EDUCATION ABOUT COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN

EDUCATION ABOUT COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN

World Challenge Staff

May 5, 2020

World Challenge partners are working hard to spread accurate information about the coronavirus and offer an eternal hope to those who are confused and frightened right now.

The whole world seems to be going through chaos, and international leaders are making big decisions to try to save humanity.

All over the world, there are people who need medical assistance or food; but their most important need is the hope which can be given only by the one who is risen and through his people who are also resurrected in faith.

We are very much grateful to all our loyal brothers and sisters with whose experience, encouragement and support we were able to learn more about what is happening and what we should do for our community to fight against COVID-19. Thanks to our partners’ advanced warnings and information, our team had already had started preparing awareness material before the first case of the coronavirus was reported in Pakistan.

The Drop in an Ocean of Need

When the lockdown started, many laborers were simply told to go home. No one was tested and very few were informed about how they might spread the coronavirus, which is causing uncertainty and criticism of government authorities now.

Many of them were working in local factories and had no transportation to take them back, so they started traveling by foot in large groups back to the nearest major cities and surrounding districts. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any knowledge of how to avoid the sickness or transmitting it to one another.

Some hospitals are turning away patients who have the coronavirus because they are afraid of the virus spreading to other patients and they don’t have the resources to help everyone who is coming down with COVID. Other hospitals already have so many patients and doctors sick with the virus that they won’t accept anyone who is hurt but isn’t sick for fear of exposing them. All of this has led to a lot of uncertainty and fear for people.

Our team’s first and most urgent job was to go out on the roads every day to talk to these people. We taught them how to wash hands and how they could make hand-sewn masks. The ladies at our sewing center stitched masks by hand, and we distributed these to the crowds of people.

We were able to raise awareness with almost 2000 people. However, another problem has quickly arisen out of this time of crisis. Since many people here are daily laborers, they don’t have the resources to go for long without work.

Due to the ongoing lockdown, thousands upon thousands have lost their jobs, and a shortage of food at homes was the first consequence. Our government is trying to give relief, but only 7,850 food bags were sent to our city because resources are so limited. The population in this area is about one million, so you can see the problem.

Now cases of COVID are spiking because people are going outside in search of work. Our team has felt the need and being praying for God’s help.

Having Wisdom With Compassion

In 2005, a bad earthquake hit parts of Pakistan; we went through the experience of relief work and learned some important lessons. Some people collect a lot of food packages or medical supplies, and the people in true need are neglected because they are not as loud or demanding or simply come too late after everything has been taken.

With this in mind, we made small teams of volunteers and conducted a survey to find the neediest families in our area. Our volunteer teams were able to make a list with the help of community leaders and street shopkeeper’s ledgers so we could have an accurate idea of who had lost their job and what kind of salary they were depending on before.

We are really grateful to a Chinese pastor who gave us the first love gift for this relief work. He said, “Once people of God helped us when we were in need; now it is our duty to help his people in need.”

Please pray for us to continue working in wisdom and also to have more opportunities to share God’s word. Also, pray one of our team members who broke his leg while bringing water to his family. He was not admitted in hospital because they need beds for COVID patients. We were able to take food package and some medicine to him, but he will still be healing without any professional medical help.

Your prayers are deeply appreciated for those of us who work and live here.