’t have access to on-line shopping?  These are unanswered questions, and truthfully, these are questions which keep LLEM International up at night! So far Africa has not experienced the same level of infection as many other countries, but this probably will change very soon.

Will Nigeria be ready? 
In a place like Nigeria, many people don’t have access to computers, tablets, large supermarkets and other things we take for granted. Many live in rural villages and are cut off from the rest of the world.

                               
Present Day Nigeria
Presently, many states in Nigeria have been locked down, (similar to what’s happening in the United States and in parts of Europe and Asia) especially those states where the virus has slowly started circulating.

Here are some changes taking place: 

  • Nigeria has stopped inter-state travel to curtail the spread of the virus. Due to this travel lockdown, many people are already experiencing extreme hardships. This is on top of the normal hardships many Nigerians face in their daily lives. 
  • In Agu Na Ebere (the community LLEM supports) there is no running water in homes. Because of coronavirus, there has been a rapid educational campaign about the importance of frequent handwashing, covering your mouth when coughing, and about the importance of staying home when you are sick. The campaign is working, but with more handwashing, the well LLEM installed is working at maximum capacity and the usage of water has increased by 60%. This is a good problem to have – and a bad problem to have.
  • The residents of Agu Na Ebere know that electricity is a tug of war. Now more than ever, these community members need basic care packages which LLEM provides! Each care package contains soap, shampoo, conditioner, a toothbrush and toothpaste.  Most importantly, we will be supplying hand sanitizer and face masks. You can make a donation to our Care Package program here.

    https://lleminternational.com/donate-now