Aidlink CEO, Anne Cleary
Dublin, 27 April 2020 –
“As a country we now face a health crisis not seen in a generation and what some say will be an economic depression to rival that of the 1930s, but we must not look away from the plight of the most vulnerable.
For the world’s poorest people strict lockdowns, rising food prices and the inability to work will make it near impossible to find food each day.
Hundreds of thousands of children are not in school; and with that, the safety of the classroom and the guarantee of a daily meal is taken away.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres recently reminded us that, ‘we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world.’ We mustn’t forget the countries of Africa.
At Aidlink, our life-saving work to provide girls and their families with clean water, sanitation and education has never been more critical.
And our way of working has never been more impactful. Through our partners on the ground we empower communities to respond to their own needs – we will not see international teams fly in to the rescue. It is time for local groups to exercise their strengths to meet the challenges of the pandemic.
We have tremendous confidence in our long-standing partners and local staff to deliver for the most vulnerable in this time of crisis. Together we are working to supply health centres with basic personal protective equipment and hand washing facilities. Our teams on the ground are mounting massive information campaigns so that every family can be empowered with the best guidance to protect their families. We are installing community hand washing facilities with soap, and distributing food and sanitary towels to girls at risk.
The pandemic is a crisis the world has not seen in a generation. Aidlink too faces challenges the likes of which we’ve never seen: challenges to our income, as fundraising efforts will be severely curtailed.
Our team are putting their heads together and we plan to share plans for online appeals in the coming days and weeks. We hope you can support them, both by donating and sharing among your contacts who might have attended one of our events or ran one of our marathons in a different year.
Aidlink’s work to support the most vulnerable, to empower communities to take command of their own destinies, has never been more critical.
And now more than ever we need your support. Together we can turn the tide. Please consider donating today.“
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