Today, as the Living Gadgets on a Mission we held a community gathering at Ha Mapape. The idea was to talk a little bit about the current pandemic.
Of course, we had to comply with the governing measures such as keeping appropriate distances between participants and the wearing of masks.
Knowing the sort of communities we have in Lesotho, we assumed that community members are not altogether ignorant about the pandemic. As the community discussions began, the facilitators among other issues talked about:
- What is Coronavirus (Covid-19) and some of its symptoms
- Some of the means through which it can be transmitted
- Why using masks, though not providing a 100% protection against the virus, is important
- Why the sharing of masks, which is pervasive in the country, heightens the risks of contracting the virus
- Some of the possible causes of the escalating viral outbreak in Lesotho
It became clear that, community members did have some knowledge regarding the pandemic. They, for instance, knew about the worst that could happen such as death. They also knew of its international impact.
However, many of them seemed to have some doubts about the true state of Lesotho. Many strongly believed that the reports in Lesotho were exaggerated.
This they supported with arguments that, some people who were previously said to have tested positive were in a matter of days, found to have recovered. This has, greatly brought into question the effectiveness of the health services in Lesotho.
Some community members believed that Politicians have their way with the reports. They indicated that those in office influence the reports because of their lust for more money.
This was supported by the fact that, although, the government received sums of money in the form for donations for relieving the nation and nothing has been done.
Community support initiatives have taken a turn. As opposed to openly helping citizens, some were disgusted by the fact that in their communities only a minority have been lucky enough to receive support.
This goes to show that, many community members have lost faith in the leadership in our government and the competence of our health facilities. This, by its very virtue is likely to undermine the measures that are aimed at curbing the spread of the virus in this country.
Equally important, because of the nature of some content on social media, some members strongly believe that the pandemic is a political agenda. Truth is, there is a need for community engagement and/or education on what is truly happening around the issues of Covid-19.
Key things to consider include:
- Covid-19 is real and deadly: whether or not some have made lots of money because of it doesn’t reduce this fact.
- Covid-19 can be mitigated: although no one can really say how the virus can be cured, but with compliance to safety measures including physical distancing and wearing of masks it can be at least contained.
- No one knows when the pandemic will be over.
- Exchanging or sharing of masks is unhealthy.
In conclusion, the state of understanding, especially on issues of covid-19 is not unique for the Ha Mapape community. Many other communities still need some education.
This calls for some investing directed, particularly towards community education. This is because, failure to educate communities will lead to the unchallenged spread of the virus. That will also mean that everybody will be at a high risk of infection.