Cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in Kenya. The Kenyan authorities have introduced a number of measures to limit the spread of the virus. These measures have included severe movement restrictions, a nationwide nightime curfew and the closure of all schools since mid-March.

Although the number of cases of Covid-19 seems small at present, what is affecting the people most is the level of poverty in the country - especially many in the rural areas, who are living below the poverty level and, even in normal conditions, struggle to feed their families. The effect of the Coronavirus and recent floods has simply made their situation much worse. Most of the public places - street markets etc - where these people depend on work for their daily bread, have been closed down and life has become much more difficult. 

Thanks to Rehema Trust donors and mission funds from Ashtead Parish Church, YAWOSUP has been able to provide emergency relief food to many families in the local community during the month of April - see Gallery Tab for photos of the food distribution at Barbara Academy plus YAWOSUP tab (Downloads) for Edward Wata's excellent Covid-19 Mitigation Programme report.

Together with other schools nationally, Barbara Academy reopened fully in January with 87 pupils registered. Thanks to Rehema Trust donors faithfully maintaining their support, extra measures were put in place at Barbara Academy to create a Covid-19 secure environment, including:-

This has become even more essential as the number of Covid-19 cases has risen sharply in the local area during recent weeks with vaccines still in very short supply throughout Kenya. Sadly, deaths have occurred, including at least one parent of a pupil at Barbara Academy.

Thankfully, matching our own experience here in the UK, life has been much less affected by Covid-19 in recent months.

However, global issues continue to have a significant impact – specifically the war in Ukraine and the resulting increased costs of farm inputs (fertiliser) and basic food items (maize). In addition, Climate Change results in unpredictable rainfall, putting at risk their capacity to provide food for their families until the next harvest.