FRIENDS OF TANZANIA AND ITS PARTNERS RESPOND TO IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON TANZANIA

FRIENDS OF TANZANIA AND ITS PARTNERS RESPOND TO IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON TANZANIA   We at Friends to Tanzania (FOT) hope you and your loved ones are able to stay healthy in these unprecedented times, and that you are able to weather the difficult economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.   COVID-19 has spread to Tanzania, but even before the first reported case, the pandemic impacted international development work in the country.  In early March, the Peace Corps evacuated all of its over 7,000 Peace Corps Volunteers world-wide, including approximately 200 PCVs serving in Tanzania. See the Peace Corps' Announcement    More recently, COVID-19 cases have been reported in Tanzania, with recent reports indicating positive cases, still in low hundreds, but rising daily. See Coronavirus in Africa Tracker The Tanzania government has closed all schools, and imposed various measures to curb the spread of the virus. See Africa News Article   We all are hopeful that Tanzania is able to avoid the devastating impacts that have been felt elsewhere and applaud the efforts of international health organizations that are able to send medical supplies to the country. FOTs Project Grantee Partners' Responses to COVID-19 Friends of Tanzania is proud to report that several of our project grantee partners in Tanzania are taking action to help those who are especially vulnerable to the pandemic. The efforts of two of these partners are described below.  In addition, FOT is assessing opportunities to make donations to project grantee partners to assist in their efforts to combat the spread COVID-19 in Tanzania.   Jiamini, our project grantee partner in Newala, in the Mtwara Region, has provided a supply of food to the 32 most vulnerable families in one of the villages in which it works, and arranged for the distribution of soap to all households, along with COVID-19 prevention guidelines. Because general news is not always trusted in the rural communities, the Jiamini team arranged for printing and distributing information packets from the Tanzanian Ministry of Health in Newala.                                                 Click to see more    In the Mara Region of rural Tanzania, our project grantee partner Maji Safi Group has recently shifted all of its efforts into fighting the spread of COVID-19 in Tanzania through health education campaigns. Maji Safi has reached 2.3 million Tanzanians through its social media pages in a recent week and is working with the local health authorities and the Ministry of Health in large scale public announcements, radio shows, and educational pamphlets to raise awareness and combat the spread of this deadly virus.            Click to see more Click Here to Donate to Support a Friends of Tanzania Project Newly Funded FOT Projects We are delighted to update you on newly funded projects that appear in the Spring 2020 Newsletter.  These projects include grants for water and sanitation, more critical than ever during this public health crisis.   READ FOT's SPRING 2020 NEWSLETTER Click Here to Become a Member or Renew Your Membership in FOT