Help Us Fight The COVID-19 Pandemic

Make a difference in the world of COVID-19

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way the majority of us live our lives. The pandemic has impinged upon our freedom to travel, socialize with friends and relatives alike, in addition to ripping away loved ones from our world. With over 203,000 global fatalities directly from the virus, the total number of deaths on the planet has risen to the highest level in twenty years. Many of the individuals that have passed away will be joined by countless more, as the number of infections – currently numbering 2,900,000 – continue to grow at a frantic pace.

One third of the global population are currently locked down as a direct consequence of policies enacted to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, hence it is inevitable that there will be a severe economic impact led by a shock to both demand and supply. In the United States alone, a decade worth of job creation has dissipated in four weeks, with the number of people claiming unemployment benefits per week rising by seven times the previous record.

The initial optimism of a swift recovery has gradually been replaced by concern that society has changed forever. One notable consideration is whether the evolved psychology of the consumer may accelerate the advance and decline of some industries, hence amplifying the challenge faced by many to reclaim their jobs, as well as their livelihoods.

Statistics have the power to desensitize, portraying an opaque picture of the impact by ‘basketing’ large collections of people together, thus creating distance between ourselves and the individual stories. The stark reality is that the less financially privileged are being disproportionality impacted, whether be it through the fact that the majority of the jobs lost are in the lowest paid sectors, or that the high cost of healthcare in many countries is financially out of reach. Remittance, the largest source of capital inflows to low, middle income countries accounting for an average of 8.9% of GDP, is projected to decline -20% this year as a consequence. That is -$100bn income lost to those who need it the most.

For every second we dedicate to tackling the virus, for each unit of currency spent, is time and money that is divested away from other vitally important causes. Over 22,000 children will still die each day due to poverty, with an additional 2,000,000 passing away each year because of preventable diseases, according to UNICEF. The economic consequence aforementioned is set to erase five years of progress tackling these depressing realities, and for the first time in twenty-two years, the world will see an increase in extreme poverty levels to the tune of 60,000,000 people. An additional 180,000,000 people could be reduced to living on less than $167 per month, taking the total close to half of the global population, according to the World Bank. Cameroon, where 30% of society lives beneath the poverty line and 31.7% of children below the age of five suffer from extreme malnutrition, is just one of many countries facing the evisceration of decades of progress in the healthcare and education space. Without the necessary financial attention from the global community, malnutrition will not be erased by 2030 nor will the country successfully achieve its ambition of achieving upper middle-income status by 2035. Without the necessary political attention from the global community, a deadly civil war that has claimed 3,000 lives and displaced over 500,000 people, will continue to ravage on.

There are, however, reasons to be optimistic. As the world emerges from this dark chapter, it should seek to collaborate on many key challenges with equal focus. On the topic of environmental sustainability for example, a collapse of travel activity, accounting for an average of 23% of the global carbon emitted each year, coupled with industrial output, is set to reduce global carbon emissions by -5% in 2020. China reported a -25% fall in emissions in the first quarter, resulting in 337 cities reporting an +11.4% increase in days with ‘good air quality’. Humanity has a choice, do we attempt to sustain this progress by dedicating more resources towards enhancing the utilization of green energy, or do we return to the reality that all but one of the twelve hottest years on record have occurred since 2000? Each of us have a role to play, with the power to influence through the choices that we make in the

months ahead. Domestic violence cases, skewed towards women, have increased to the highest level in eight years across the developed world amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s broaden the discussion to consider people who cannot be captured by these statistics too, such as the hundreds of millions of people living in rural communities in the developing world. By supporting such initiatives, millions of women around the globe who currently have no access to support networks can be given a voice as well.

Please reach out to us directly to learn more about what the Association for Community Awareness (ASCOA) is doing on a day to day basis to address each one of these vitally important issues. If you wish to get involved, whether it be to donate or share ideas, please do not hesitate to send us an email at info@ascoa-cm.org or call +237 650 411 3