THE CATHOLIC aid agency, CAFOD, has said “donations have never been more urgent” as it launched an emergency appeal to respond to the unprecedented global challenge of tackling the spread of COVID-19 in some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

Aside from the many deaths that are likely due to infections, millions of people around the world who already struggle to feed their families will face extreme hunger as jobs are lost and markets shut down because of coronavirus.

“Coronavirus is a tsunami heading towards the homes of millions of poor communities who have nothing to protect themselves from its devastating impacts,” said Christine Allen, CAFOD’s director.

“The potential scale of the pandemic across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East – as well as among refugee and displaced populations in places such as Syria, South Sudan and the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh – is truly frightening.

“These are vulnerable families who are unprepared to fight this virus and are being pushed to the brink of hunger and poverty,” said Allen.

“This crisis has revealed how unequal our world and society are”

CAFOD is scaling up its support to local aid experts who are providing food and improving handwashing and sanitation facilities in communities and households. It is also helping churches use their networks to share hygiene messages through Catholic radio stations, and producing posters in local dialects on infection prevention.

“We have a narrow window of opportunity to reach communities with the basics for life – food and clean water, and the messages they need on how best to keep safe,” said Allen.

“Our local aid experts are already responding and trying to alleviate what is likely to be a catastrophe in terms of hunger, poverty and death as a result of this pandemic.”  

According to the UN over a third of households in Africa have no access to handwashing facilities, and almost another third has limited access with either no water or soap. Millions of lives are at risk, with estimates that between 300,000 and 3.3 million people could lose their lives as a direct result of coronavirus (UN Economic Commission for Africa COVID-19 in Africa Report, 2020).

“Trust is essential for winning over communities, changing behaviours, and reducing the spread of coronavirus,” said Allen.

“We will maximise the reach of the global Catholic Church aid network, particularly in Africa – where a third of healthcare is provided by the Catholic Church, and trusted faith and community leaders are known in their communities.

‘Our collective actions will save countless lives”

“We must not wait until we see the terrible headlines about millions of people whose lives have been lost to the coronavirus,” said Allen.

She added: “Donations have never been more urgent, providing steadfast support to those who are in greatest need.

“We can all be infected by the virus, but this crisis has revealed just how unequal our world and society are. Its economic and social impacts will be long-lasting and most devastating for the poorest. That is why we are calling for the cancellation of debt owed by some of the world’s poorest countries so that they can finance their response to coronavirus, shore up fragile health systems, and relaunch their economies.

“It is our collective actions now that will make all the difference and save countless lives.”

CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. It works with communities across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East to fight poverty and injustice. The agency works with people in need regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.

More information about the emergency appeal can be found at cafod.org.uk