Peeps, it's PPE ; )

Hi peeps, great news! We're pleased to announce that since the launch of our Every Single Penny campaign, PPE is on the ground in health clinics in each of our project communities!

We asked our projects in Gambia, Mali, Ethiopia and Togo what they needed to help with their fight against COVID-19. They answered and we responded:, so here’s what has happened so far!

PPE - Personal Protective Equipment - is important in outbreak control wherever you are, whenever you are.

These medical professionals in developing African countries are essentially on the frontline fighting the coronavirus pandemic without any weapons to defend themselves, let alone their patients. It's a stark contrast to the situation here in the UK.

Ventilator shortages in Africa doesn’t even begin to cover it - not to mention staff, facilities, infection control structures, and the rest…

There is also very little supplemental oxygen in African healthcare settings, which is the only thing about coronavirus treatment we are actually certain of thus far. (The news changes almost daily, so just remember we're writing this mid-April and things may have changed since then).

The other issue is the difficulty of diagnosis in the places these projects are housed. There are so many competing diseases, with such wide ranging symptoms.

These include diseases that also kill, such as malaria, schistosomiasis and visceral leishmaniasis. These have an entirely different mortality profile to the common cold and flu. 

On learning of the impending pandemic in the countries Origin supports, we went to the clinic staff as well as our partner entrepreneurs and asked them their opinions on what needs to be done to help them do all they can for their people.

They all said protective equipment for the health workers is the greatest thing we can do to help at the moment. Keep them safe, keep them in work and keep them protected.

So we decided let's not beat around the bush - let's give them the funds to equip the clinics with correct and cost-effective PPE. 

So we did : ) 

You can read more about our Every Single Penny campaign and the work we're doing in Africa to fight COVID-19 right here.