African Rainbow Family’s Organisational First Response: Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)
Ongoing arrangements for the office, meetings and support for members:
As a small Charity we are aware of the need to act to support and protect our members, coordinators, volunteers and staff especially those of us who are or can be ‘vulnerable’ for whatever reason. We hope the following statement clearly explains our response to the current COVID-19 situation and the channels through which we hope to maintain contact with and offer support to all of our members and stakeholders.
All group meetings are suspended for the present, though we are exploring ways to keep contact with each other. The office in the Monastery will be accessed on a daily basis by Jacqui to pick up mail and send emails. Jacqui will still receive emails and phone calls remotely and respond as usual. If an appointment or a conversation is needed please contact her on the mobile number 07711285567. You can do so by giving her a missed call and she’ll call you back or sending a text message on messenger, sms or WhatsApp.
Current suggestions for social support include:
- Having an online meeting. We know this would not work for everyone but may be useful for some members.
- Setting up a buddy scheme with people regularly speaking with each other via phone and other forms of technology. Although we are aware that many members already have social support, we realise that this is not true for all members.
We have had offers of practical support in the form of:
1. Food and essential shopping to be dropped off at the person’s door at a prearranged time, for members who need to quarantine or maintain isolation to reduce their risk of contracting or and spreading the virus.
2. Lifts to and from unavoidable appointments for people who need them. For instance, if you have an underlying health condition, you may need to reduce your use of public transport but still have to attend medical appointments. Travelling in a car can potentially reduce your risk of contracting the virus.
If any of the following underlying health conditions apply then you are most at risk from the coronavirus:
- Heart problems that have caused you to see a doctor
- Lung or breathing problems such as asthma or chronic bronchitis.
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Cancer
- Any conditions relating to immune system such as Crohn’s disease, Lupus or HIV/AIDS
- Any blood condition such as anaemia.
- Reduced mobility
- Any other serious medical condition not mentioned above.
- Mental distress or mental health conditions
If you have any of the above but not exhaustive list, then please contact Jacqui on: 07711-285567 so she is aware of the support that would be useful to you.
An alternative number will be shared in the near future for anyone needing to access this support on a regular basis.
For more information, follow this link.
Lastly, all suggestions would be warmly welcomed, so please share ideas, thoughts, concerns, good practice that other groups are adopting, so we can update our actions and approach on an ongoing basis.
Do get in touch if there is anything further that we can do to assist at this challenging time.
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AFRICAN RAINBOW FAMILY 