SHOFCO in deal With Coca-Cola Foundation To Prevent Covid-19 Spread In Informal Settlements

Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) in Kenya with support from The Coca-Cola Foundation and Coca-Cola Beverages Africa – Kenya (CCBA) is scaling-up its on-going initiatives to provide water, hand sanitation and public awareness in Kibera and Mukuru in Nairobi to prevent the spread of COVID-19 disease in these populous communities.

The Coca-Cola Foundation is providing SHOFCO with KShs 10 million to support several health initiatives in the fight against the spread of Coronavirus in the country. In addition to providing handwashing stations and creating public awareness, SHOFCO will use the funds to enhance hand hygiene and sanitation by providing water, soap and sanitizers to the communities in these areas. Additionally, they will also provide emergency food support to ensure that the most vulnerable families don’t starve as a result of food shortages and price spikes occasioned by the impact of the disease.

“SHOFCO is providing a total of 70 handwashing stations in Kibera and Mukuru, which are located at main entry points and staffed by volunteers who instruct people on how to wash their hands on entering and exiting the slums to keep the virus out. We are also distributing clean water twice a day through trucks to people who have no access in the two communities to support the maintenance of basic hygiene levels at all times,” said Kennedy Odede, founder and CEO SHOFCO

“We are all concerned about everyone impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak in Kenya. The Coca-Cola Foundation and CCBA is keen to support our vulnerable communities to adhere to the required hygiene practices that have been prescribed by the health authorities to beat the spread of the virus. We are also concerned about the welfare of the most vulnerable and we are glad that SHOFCO will use some of the support to provide food, soap, water and sanitizers,” said Xavier Selga, CCBA Managing Director.

“Combating the spread of COVID-19 is a joint effort. We are pleased to have received support from The Foundation to implement our relief support initiatives. The private sector continues to play a big role in helping organisations such as SHOFCO to control the spread of this pandemic,” added Odede.

SHOFCO will also upscale its community outreach efforts using volunteers and community health workers to conduct door-to-door awareness, distribute illustrated Kiswahili information pamphlets and identify anyone with possible symptoms for referral to the Ministry of Health for quarantine and testing. Screening will also continue at SHOFCO’s clinics.

The support is part of Coca-Cola’s global efforts to help control the spread of COVID-19 with Kenya being among the 13 African countries in East and Central Africa receiving donations.