KYP and COVID-19
Dear Friends,
We hope you are all able to keep safe during these challenging times. Here in Kliptown, we have been working very hard to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and to keep our members, their families, and the community safe. From the beginning of the crisis through today, while our normal operations have stopped and we have put aside our carefully laid plans for the year, we have pulled up our socks and designed a new plan for how we can continue to help Kliptown’s youth and their families. A few of the initiatives we have undertaken include:
Providing food parcels for our members’ families and as well for particularly vulnerable families in the Kliptown community. Making our center a distribution point for other food and health initiatives.
Helping to disseminate information about the virus, social distancing, and how to stay safe.
Providing our members with educational materials and curriculum as we are able and organizing WhatsApp and SMS groups to support our parents as they took on the role of teacher so members can continue to learn during the lockdown.
Partially reopening the center for tutoring as restrictions ease, and beginning socially-distanced sessions with selected grades.
Facilitating the distribution of Wonderbags, which help families cook food safely with much less fuel, as well as face masks provided by Wonderbag.
Regular and frequent virtual meetings of staff and our board to ensure that we are taking the right actions in response to the changing realities.
The crisis in South Africa is far from over. Some parts of the country have been severely affected to date, while others much less so. While we have hope that the incidence of new cases will level off or decrease, we know that as society reopens, new waves of illness may result.
To stay up to date with developments at KYP as they unfold during the next weeks and months, we suggest following us on our various social media.
If you would like more information on coronavirus in South Africa, the government’s response to it, and other resources related to COVID-19, please see the South African Coronavirus Resource Portal.
We welcome your thoughts, ideas, concerns, assistance, and inspiration. Please contact us at info@kliptownyouthprogram.org.za.