These three words have never been more precious and necessary until now: Stay. At. Home.
CoViD-19 has undeniably changed our society and personal lives. And despite the uncertainties, these trying times have definitely taught us a lot about ourselves and our community.
We are going back to our basic needs and priorities
Since the start of the global pandemic, we have seen massive downsizing of activities and accessible options. We were asked to forego our traditional work arrangements, our usual gatherings with family and friends, public transport and service, and a long list of other things that gives us both comfort and necessities.
From being so immersed in modern convenience, we are now forced to confront and re-think our priorities.
As a community, we have never been more adamant to secure two things: healthcare and food security.
In the race towards development, we are now realizing that nothing is more important than healthcare and food security and that both should be inclusive and accessible by all to be considered enough and sustainable.
Most of us may be pulled out of the convenience of our routine, but compared to the vulnerable members of our society, the poor, the sick, and the less advantaged, our inconveniences pale in comparison. For a low-income worker who relies on daily wage for food and public transport to get to work, mandatory work-from-home seems like a death sentence for him and his family. However, all of us must sacrifice because if we cannot flatten the curve, this daily-wage worker will also get the worst it.
Our best quality as a community is how we come together to help one another.
Aside from the government-initiated programs to combat the pandemic, private-led and informally organized efforts fill the necessary hope and assistance for our frontliners and less-advantaged members of the community. We have seen how crowd-sourced initiatives are effective and fast to get help where help is needed.
Having an existing network or community is a leverage. It is easy to get the word out, and there already exists a healthy level of trust and like-mindedness to pitch together for solutions. Small contributions become very impactful when consolidated. For example, one challenge we faced was the shortage of personal protective equipments (PPEs) for our CoViD frontliners. When store supplies got depleted, circles of volunteers came together to create DIY face shields, face masks, protective gowns, and other paraphernalia. Money and food donations poured-in for health facilities, police checkpoints, and low-income households suffering from depressed mobility and food sources.
Having a community platform speeds up and amplifies what we can do. There were calls for help, and there were people and groups willing to mobilize and donate. The rise of crowd-sourced initiatives created the need to match demand vs supply. This in turn increased the chances of reaching and serving everyone.
Despite the shortcomings and gaps in our aid and community intervention programs, as a community, we have definitely moved a lot of resources in a short span of days and weeks. This begs us to ask, what if we were more prepared? What if we had more platforms to immediately mobilize help and resources? Will we be able to see the end of this crisis sooner?
As unfortunate as this time may be, it also gave us the opportunity to grow closer. We have only distanced physically, but collectively, this has brought all of us together. Our community may be our only hope in the time of CoViD. This pandemic will end soon and may we never forget the lessons we have learned, as well as continue the good things we have started.
While healthcare and food security are our main concerns as of this moment, the problem on safe drinking water still persist globally. Do you know of any communities that need safe drinking water? Let us know! We are excited to work with you to help achieve clean and safe drinking water for all. Please send us an email at giftinglife@force21.cwtlimited.com
Liezel Salera
Assistant Manager
Inclusive Business Solutions
