COVID-19 Relief for 110 Artisans in Kenya

Hello,

We’re a few days into our COVID-19 relief project for our artisans in Mombasa, and already the funds raised are making a critical difference in the lives of our artisans. We wanted to take a moment to share with you an important update on the impact that has been enabled thus for by the generosity of donors like you.

• Last Friday (3/27), we at Imani Collective made the decision to close our workshops in Kenya to best protect the health and safety of our artisans, in light of growing COVID-19 concerns. This means that, until we reopen, our artisans’ source of income is unknown.
• As a result, with the $3,720 raised to-date, we were first able to mobilize quickly in providing food packages for each of our artisans. (This first round of food relief cost a total of $2,650.)
• Using these funds, our team on the ground in Mombasa purchased the needed supplies and organized a distribution center to ensure each artisan received a food package before leaving the workshop on Friday.
• Each artisan was given necessities like cooking oil, maize flour, wheat flour, beans lentils, rice, oil, sugar and tea leaves to feed their families for the next month.
• The artisans were overwhelmed with relief and gratitude, knowing that they will not have to worry about these essentials for the next month, when this is unfortunately not the reality for so many others in Kenya.
• With the remaining funds raised so far, we’ve been able to begin planning for our first distribution of sanitary packages (including soap, feminine pads and toilet paper) to our artisans. More on this to come.

Below are some photos of our artisans organizing and receiving their emergency food relief package distribution.

Thank you to those that have already given thus far – because of you, 106 women and their families in Kenya now were able to receive life-saving nutrition to help them weather the next month of uncertainty, when they needed it. We look forward to sharing more updates with you about our ongoing efforts to continue caring holistically for artisans during this unprecedented time of need.

With thanks,

Femida
Director of Holistic Programming