The coronavirus has turned our everyday lives upside down and in order to protect ourselves and others, we must follow the recommendations of the federal government. We are worried about our relatives and acquaintances and about the many doctors and nursing staff who are working tirelessly. In the midst of this crisis, however, we must not forget the people in the global South, for they can hardly protect themselves against the virus. Here are 5 reasons why we should donate now.
1. the poorest sections of the population are particularly at risk from coronavirus
The coronavirus particularly endangers people in the poor quarters of developing countries. There, people live close together, often have no regular work and have to go out to earn money for food as day labourers or at the market. They also do not have running water and are already at risk because of pre-existing conditions such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. There is also a lot of false information circulating, which can be life-threatening.
You must be familiar with Water, soap and correct information material to provide minimal protection against the virus. That is why we should donate now!
2. solidarity must not stop at the border
In Switzerland, many people show solidarity with the risk groups who can no longer shop or go to the post office themselves. We help family, friends, neighbours, but also strangers and strangers. This solidarity must not stop at the border. Healthcare systems and financial security are much worse in most countries than here in Switzerland. That is why we need our help!
3. the virus could come back
We still know too little about the virus, its long-term consequences and immunity. There is no vaccine yet and there is no guarantee that infected people will remain immune. It is therefore better that we try to fight the virus as effectively as possible or even eradicate it. The world must work together to achieve this. Everyone should be able to protect themselves and be vaccinated when the appropriate vaccination is found. Only in this way can we prevent the virus from spreading and returning.
4. African and Latin American countries are dependent on international aid
The corona pandemic poses major problems for the health care systems of the industrialised nations. Doctors have to choose which patients are connected to a ventilator and which are not because there are too few devices. The problem becomes even more serious in developing countries with poorer health systems. There are too few hospitals, intensive care beds and too few staff. It is therefore necessary to keep the outbreak in these countries as small as possible, if not to prevent it. Organisations like terre des hommes schweiz makes an important contribution to this.
Unfortunately, the official figures with which many countries in the global South appear in the statistics are not reliable. Many countries like Zimbabwe or Mozambique can hardly test their people for the virus and many do not have access to health care where Covid-19 cases would be registered. We therefore report here from our project regions with first-hand information.
5. the fight against poverty could be set back by decades
The head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mukhisa Kituy, calls for international aid, because the pandemic is hitting the economies of developing countries hard: capital has been withdrawn from these countries, profits from export products have fallen and tourism has collapsed. There is the threat of "deep, deep scars", as Kituy puts it. The coronavirus threatens to undo the progress made in the fight against poverty in recent decades.
This list is not complete. I'm sure there are many more reasons why we should donate now. Probably won't be aware of the major problems caused by the coronavirus for years to come. That is why we must show solidarity now, that is why we need our help. Here you can donate to the emergency aid of terre des hommes switzerland. We thank you!
