Preventing Underprivileged from COVID-19

The problem:

• 1. Lack of Information and resources in the underprivileged communities to prevent the infection and negative impact of COVID-19.
• 2. The Proposed Solution: ADND, is proposing to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, through: a) Community capacity building on how to prevent COVID-19; b) Community Sensitization and Mobilization on the prevention of the pandemic and other commonly transmitted diseases; c) Facilitate the creation of Community Committees for Combating COVID-19; and d) Creating opportunities of referring COVID-19 cases to the hospital.
• 3. If the proposed solutions get approved, there will be: a) Poor and Needy Communities will be well informed and aware of the preventative measures of CORONA VIRUS; b) Fewer people will die from COVID-19; d) Hospital and other health services will have less cases of COVID to attend e) Hospitals will have time to attend other cases such as Malaria, HIV/ADIS, Tb, and Accidents.

The Specific Problem to be solved:

• Prevention of COVID-19: The major challenges are associated to the poverty, lack of information on how prevent COVID -19 and transmitted diseases, such are HIV, malaria cholera, Tb, etc; lack of basic health services within communities; 95% of families are poor with no resources, basic social infrastructure services; no sensitization interventions about preventions. As matter of fact, the majority of people seek health services in the neighbouring country Malawi about 80 km. This situation, affects at least 15 communities, but for this proposal we prefer to work with 10 communities. Lack of basic health services, associated to acute poverty affects mainly women, children and elders; and Angónia is one of the poorest district in Tete province in Mozambique.

In order to solve or minimize this problem, ADND proposes the following solutions:

a)     Sensitization and mobilization activities within 10 communities on prevention of COVID-19;

b)     Teach communities on how to produce domestic facial masks, and use of natural disinfection with no costs (ashes);

c) Basic training of key community member such as community volunteers and activists, community leaders and other influential people to carry on the sensitization activities through home visits (door-to-door visits respecting social distancing); 

d)Transmission of Radio Program on COVID-19 prevention and basic cares.

If this proposal is approved, ADND team is confident that the solutions will benefit poor and needy people of remote communities with no resources and basic health services; the solutions will aid to alleviate the communities from suffering and it will save lives;

• Noting that Mozambique is one of poorest country in African continent, it is not prepared to cope with COVID -19. Looking into this context, ADND Team, believes that solutions will alleviate hospitals pressure; resources and patient management. This is due to demand of the increasing numbers of infected people coming from remote communities; it will reduce the number of cases and people dying from the pandemic. Health workers will have time to attend and assist other cases not related to COVID-19;

The solution will save children, women, elders and other vulnerable people. 

Most developed countries are struggling to cope with the pandemic; it is hard to image how poor African countries like Mozambique will survive from it. Most communities in Angonia are challenged with, poverty, the existence of poor and needy people is a fact. Basic services and sensitization actions are lacking, and these factors put underprivileged special children, women and elders in a very critical situation. 

ADND team believes that ‘’Preventive Actions’’ are the best solution than curing for this will avoid the suffering, death of children, women and elders who have no resource to seek health services and assistance.

ADND team, believes that our business model or community approach is an

new intervention for actually no organization is conducting interventions that
aims to engage people and their leaders in the underprivileged communities,
where the majority of population has no access to basic health services,
communications, sensitization interventions; nor basic assistance. This
proposal will open window for communities to become aware of the risk and
dangers of COVID-19 as well as other transmitted diseases.
The approach being proposed, is unique because it engage the community
members in the preventive actions towards COVID-19; it teaches communities
on how to cope with the pandemic, how to produce local solutions such as
facial mask production, use of natural herbs and substances as hand sanitizer.

For this proposal, ADND team, actually is not intending to bring new

technology which will help to prevent the infection from COVID-19.
We are proposing an community approach which will bring changes in
awareness and good practices in preventing diseases. ADND believe that for
the underprivileged communities, prevention is the best solution.

The approach being proposed will bring about community sensitization, mobilization behavior change and good practices.

For this approach, communities will learn to produce facial masks, use traditional hand sanitizer, and avoid social distancing.
ADND team believe that the proposed community approach will help to save 80% of lives of underprivileged people: children, women, and elders, vulnerable, people with deficiency and with chronic disease. It will save resources, and efforts of the health unities (which are not available) in the ground.
There will be the use of megaphone to disseminate relevant message along underprivileged communities.
Radio broadcasting programs about the prevention of COVID-19, is an
efficient technology that aims to cover extensive community areas.
The use of natural herbs and medicinal plants will be promoted as measures to prevent the infection from the pandemic

The impact of this project will be achieved through:

Community meetings with influent people such are local leaders, religious leaders, teachers to introduce and discuss the emergency of the COVID-19;
· Community training on the prevention of COVID-19;
· Creation and training of COVID-19 Community Committees to help
manage the cases of infections on referencing to Health Unities;
· Door to door Community mobilization and sensitization, this activities will be carried out by ADND volunteers and activists through the use of megaphones;
· Promotion of use of facial masks and traditional herbs and local
products;
· Transmission of radio program on COVID-19 preventions;
· Community engagement and monitoring of the possible cases of COVID

Currently ADND is serving 300 orphans and vulnerable children;
In one year will serve 2000 people.
If this proposal gets approved, in five years from now, ADND is aiming to directly serve more than 10000 people, which will include children, women, pregnant women, vulnerable people, people with disability and elders.

For the next year ADND aims to directly assist more than 2500 beneficiaries (orphan and vulnerable children, women, people with disability, adolescent, girls, elders in underprivileged conditions).

Prevent the COVID-19 infection and other complications from the pandemic; in the underprivileged communities;

Reduce the infections from other preventive diseases in underprivileged communities. 

The major barriers that ADND experiences to accomplish the goals are linked

to:
Lack of funds to carry out critical problems that affect underprivileged
people;
Cultural barriers are facts that ADND teams cope with no problem,
because 80% of our members are local.

To overcome these barriers, ADND is seeking funding from international donors.

ADND has an excellent team, and local resources.
We have a good network with other organization as well as along the
communities and government institution.
ADND is an OCB association, registered and operating in Mozambique.
Actually we are implementing a Child Protection project with direct
assistance to orphan and vulnerable children in Manica province, Sussundenga district. The project is being financed by PEPFAR.

ADND Team is composed by:

1. FULL-TIME STAFF (with contract)

 Five (5) members which include: 

One  (1) Executive Director;

One (1) Project Director  - M&E role;

One (1) Community Mobilization and Sensitization Officer and Trainer;

One (1) Health Officer

One (1) Accountant Officer.

2. VOLUNTEERS AND ACTIVISTS (With no contract)

30 volunteers in two (2) provinces Manica and Tete

ADND team has a vast experience in the area of Education, Health, Economics and Management.

The ADND Executive Director has more than 15 years  experience in the area of Project Management, HR management, Education;

The Project Direct and (M&E) has more 5 years in the area M&E; more than 8 years in community interventions, 5 years experience implementing Health programs, HIV/AIDS, Child Protection; and emergency programs;

The Community Mobilization and Sensitization has more than 7 years experience in education, 3 years in Community interventions, 2 years in child protection; 5 years as University Teacher (lecturing Maths and Statistics); 5 in program am management

The Health Officer has 5 years experience in the implementation of health interventions (TB, Malaria and HIV/ADIS;

The Accountant Officer has more than 5 years in finance management and accountant.

ADND volunteers and activists are highly committed to assisting community interventions in their communities  

Currently ADND is implementing one (1) year project financed by PEPFAR, (American Embassy in Maputo) it is the phase II. In the past we have worked in partnership with Government in the prevention of HIV; 

ADND is working with local government; and Local Radio (Radio Comunitaria) 

The collaboration is very good so far.  

ADND approach, provides capacity building towards sustainable behavior change where underprivileged community will have opportunity to learn how to prevent from COVID-19 and other diseases. Community leaders and other important members will be engaged; women will be strongly engaged in the processes as well as in constitution of Community Committees.

ADND is willing to provide education, and the know how of producing local solutions towards the prevention of diseases including COVID-19, through training, mobilization and sensitization intervention.

The proposed beneficiaries need this assistance because this group of peoples are underprivileged and poor.

Most of these community have no opportunity of education, basic services, and are extremely vulnerable to be infected by pandemic and other diseases.     

ADND gets financial through donations and grants from international partners.

ADND is applying for four important reasons:

1. The need to help underprivileged communities preventing against COVID-19;

2. ADND lack funds to implement community interventions.

3. Underprivileged community lack assistance to overcome crosscut challenges.

4. ADND believes that applying to SOLVE is a good change to get findings that will help to assist underprivileged women, children and elders in rural and poor communities of Angonia district, Tete province - Mozambique  

ADND is deeply sensitize on the underprivileged people problems, especially problems affecting women and children;

For the present proposal, our partnership goals are:

1. Establish and sustain a good relationship in order to provide the expected assistance to the underprivileged people for the to prevent the infection of COVI-19.

2.  Under partnership, seek to benefit as much as possible large number of need people and vulnerable to be infected from COVID-19 and other important diseases.

3. Share ALL type of information relevant for the partnership ralation.

No list in mind

ADND will use the Elevate Prize to expanding the network of assistance to other underprivileged community. 

Money from this prize will be used to directly benefit women, children, people with physical deficiency  living in poor rural communities; providing with shelter, food, small income generation funds program and school material for orphan and vulnerable children.