Face masks and hand hygiene.
By: Anna K
Tags: Covid Diaries, Hand Washing, Africa, Innovate, Local Business

Not one or the other.

While lockdowns and curfews are extended across the continent, so is the enforcement of face mask requirements for all as a protective measure. Today wearing a face mask is no longer a choice, it’s a requirement by the Kenyan government, with anyone not abiding by the rule liable for a fine not exceeding Sh20,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or both. And it comes without surprise, as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its policy within the last week and is now advising everyone, whether or not they are showing symptoms of COVID-19, to cover their face with a mask or cloth whenever social distancing is difficult to maintain.

Social distancing is particularly impossible to millions of individuals across African countries. Millions who are living in informal settlements, often less than a meter away from each other. Two week ago, I wrote about the challenges millions will be facing and need for local solutions for protective measures. To urgency rises to surpass the curve of the virus when cases numbered over nine thousand; today in total, there are over 21,000 cases, where testing still has not reached the mass scale needed.

As we see the rationale for face masks and the rise of mandatory face masks, there is little that is being said about the undeniable must of hand washing — essential to the potential protection while using face masks. Have we forgotten the handwashing challenge already? Or have we remembered the missing ingredients? Without access to clean water, the protective benefits of a face mask are not so simple.

Clean water and soap are necessary to wash hands before and after touching your face mask

Clean water and soap are also necessary to wash your cloth face mask to be able to reuse it

Local production of reusable face masks

To support access to face masks for those not in cities or without access to surgical mask distribution due to curfews and lockdown constraints, local tailors and clothing designers have stepped up. The production of cotton face masks, which we have seen being done in homes across Europe, is being done at a local level.

Examples:

Tanzania

On 9 April a group of women came together inTanzania to produce masks for the community. They are also supporting local women at food markets by fundraising to produce masks that can be given to these women for free. Check out Women Empowered Tanzania on Instagram with a link to their go fund me campaign.

Malawi

Mayamiko nourishes the livelihood of a number of communities in Malawi through its projects. One of which has been through sustainable fashion and in response to COVID-19 they have done a few things gearing up the tailor expertise:

initially converted the workshop to mask making facility to donate to the community

then asked the teams to work from home and carry on from the safety of their house / porch — making about 500 face masks a week.

created a series of simple and clear flashcards in English and Chichewa with key prevention messages that can be shared through WhatsApp, FB Messenger or any other channel people are already using. All of which can be found on their website here: https://lnkd.in/dPJgAxX

Ethiopia

A sustainable fashion brand designed and produced in Ethiopia, Mafi Mafi, re-purposes its resources as of 1 April to enable producing and distributing face masks. It’s first 1000 masks were given away for free to Addis Ababa city administration, Setawit movement and Minibas taxi drivers around Lideta.

Face masks must be used with proper hand hygiene.

Now take these great solutions of reusable face masks and add access to soap or hand sanitizer — this is where the local flattening of the curve can happen. Enabling local production of these goods can help in preventing the spread of the virus, create an accessible supply chain based on realistic needs as well as add financial security to communities. Everyone’s safety matters so access to basic measures of protection — face masks, sanitizers, hand soap etc, is a must. By using already available materials, communities can make adequate personal protection, and also ensure that essential basic needs to protect their families against a virus are met.

While with Innovate for Africa (I for Africa), we are supporting families and communities to utilise the local knowledge, skills and resources available to stop the spread of the virus, we have seen some exemplary solutions which are worth spreading:

Cameroon Youth

In Cameroon, youth are stepping up to help make sanitizers, bottle them and distribute and ship to local communities in need. The growth of the work has been endorsed and supported by civil society and the Ministry of Youth Affairs.

Niger Entrepreneurship

As part of an ongoing effort of capacity building, UNHCR in Niger has been expanding the learning platform during COVID-19 response and teaching women how to make soap from local ingredients.

Community washing stations

When supplies are short, water access limited, the strength of supporting each other through communal efforts are one of the best ways. A great example is setting up a Tippy Tap, a water and soap station that can be used by many and all without touching and keeping social distancing.

#StrongerTogether with face masks and hand hygiene

These efforts must come together — face masks and hand hygiene — to make the necessary impact in protecting people from coronavirus, create employment for local producers of face masks, sanitizers and hand soap but also enable the recipients to have access to face mask and hand sanitizers and soap now and in the long run. These joint forces can shift the paradigm of west production and import, contribute to a future of continued local production without external help and securing a more sustainable approach.

Through I for Africa, we are gathering information about locally available materials, identifying local producers, sharing aggregated knowledge through manuals and enabling the local productions of both face masks and hand hygiene products in poorly serviced informal settings or remote places with no access to health services and clean water.

Help us connect the dots of local efforts and support locally based solutions, by following and sharing on @ifor.africa