OUR CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE

Savings builds resilience

The coronavirus epidemic has changed life drastically in the UK - and it is changing life across the globe too.

In 2020, many of our programmes were paused due to government lockdowns. During that period, we committed to continue supporting our trainers even whilst they couldn't physically go out and train communities. Instead, they delivered health messaging and encouragement via text or WhatsApp, and supported groups remotely. Many groups found ways to keep savings and lending, for example, meeting in smaller groups of 5 or 6 members where restrictions permitted. Others invested even more in their emergency funds, to provide some future security. Some began making soap or sewing face coverings, either as small businesses or to support their neighbours.

We knew that our Groups were best placed to formulate their own COVID-response but we wanted to make sure they were sufficiently informed about COVID as we knew many false rumours were circulating. We conducted a survey and learnt that many groups in remoter locations were not aware, and so our partners arranged for COVID prevention and awareness training to be delivered by local health workers, combatting false rumours and ensuring even those in the most remote villages, with no access to international news, were aware of the risks.

Our survey also asked whether groups had made plans for how they would respond in case of future lockdowns. For example, how would they keep their group funds safe if they had to stop meeting? How would they meet their needs, and those of others in the community, if markets and businesses were closed again? Where Groups did not have plans, our partners supported the groups to make them. We've learnt that Groups know what is right for them; our role is to facilitate their discussions so they can identify their own solutions.

As countries where we work eased lockdown restrictions later in 2020 and Savings Groups were able to meet again, we shared guidance with all of our partners to embed COVID-safe protocols. For example, we have recommended that groups meet outdoors, observing handwashing, social distancing and face coverings when they meet and that they avoid physical greetings and cash handling.

Through 2021, some programmes had to pause again through lockdowns, but are not continuing on. We are watching carefully for the spread of new variants of the virus. Over the last two years we have seen an increase in demand for our work as communities see the value of having savings for a crisis, small loans to re-start businesses after lockdown and perhaps most of all, a support group in the community to help share the burdens (and joys). We are planning to offer more training on how to plan and cope in crises.

We are now seeing widespread vaccine hesitancy among many of the countries where we work and are now looking at what means we may have as an organisation to be informers and combat biases or falsehoods about vaccine distribution. There is also still vaccine shortages in many areas where we work. As such we continue to promote COVID-safe protocols such as masks and frequent handwashing and sanitising where possible.

We want to continue to lend communities a hand up, not a handout. Our Savings Groups are both part of the need and part of the solution. Our Groups, located in the hardest-to-reach places, used to leadership, organising, handling money, looking outwards to their wider community... They are a great asset in disaster response and rebuilding even while many are some of the most vulnerable people themselves.

For the latest updates please join our mailing list. You can read (or listen) to our previous updates below:

From April to July 2020 Five Talents enacted the following measures to ensure the safety of our members as Groups operated under varying lockdown guidelines:

For ALL our Savings Groups:

• We are disseminating health messages and messages of hope (by phone where groups are no longer physically meeting). 

• We are mapping which other Church agencies, aid agencies or government agencies are active in the communities and might be able to offer relief in case of need.

• We are learning how Groups themselves are considering addressing needs.

• We are considering how Groups may be able to rebuild their communities post-COVID.

For Groups which can still meet (South Sudan, Burundi, DRC, Tanzania):

• We are seeking to ensure Groups have a plan in place in case restrictions are brought in (eg. how to keep their funds safe - or how to share them out).

• We are seeking to ensure Groups are prepared for coronavirus or associated restrictions - eg by facilitating field officers help groups identify where they can source water and soap, who are the most vulnerable in the community, who might be able to help them).

For Groups which can no longer meet (Kenya, Uganda, Myanmar, Bolivia):

• We are carrying out a survey to identify communities in particular need due to COVID-19, and what those needs are.

• And, thanks to the mapping exercise of other agencies above, we will seek to link communities in need with those other agencies.