A COVID-19 Update from Handspun Hope
Many of you have been holding our Rwandan staff in prayer and we want you to know how incredibly grateful we are. We have been asked for an update on how the staff and ladies are faring under COVID restrictions so went to Lead Counselor, Olive Muhawenimana, for an update.
On March 14, 2020, our government declared the outbreak COVID-19. This forced our government to take steps to protect citizens from the disease. The lockdown has been one of the strategies for stopping the spread of COVID- 19. The negative consequences of COVID- 19 in Rwanda, as a developing country, are mostly economic and many people, companies and organizations are suffering from financial problems.
It is important to us to emphasize that the work occupation for ladies at Handspun Hope benefits them much more than any other way of living.
Their job gives them a structure, purpose and meaning of living. With them, we pray that God may continue to help our organization to survive even in this hardest and challenging time so that the beneficiaries could not lose their employment. Losing their jobs would make their life a disaster. Not only because of the loss of income but also the loss of their professional identity, self-esteem, a daily routine, purposeful activity, a work-based social network and their sense of security.
In order to keep all ladies protected from chronic stress, we have created a social media group and we systematically call each of the ladies to find out how they are doing and to encourage and guide them during this lockdown time.
With the ladies we believe that God is working and He will make it possible for us to meet again and to fulfill our roles.
During times of stress and crisis, we encourage those who are mothers to maintain healthy relationships with their children, as it is common for children to seek more attachment and be more demanding from parents.
We encourage them to discuss different topics like Genocide, COVID-19, drug abuse, hygiene, family planning, and unwanted pregnancy with their children in an honest and age-appropriate way. This way they will get chance to know their children’s concerns and can ease their anxiety.
It is also a time for the children to learn by observing adult behaviors and emotions on how to cope during this difficult time. In our distance counseling, when we talk with the ladies, we talk about different topics concerning family relationships and advise them on how to avoid domestic violence, to plant some vegetables and to keep their children focused on revising their school books.
We are so grateful to Olive and her associate, Marie Claire, who work tirelessly to provide emotional support to all of our employees and their families. They are selfless and kind and so generous in sharing their gifts.
