Together they designed a reusable three-layer mask and distributed these along with a bottle of hand sanitizer at no cost to the market vendors.
The battle against COVID-19 saw governments across the world take stringent measures. In Uganda, the Lockdown saw publics movement restricted and a curfew instituted. However, markets were one of the places allowed to stay open to serve the public.
With the markets open, vendors became a risk of exposure to COVID-19 virus. They needed masks to help them serve their clients well, without concern of exposing themselves.
One Philanthropist and fashion designer here, took the initiative to help the market vendors access face masks to mitigate the virus spread. Jamila Mayanja specifically worried about the women who etched a living in the crowded spaces of society.
“Markets tend to be congested and women make up the majority of the population, this puts them at a higher risk of contracting the virus because of their day-to-day interaction with different people like producers, customers, and family members,” she stated.
Mayanja through her organization, Smart Girls Uganda, partnered with another fashion house called Tenge collections. Together they designed a reusable three-layer mask and distributed these along with a bottle of hand sanitizer at no cost to the market vendors. While this was distributed free among the vulnerable population, they started working towards subsidizing the rates to the public at large.
“This was part of the organizations’ project dubbed ‘Masks 4 All’. It is an initiative that seeks to avail masks at an affordable cost to the general public while donating to the most vulnerable women in markets, young people in slums, borders, barracks and refugee centers at no cost,” she added.
When the project began, they specifically trained and employed youth and women among whom are former sex workers and survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
Tenge Afrocentric Fashion House Founder and CEO, Daniel Mickoh also spoke to us, saying that through this action, they are looking to scale up and make more protective gear and distribute them all over the country with a target of reaching one million people.
The distribution process includes awareness sessions using community radios and public media on how to use the masks and other safety measures pre and post lockdown.
By CivSource Team