COVID-19 IN ECUADOR

COVID-19's economic fallout is disproportionately impacting the world's most vulnerable people. Here in coastal Ecuador, strict quarantine policies and economic hardship have hit low income communities, seniors and the chronically ill particularly hard.

In response to this acute health and economic crisis, on March 18th Walking Palms launched its More Than Food Emergency Relief Program, delivering food and healthcare supply packages to Bahía de Caráquez’s most at-risk groups. 225 families are part of the program, some of which live in rural areas who continue to have only intermittent access to potable water.

Consistent with our holistic approach to health and wellness, deliveries include three components:

• Emergency Food and Health Supplies

• COVID-19 personal care and conduct information

• Family mental health guides

As we work tireless in our immediate relief efforts, we also look optimistically ahead to the future when our energy can be dedicated to recovery. More Than Food is part of our Wellness NET initiative, the logistical framework through which we deliver our essential programs and services. Rooted in Nutrition, Education and Tele-medicine, this health and wellness supply chain operates in a region with limited accessibility, in both real and virtual terms. To find out more about this new program or join the effort, contact our Executive Director Avriel Diaz directly.

A near complete lockdown in Ecuador helped slow the spread of COVID-19, but the economic consequences have been devastating for the country’s most at-risk communities. The Wall Street Journal highlighted the challenges facing workers in Latin America’s vast informal economy, and the health crisis in Guayaquil made headlines all over the world.

As the world progresses through the reopening phase of the pandemic, remote regions of developing countries like Coastal Ecuador are proving to be the slowest to recover. Here in Bahía de Caráquez, the economy is fragile and relies heavily on international trade, which remains severely depressed.

According to the director of the World Food Program, there is “a real danger that more people could potentially die from the economic impact of COVID-19 than from the virus itself.”

Here in Bahía, countless families have lost income sources and struggle to buy food.

Thanks to an incredible response from our donor base, we have been able to grow this program to 225 families in communities throughout the region. Families will receive regular deliveries as economic opportunities gradually return to the region. Deliveries include:

Dairy: Milk, butter, cheese
Fruits/Veggies: Peppers, cucumbers, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, lemons, papaya, oranges
Protein: Lentils, dry beans, eggs, canned tuna
Grains: Brown rice, oatmeal, flour
Misc: Cooking oil, vinegar, peanut butter, toasted peanuts, coffee
Household: hand soap, dish soap, sponges, feminine products, protective masks
Health and Safety: Self-care guidelines, mental health guide, at-home kids activity packages, medicine

In addition to badly needed health and wellness supplies, this program is creating jobs and injecting money into the local economy. Our capacity to deliver these essential items to families in need is only limited by our access to funds, so please contribute today!

Thanks to invaluable support from our local collaborative partners at the Ministry of Health and Senior Center, ‘More Than Food’ is supporting families in the communities of San Roque, Junco and Bellavista. San Roque is one of Bahía’s lowest income neighborhoods, where seniors represent over 30% of the population. Current quarantine restrictions prevent seniors from leaving the house, and many do not have family close by to deliver food and supplies.

Junco is a rural community 20 minutes from Bahía with no access to Internet, few employment opportunities and currently has no access to potable water. More Than Food is providing relief packages to the entire community, the vast majority of which are families with children.

Contributions go directly to this program, and families will be added as funds allow. Any excess funds raised will be used to add additional families, expand delivery offerings or expand the duration of the project.

Words of thanks from the families of Bahía:

Stress, anxiety, fear. Confinement in close quarters is compounding the nerve-wracking reality of living through a pandemic. Early data and anecdotes indicate that the mental health impact of COVID-19 will be astronomical: Instances of domestic violence have already leapt, and the longer-term ramifications are only beginning to be understood.

Here in coastal Ecuador where the economic shutdown has devastated already vulnerable groups, mental health challenges will be with us for months, if not years to come. Working with our partners at Peace in Mind, a Canadian mental health non-profit, we created a COVID-19-specific mental health guide for our local residents. These guides are being distributed with our “More Than Food” deliveries, and cover topics including: coping skills, supporting neighbors and other community members, emergency hotline resources and identifying fake or unreliable news stories.

Seniors and low income families often lack Internet connections and access to up to date information on the virus and its spread. Safety precautions, medical treatments and quarantine policies arrive by word of mouth and rumor, which can be riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation. Science-based, medically endorsed recommendations on personal hygiene, social distancing and health care are rarely available for these groups.

Collaborating with the the Ecuadorian Ministries of Education and Health, Iowa State University and the University of Wisconsin, we used current World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control best practices to create a Spanish-language COVID-19 Prevention and Care Guide. Not only does the guide contain critical information about the virus itself and how to reduce transmission, but also counters much of the misinformation currently being disseminated in the area.

Download a copy of the guide HERE.

In addition to our work to stem the impacts of COVID-19, our existing mosquito-borne illness programs are in high demand. An ongoing dengue outbreak is complicating public health risks in our region, as government resources focus on the pandemic.

In conjunction with our partners at the Ecuadorian Ministry and Health and local educational institutions, we are preparing and delivering disease prevention and science education materials as part of our ‘More Than Food’ program. Families are not only receiving invaluable information about minimizing exposure risk to dengue, but child-friendly activities and games are providing mental health support amidst mandatory quarantines.

Games, drawing and a comic book sharing program are connecting communities even as they must stay at home. We are empowering children to be the agents of change, re-enforcing the message that education allows us to take control of our own health and safety.