Summary Report on COVID-19 General Grants support in Togo, Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana and Uganda. November 2020
09 November 2020
The following summary reports share some of the work that partners of the Methodist Church in Britain have undertaken to support communities through the COVID-19 pandemic. This work has been supported with General Grants for COVID-19 from the World Mission Fund.
These grants were given alongside the continuing Emergency Coronavirus Appeal from All We Can and the Methodist Church in Britain.
Togo- Eglise Methodiste Du Togo (EMT) £10,000 – Food kits, sanitation and ministry support
The work of the Eglise Methodist Du Togo consisted of a project in three parts.
- Distribution of food kits - The Church selected one hundred (100) households in the missionary districts of Tsévié and from Atakpamé, Yoto and Bas-Mono who have been terribly affected by COVID-19. They received food kits made up of necessities. The District Superintendents took care of the distribution. This system avoided any unnecessary travel.
- Purchase and provision of sanitary kits: The products purchased were sanitizer gel, facemasks and soap. Facemasks were distributed to Pastors in charge of parishes, while sanitizer gels and soaps were distributed to parishes and places of worship. The President of the Church, the Revd Martine ZINSOU-LAWSON is pictured handing over the material to one of the managers.
- Ministry Support: Some funds were used to pay part of the salary of conference staff who have not received income for several months
“The EMT wants to express the gratitude of the whole Church to our donors. Aware that the crisis has also affected them like us, and yet they did their best to help us, we pray that the Lord continue to protect them and renew his rich favours for them.”
Link to the full report in the original French and google translated English document
Link to Togo Partnership page
Cameroon – The Presbyterian Church of Cameroon (£20,000) Food and Hygiene Support
In April 2020, 7,773 persons from 1,365 households were forced to flee from their villages as a result of violence. Shelter, non-food items, protection and food insecurity continued to be the most urgent needs for the displaced populations affected by COVID-19.
The project helped with the food needs of displaced persons and their host families through the provision of food items. Packages of rice, salt, tomatoes, oil and baby food were distributed to approximately 1000 households.
Buckets and sanitary items were distributed to approximately 300 households and 1000 women, with facemasks and soaps distributed to 1000 households.
Psychosocial support was offered to all persons especially those in the congregations and communities surrounding them. PCC Pastors are a part of the distribution team to offer counselling and psychosocial services. They offer counselling sessions during and after distribution as cases identified are referred to PCC offices and Counselling Centre. Time was also used to give educative talks on COVID-19 prevention.
“We continue thanking God for the strength He gives His children to survive difficult times like these and for our partner MCB for standing by us through difficult and trying times. The support which we received in May 2020 added value to the lives of the IDPs and Refugees we touched. Through this, we were able to contribute towards improving the wellbeing of 1,200 displaced persons/Refugees for a period of time and also contributed in the reduction of the incidence of the COVID-19 among displaced persons and refugees of the Anglophone Crises. This may not be a considerable mile stone given that the crises is still ongoing, at least we were able to put a smile on the faces of many people and this is what the heart records. We say a big thank you to MCB, the heart never forgets.” Rev. Samuel Fonki, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Cameroon.
Link to recent news report on crisis in Cameroon
Link to Cameroon Partner page.
Tanzania- Methodist Church Tanzania (MCT) (£13,315) Food, hygiene and PPE support
MCT were able to reach out to approximately 400 families with an average of about 5 people hence a total of about 2000 beneficiaries faced by difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic attack.
Distribution was made with the help of the purchase of a motorbike for less accessible areas. Items dispersed were 400 sacks of 10kg maize flour and 33 boxes of sanitizers and 400 containers. The church was able to make good use of its networks for distribution in harmony with local government strategy.
The Methodist Church Tanzania Bishop Leopold Ndaki led the church at Tarime circuit to give thanks and to pray for the MCB:
“Tanzania Synod with an open heart continues to pray for the mission Board Office [the work of the Methodist Church in Britain] for the great concern that they have shown in assisting the Tanzanian church to meet this need during this epidemic disaster. You have comforted the hearts of the people here who would have been quite helpless without loving and compassionate brethren around them at such a time of this dreaded Corona Virus disease that has taken the lives of some of our dear members. The MCT is forever grateful and we assure you that we will not forget to keep you always lifted in our prayers. May the God of love, our most gracious Lord bless you richly now and forever more.” BISHOP LEOPOLD ERENEST NDAKI , TANZANIA SYNOD BISHOP
Link to Tanzania Partnership Page
Ghana – Methodist Church Ghana COVID-19 Healthcare worker support (£20,000)
In May 2020, the Methodist Church Ghana (MCG) received a grant of £20,000 (equivalent to GHS139,000) from Methodist Church Britain (MC) to undertake Project 2913: MC Ghana Covid-19 Assistance. This assistance was in response to a request by the MCG for support to protect healthcare workers (HCWs) during the Covid-19 Pandemic. This report provides information on how the grant was utilized for the purchase and distribution of PPEs to the various Methodist Healthcare Facilities.
The Methodist Health Directorate in consultation with the hospital and some clinic managers selected items which were critically needed to protect healthcare workers. Six items were selected: faceshields, N-95 masks, surgical masks, disposable aprons, latex gloves, gun thermometers, and cloth face masks.
The two main hospitals were given priority in the sharing of the faceshields, N-95 masks, surgical masks and cloth face masks. This was because they had been designated Treatment Centres nationally, and the staff stands at greater risk due to the number of patients seen daily.
The grant came in at the right time. It coincided with other items being supplied by the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG). This ensured that basic essential healthcare services continued to be provided in the midst of the pandemic. Available data shows that there was no significant change in outpatient attendance pre-pandemic and during pandemic. Some of the hospital staff were exposed to Covid-19 and over 100 cases were reported.
The MCG acknowledges and expresses gratitude to MC for this grant. The items procured and distributed provided protection to MCG HCWs during the pandemic, who were the first responders and heroes in saving lives. Without the grant many people, especially women and children in rural communities may had been lost.
Link to Ghana partnership page
Uganda - Methodist Church Uganda MCU (£10,000) to support food and hygiene items.
With the financial support provided by Methodist Church in Britain, Methodist Church in Uganda was able to provide emergency food supplies to a section of the target population and provide personal hygiene items like laundry soap. MCU reached out to a total of 752 direct beneficiaries/families with a family having an average of six (6) people hence a total of 4,512 people benefited from the relief support. Each beneficiary received 10kgs of maize flour (posho), 5kgs of dry beans and one bar of laundry soap.
The distribution of relief items (maize flour, beans and laundry soap) was done in Seven (7) circuits of Jinja, Iganga, Butangala, Buyende, Irundu, Kaliro and Kamuli with a total of 32 churches.
"MCU would like to appreciate the Methodist Church in Britain for the continued financial support that made this intervention possible despite the difficult times of COVID-19 crisis globally. The relief items reached the most vulnerable people deep in the villages in the various circuits. We pray to the Almighty God to heal the world of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and may God bless you abundantly."