How we're responding to Covid-19

Lucy Magaso practices hand-washing as a preventative measure to combat the spread of Covid-19 at a seed fair in Traditional Authority Mlolo, Nsanje District, Cyclone Idai recovery project funded by a US Philanthropy. Photo: Samson Mgeni / Concern Worldwide

Lucy practices hand-washing as a preventative measure to combat the spread of Covid-19

News15 April 2020

Since it was first detected in December 2019, Covid-19 has spread around the world. The pandemic poses an existential threat to vulnerable communities in the world’s poorest countries.

At this challenging time, Concern is continually monitoring the situation and taking every possible step to ensure the safety of our staff and the families in the communities where we work.

Find out how we’re responding below.

If you’d like to help, please donate to our Coronavirus Emergency Appeal. If we take action now, we can slow the spread of Covid-19 and save lives.

Donate now

A Concern worker responds to the Ebola crisis in Sierre Leone. Photo: Concern Worldwide

Enika Mussa practices good hand washing to prevent the spread of Covid-19. He is attending the Concern Consumption (Cash) Support Distribution through he Graduation Programme in Mangochi District, Malawai. Photo: Levy Mwambarulu Kadrab / Concern Worldwide

Enika Mussa practices good hand washing to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Malawai. Photo: Levy Mwambarulu Kadrab/Concern WW

How is Coronavirus affecting the countries Concern works in?

Around the world, in communities and refugee camps, Covid-19 is threatening to exacerbate existing humanitarian crises, already scarce food supplies and weakening health systems that people rely on.

There are confirmed cases of the virus in the majority of the countries where we work.

How is Concern preparing people in the world’s poorest communities?

We’re keeping our essential programmes running wherever possible, while supporting local and national prevention strategies to minimise the impact of Covid-19. This includes initiatives like distributing 17,000 hygiene kits in Iraq, disseminating messages on Covid-19 in Bangladesh through mobile, radio and TV networks and installing additional water points in Haiti’s densely populated urban areas, while engaging youth groups on soap production.

If I make a donation now, will it still go toward your work overseas?

83.3% of all money raised by Concern goes towards our programming, and this will remain the case during the Covid-19 crisis. We are committed to maximising the impact of your donation in every way we can, especially at this challenging time.

Now, more than ever, it’s paramount that we continue to provide humanitarian aid in the places we work, as well as trying to reduce the transmission of Covid-19. Activities like distributing food and cash are essential services.

Are your UK-based staff able to work from home? Will this affect the quality of your work?

Concern is extremely flexible and a lot of work has gone into ensuring that our systems can be accessed remotely. All UK staff are currently working from home and we hope to continue providing our services to the greatest degree possible.

Can I still contact you if there’s no one in the office?

Of course. Our Supporter Care team will be providing a full service for supporters and can be contacted on 0800 032 4001 (between 9am-5pm Monday to Friday) and by email anytime at [email protected].

We aim to respond to emails within two working days and to phone calls either on the day or the next working day if the call is made outside of working hours.

What is Concern doing about upcoming public events?

All events scheduled for April and May are cancelled. This includes Challenge events such as the London Marathon, which has been postponed to Sunday 4 October, and the Ration Challenge which we hope to run later in the year.

If you signed up to run the marathon for Concern and are unable to take part in October, we will refund your registration fee and sponsorship money, or you can defer your place to the 2021 marathon. For more information, please visit the London Marathon website.

What can I do to help?

The impact of Covid-19 on the world’s poorest communities could be catastrophic and our in-country teams around the world are mobilising to respond to the threat of Covid-19 and help save lives.

Please support efforts to make sure that any response is global. Coronavirus does not respect borders so unless we stop it everywhere, we all remain at risk. If you are able to, please donate to our Coronavirus Emergency Appeal.