More than 26 families will receive new water tanks and another 900 will receive improved food and water security and hygiene during COVID-19 thanks to a new project being implemented by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), in partnership with aid organisation Caritas Samoa.
According to ADRA Australia humanitarian coordinator Beryl Hartmann, ADRA and Caritas were able to secure funding through the Church Agencies Network—Disaster Operation, or “CAN DO”, under the Australian Humanitarian Partnership.
Caritas is providing 25 water tanks to both Upolu and Savaii islands, and ADRA will be conducting the following activities mainly on Upolu:
- Agriculture/food security and livelihoods training
- Wholistic health and hygiene promotion training
- Psychosocial and protection support to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures.
Including broader COVID-19 community awareness raising programs, the whole project is aiming to target more than 7000 people.
“The communities targeted are vulnerable communities, but activities will particularly target those at risk such as the elderly, those who were severely impacted by the measles outbreak in 2019, families who experience high levels of poverty or food insecurity, and those without access to water and sanitation facilities,” Ms Hartmann said.
To support ADRA’s initiatives in Australia or overseas, please visit www.adra.org.au/donate/.
