This is a very difficult year for the families of Dagoretti. Before Kenya reported the first cases, in mid-March, the country was already facing an invasion of locusts and the pandemic did nothing but worsen the social and economic situation. In recent weeks, coronavirus cases have increased and Kenya now has the highest numbers in East Africa, with Nairobi remaining the most affected area.
In Kenya, COVID-19 is much more than a health crisis. The pandemic has created devastating social, economic and political crises, which could leave deep scars on many people and especially in already vulnerable groups. Many businesses have closed and many people are now out of work and out of income. In Dagoretti, many poor people live day-by-day, looking for occasional and even potentially risky jobs just to earn enough to eat. Drinking water is missing, crowding in the slums makes social distancing impossible, schools have closed and children have no access to education.
“We Salesians of Don Bosco in Dagoretti see poor families knocking at our doors looking for help every day,” Sister Purity Ndiwiga, FMA, explains. “With the support we receive from our donors, we've tried to help some of the most vulnerable people. In May 2020, we distributed packages of food, soaps, sanitizers and masks to 300 families. This distribution of parcels was made possible by people of goodwill, to whom we are grateful,” she continued.
Sister Purity then addressed a thought to other countries around the world that are facing the pandemic. “We cannot bear the fact that the European continent, in the lands of our benefactors, is suffering from Coronavirus,” she added. “Children, mothers and their families, are heartbroken when this sad news arrives. They recognize how much all the benefactors have been a support for their education and other basic needs and believe that the greatest support they can offer from this extreme place in Africa is only to turn their gaze to our creator with a trustful, confident heart.”
