Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), a grassroot movement in Kibera slum, has supported 14 urban sites in the fight against Covid-19.
So far, the organization has screened 1,817,178 people for COVID-19 symptoms, operates 317 handwashing stations across 14 sites that have been used 37,793,894 times, and delivered 5,639,320 litres of free water in Kibera via an innovative aerial water piping system.
SHOFCO has distributed an additional 37,880,000 litres of water via water truck distribution, and reached 1,543,754 slum dwellers with household-level distributions of soap and sanitizer.
According to SHOFCO Founder and CEO Kennedy Odede, slum residents bear the biggest risk during this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, as they lack the necessary infrastructure and access to basic services.
“COVID-19 has shown the importance of community-led response to crisis. When the community takes ownership, it becomes possible to do rapid distribution of supplies and information that keep slum residents safe during this pandemic," Odede said.
He added that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed vulnerable families to the edge of survival.
"Because of SHOFCO’s deep roots in urban slum communities, we were able to mobilize quickly and at scale, and provide a lifeline to families hit hardest by the economic devastation,' he said.
Odede also said that, “We are working very closely with the United Nations, UN-Habitat, OCHA, Amref, and the Government National Covid-19 community task force to ensure that we reach all informal settlements in Kenya.
