Africa Regional Update

Africa has suffered effects of the ongoing global pandemic. Thankfully, the numbers of infected persons have remained relatively low compared to global figures. To institute preventive measures, governments across the region have enforced varied measures of restricting movement of persons ranging from travel bans, towns and communities lockdowns to closed markets. This in effect has disrupted a very delicate formal-informal market system, with informal sector providing up to 80% of jobs.

Governments limited to non-existent safety measures presents a significant number of the population with a tough choice of complying with directives to stay home and starve or go out for daily wage and risk infection. And with closed markets, that choice has already been made for most businesses in our network.

In response, the PW Africa region team has been holding weekly staff calls to check on each other and get updates on how our partners are doing. We use these calls to also share promising practices of adapting to the new normal of working from home.

The regular calls by staff to our partners-LCIs and BAs- is providing useful touchpoints to monitor effects of the virus, while also giving us feedback on appropriate ways PW can formulate targeted responses to help with recovery measures when the dust settles.

Our prayers are for protection and preservation of the lives of our staff, partners and their businesses through this pandemic. We also pray for wisdom as staff discern new ways of supporting businesses recover from the pandemic. And finally that this "season" would pass quickly, but in the midst of it God opens our eyes to see emerging opportunities to adapt our service delivery for the advancement of His Kingdom.