EFICOR'S Response To COVID - 19 Second Wave

Dear Partners,

The first phase of relief response of EFICOR is nearing completion and in many project locations the teams have also finished the second phase with Cash For Work programmes and facilitating the recovery process. Cash for work will also start in several other locations and cash transfer will continue to be done for a limited number of families. As in any disaster, it is easy to forget about it once it stops capturing headline news on our televisions and newspapers or social media. However the impact of the disaster on the poor lasts much much longer than the publicity it receives and the impact on vulnerable groups within these poorer communities continues.

It is said that the impact of any disaster or crisis is never gender neutral. While Covid affected whole populations across the world, the impact on the vulnerable, especially women has been worse. According to the UN, “Women who are poor and marginalized face an even higher risk of COVID-19 transmission and fatalities, loss of livelihood, and increased violence.” (www.unwomen.org). In our regular projects we have focussed on working with women to build and facilitate them to achieve their potential. However crises like Covid can lead to a huge setback to the work that has been done for many years.

In order to ensure that women are not further marginalised we have made provisions in all our work to ensure that it does not lead to further marginalisation of women. Most of our cash transfers have been done to the bank account of the woman, where available, thus ensuring some amount of control and use of cash. The systems that we have set in place as part of our “Core Humanitarian Standards” certification would also ensure that any violence against women is reported. We have also ensured that women headed households are not left out and that suitable work is assigned to such families during the cash for work programme. Women also play a key role in teaching their children and families about Covid appropriate behaviour.

In this update we bring you stories of widows from different locations who have stood against the odds and have been supported through our response. Thank you for your continued support which has helped us make a difference.

Ms Kuki Rokhum
Director - Training and RM
EFICOR