We hear so much about the devastating impact of Covid-19 in the UK, Europe and America but there’s very little in the news about the impact in Africa. It’s as if our imaginations can’t cope with any more sadness. From what we’ve learned from our friends in Zanzibar, the situation is pretty bad. The President of Tanzania has some crazy ideas on disease prevention and the government in Zanzibar is probably under-reporting the incidence of Covid. However, the incidence of infection and death appears to have been relatively low in spite of the lack of precautions taken by local people and the haphazard approach to lockdown. Our contacts at the Rotary Club of Zanzibar, Stone Town, say that they don’t know of any incidence of Covid amongst locals or ex pats. Due to short life expectancy there aren’t many people over 60 combined with a general acceptance of death as a fact of life (people just die and the cause is not important) and even the high temperatures may have minimised the impact of Covid. But what is hurting is the lack of tourist and the money that usually filters through the island. About 80% of Zanzibar’s foreign income earnings come from tourism..
Gasica reports that at Zanzibar Learning 4 Life Foundation most of the donations came from Europe and North America and former students who are employed in tourism (eg as tour guides) and tourists who visited ZL4LF projects. Those donations have dried up because everyone has been hit by Coronovirus and are not able support our projects.
ZL4LF was reopened last week and due to limited with the space, the teachers are now working 7 days a week so that the classes can be smaller. At the associated school, the Winners Community Academy (WCA), families are not able to pay school fees which means the teachers can’t be paid their full salary.
Gasica’s time and attention was channeled into helping keep his community fed. He’s been able to raise funds to feed more than 200 families within the Fuoni community Fuoni and more than 100 from Magomeni, Mgeni Haji, Uzini and Unguja Ukuu. He says “We are so proud of what we have achieved and how many people we have helped.”
WCA is now back and the teachers have started to help the children understand more about Coronavirus, how it spreads and how to fight it so they are aware of what is been happening in the world and how to keep safe. Gasica says that they were very fortunate to have made the desks when the schools were shut because it’s made it much easier to keep social distance in the classroom.
Zanzibar Schools Project is delighted that the young people who were part of our original teaching programme are doing well. We are now funding 4 students in higher education as well as helping 5 students who are still in school. Salama write this update about her course in business administration. “I’m develop my skills and learning how to become a professional, learning how to lead my best life, motivate myself and others. I'm enjoying in my studies and hope to get a job in the private or public sector. My parents are so proud of me and want to thank Safari English Clubs for building my dreams and motivating me to work hard. I’m the first person in my family to go to university. I promise to teach others in my village computer skills when I graduate in 2021 because I have something I need to teach others.”
Thanks to Gasica, Salama and Safari Blue in putting together this report. Also thanks to Ipswich Rotary Club for raising funds to help with Gasica’s feeding programme as well as the Rotary Club of Zanzibar, Stone Town, who contributed $16,000 to combat Covid, the highest of any Rotary Club in East Africa. The funds were mainly spent on wash-stations around the island and PPE.
Our fund-raising has also suffered during this period as we haven’t been able to run our usual fund-raising events. We have just set up a new fund-raising page and for the month of August all donations will go to Gasica to help him pay salaries and provide supplies for children at his new school.
https://www.kindlink.com/fundraising/Brighton-Hove-Soiree-Rotary-Settlement/3167