We hope you are your family are doing well during these strange and difficult times.
The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges to us all. We want to assure you that we are taking all possible actions to protect and support children in our foster homes in Lesotho, and support our new initiative – bringing healthcare remote and isolated communities within Lesotho who would otherwise have no access to care.
Two Bracelet of Hope board members recently returned from Lesotho and are in 14-day self-isolation. The purpose of their trip was to assess our foster homes and launch our Mobile Health Clinic.
We are happy to report that the children in our care are doing well. Over the last 2 years we have made a concerted effort to upgrade all of the foster homes to improve living conditions for the children and so appreciate all of our donors who have helped make this possible.
We are also excited about the partnership with SolidarMed and the launch of our first Mobile Health Clinic. The timing could not have been more impactful given the spread of COVID-19 into Southern Africa.
The Mobile Health Clinic’s medical staff seized the opportunity to educate people in remote areas about preventing the spread of COVID-19. Each day the triage nurse spoke of prevention measures to vulnerable people previously out of reach from the benefits of healthcare. The incredible value of this remote medical clinic is undeniable. With your backing, we are now providing basic healthcare in the form of vaccinations, HIV testing and treatment, TB testing, maternal health, and many other forms of basic health, including education about COVID-19. Again, we thank each of you for your continued support. You are making all the difference to children and families in Lesotho. You are saving lives.
COVID-19 has presented challenges for Bracelet of Hope at home in Canada. At the exact time that we were to kick off a major fundraising campaign to support the new mobile clinic, COVID-19 has restricted our abilities to seek out sponsors directly. We need you to stay with us as supporters more than ever right now.
Impact of COVID-19 on the vulnerable in Lesotho
Lesotho’s medical system is not developed with capacity to combat an outbreak of any kind. COVID-19 is only now spreading into Lesotho, but there is already a critical shortage of masks and gloves and disinfectants needed to protect the healthcare workers in our mobile clinic, and social workers and the children in our foster homes.
What we are doing about COVID-19
We have used our contacts to secure a significant quantity of surgical masks. We have arranged for these masks to be shipped via Air Freight to Lesotho. These masks will be distributed to our foster homes, and to our employees providing first-line healthcare in our new mobile clinic. This is a significant unbudgeted cost for BoH.
The volunteer board of BoH has, over the last few months, assumed the workload for all administration. All administration is now done by volunteers, thus ensuring that all of your donations go overseas to support children in need and to provide basic healthcare.
We are suspending fundraising events in Canada such as our Women-to-Women event held each spring in Guelph, as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. Suspension of fundraising via events will put a large financial strain on BoH.
We are also suspending our initiatives to raise funds through corporate sponsorships to support the mobile health clinic. We hope to be able to resume this critical effort later in 2020 when the corporate environment becomes more normalized. We need the help of individual donors more than ever now.
We will be increasing and updating our website content on an ongoing basis so that you can stay informed of the successes BoH is having in Lesotho, and the challenges we are facing during COVID-19 and beyond.
We remain strong in our commitment to protect and support vulnerable children in Lesotho, and to provide remote healthcare to the most vulnerable in Lesotho.
What you can do
You can provide your financial support; if you are capable of increasing support at this time, we ask that you make a donation to Bracelet of Hope. Every donation makes such a difference and allows us to continue this important, life-saving work. The Bracelet of Hope team in Guelph and in Lesotho, Africa send you our best wishes for continued good health and safety. Thank you so much for your continued support.