Care more, not less, about countries like Zambia
Meanwhile, in lockdown. How does it make you feel? Sad. Numb. Tired, perhaps? The coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on all of us, physically and mentally. And, for the most vulnerable populations, the layers of crises are many.
“Basically, we just need the support of everyone to help us survive,” says Kebby Shampongo in Chililabombwe, Zambia.
Human nature in a crisis may be to close up, close the borders, tend to ourselves and our closest ones, huddling up in our work-from-home spaces, as we long for the life we used to have.
Covid-19 has indeed made it necessary to restrict travel and to close borders, even putting lockdown restrictions on cities and countries to bring the virus under control.
So people around the world are now more separated than ever. But, we are not equal.
And in the middle of this, most media do not bother with publishing stories about the mounting humanitarian crises.
CARE’s annual report highlights the ten most under-reported humanitarian crises of 2020. Six out of the ten crises are located on the African continent.
But in mainstream news reporting, it is the global pandemic that makes the headlines.
Along with other important stories — such as:
· The release of PlayStation 5 (334 k articles)
· The Eurovision Song Contest (50.3 k media hits)
· Kanye West’s bid for US presidency (39.9 k articles)
Volunteering activities and solidarity
Kebby Shampongo (41) lives in Chililabombwe, in the Copperbelt Province in Zambia, east-central Africa, as one of about 90.000 inhabitants.
He works with administration of volunteer activities at the Malalo Sports Foundation. Recovering from a malaria infection that kept him in bed for several days, he describes the situation of the people in his hometown, via WhatsApp voice messaging.
He says he gets this, that people everywhere in the world face hardship due to the pandemic.
“We know that these times are very, very hard for all of us. Globally, people are struggling.”
Closed borders, unemployment and rising prices on goods deepens the crisis, as people do not have money for food, medicines or equipment.
“Many here have a small shop. Now, people’s small businesses are closed. They can no longer earn a living. Many get by with the little they have. But, for those in low-income households, it is critical. They are facing very difficult times,” Shampongo says.
The local unemployment rate is now 80 %.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is one of the international organizations that has identified the urgent situation in Zambia.
The NGO Shampongo works for was founded in 2003, to use sport as a tool for social change. He is married and has three children. His wife is also a social worker for community development. He is a certified accountant and a football coach for children aged 8–17, which he has been for many years.
“The organization has helped a lot of kids. They are part of a group and stay away from vices like drugs and alcohol abuse, and take part in shaping their own future. They must believe in themselves.”
And it is not only about sports. They also provide scholarships for those in need, and encourage youth to take secondary education and especially support girls to stay in school. Another pressing issue is to fight HIV/AIDS, which is prevalent among the population.
“Volunteering is something we believe in. Both local and international volunteering. That way the young learn about teamwork and developing themselves, reaching their potential,” Shampongo says.
Among their partners are the Youth Press and Development Organization (YPDO), UN Volunteers, Coaches Across Continents, Ball To All — and many more. Helpers have created GoFundMe sites like this one, to make it easy for people to donate a contribution.
“Even a little help from people and communities will go a long way for us, in alleviating the challenges people are going through,” he says.
The wait for vaccines
At the end 2020, we saw the approval of several Covid-19 vaccines and this offered hope for people globally.
Many countries, mostly in the wealthy north, rushed to secure and pay for their share of vaccines. On the other hand, developing nations, where most of the world’s population lives, are at the end of a long queue, according to the UN and WHO, and they also say that the pandemic “will not end for anyone, until it ends for everyone.”
“Currently we haven’t got any Covid vaccine in our region. I assume vaccines will be very costly, but we are hoping for the best. The infection rates have been rising, however we do not have the exact numbers as our testing facilities have not been that robust,” Shampongo says.
So far, none of the main, Western vaccines have been administered in Africa, two months after the first doses were distributed in Europe, BBC reports.
“It’s going to get better soon, it has to. Zambia needs both financial support and skills in order to recover economically from the challenges we are going through. I hold a positive attitude about our future.”
If you want to give a donation to Malalo Sports Foundation / YPDO, you can do it here.
(Photos: Courtesy of Malalo Sports Foundation)