The Jamii Project - Covid-19 Support

Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel (SSAP) is working in partnership with the North Wales African Society (NWAS) to deliver the ‘Jamii Project’ in Cardiff (South Wales) and Bangor (North Wales).

The Welsh & UK governments have acknowledged evidence that COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on people with BAME backgrounds; many of the health or social care workers who have sadly died from COVID-19 were from BAME backgrounds. Medical research highlights that while the BAME population accounts for 14% of the UK population, it accounts for more than 34% of critically ill patients, which is also consistent with data emerging from the United States. People from BAME backgrounds have higher rates of underlying health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes (constituting 25% of death) and hypertension. This may be why they have increased vulnerability and it also suggests a high prevalence of health and economic inequalities within the BAME population that may need addressing in the longer term.

The aim of the project is to address root causes of the harsh effect of the pandemic on the African community by addressing issues which have grassroot solutions.

“Jamii” means “community” in Africa’s most spoken language- Swahili. The project seeks to foster community spirit and community interdependence to help (the community) cope with and mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the community primarily from a health and well-being vantage point.

JAMII ACTIVITIES

Provide culturally Approproate Food Parcels and Shopping Support.

We will provide culturly appropraite food from our centres in Cardiff and Bangor and also support vulnerable members of the community by providing free service food shopping for vulnerable and those who may struggle to go shopping due to different challenges. From young families who can’t leave their children to go shopping nor take their children with them due to lockdown and fear of getting the disease, to vulnerable members of the community such as persons with disabilities, the elderly and those with underlying conditions. Click for more information!

Information Desk

The desk is to direct any information for members of the African community which aims, pre-emptively and reactively, to cushion the effects of the pandemic and post-pandemic. The desk would also perform signposting functions by being able to direct people to the necessary agencies and organisations that deal with whatever issues they have. We will for example have information on emotional support; welfare benefit, connecting to BAME hotline and other service providers. Click for more information!

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Myth Busting

We will provide a robust anti-misinformation campaign by a dedicated team looking out for health-related myths going around in the community conveyed either through social media or through parol. Observations from various community groups has shown that there is a lot of fear, ill-advice and information given to members of the community and therefore misinformed and questionable practices on cures for Covid-19. This anti-misinformation campaign would also involve seminars and webinars on the risk misinformation causes in the community and simple fact checking methodologies. Click for more information!

Translation

We will provide translation services for important health directives to languages of BME community with reasonable representation. First step would be an identification through survey to determine the languages to focus on. Sequel to that is to employ the services of translators with the Terms of Reference (TOR) strongly emphasising the need to check against losing vital information in the course translation. We will work with BAWSO’s Language Support Project to translate materials. Click for more information!

'i CAN' Campaign

As we continue to #StayHomeSaveLives, the situation caused by Covid-19 has created many upheavals to our daily routines. We are encouraging acts of kindness as a small reminder of our connection to each other and you can choose how to help someone in need. We will ask people to register their interests in providing volunteering support, what they can do and we will connect them with those needing support and leaving closer to them. Through this campaign we hope to create a supporting network of African communities in North and South Wales. Click for more information!

'i NEED Help' Camaign

As we continue to #StayHomeSaveLives, the situation caused by Covid-19 means that many people require more support than ever before. We will work with local authorities and other organisations working with BAME/African communities to reach out to communities and provide support to those in need. The campaign will also involve supporting communities in filling the ‘contact tracing’ application once rolled out throughout the country. Click for more information!

'Get Creative' Campaign

As we are slowly coming out of lockdown, many will remain at home till it’s safer for everyone. Doing so means may increase isolation and mental health issues as we continue to stay indoors with little to do. To address this, we will work with creative agencies to develop inspiring creative projects such as drawing class, a reading book club and online sessions on how to use digital platforms e.g. Zoom/Skype etc. Click for more information!