COVID-19 response update
How an Afar proverb helped our team talk with a village elder who did not believe in the coronavirus.
Afar is one of the least developed regions of Ethiopia. It faces frequent drought, floods, disease outbreaks and food shortages. These problems happen on a large scale, disrupt the pastoralist way of life and keep families in poverty. COVID-19 has now been added to the list. More than eight cases have been confirmed in the Afar region so far, and desert locust swarms are destroying crops and threatening the region’s food supply.
Because of all this, towns are filling up with people who have left their villages, and drug use, especially khat, has become part of daily life. These problems are far beyond what pastoralist families can control. The crisis is unsettling, but we believe we will come out of it stronger. We thank Bread for the World for supporting FSA’s work to help people out of poverty and make pastoralist communities more resilient.
“We are the ones who swim, and it is God who saves our lives”
Using reserve funding from Bread for the World, the FSA team visited Tiritira village to explain what the coronavirus is and how it spreads. The visit turned into an open discussion with community members.
Mr. Ali Damule strongly disagreed that the virus existed. He told our team:
“We have God, and He has always protected us, so we do not need your message. Do you think God needs our help to protect us? Don’t you believe God is in control? We believe in Him. He will never let something like this happen to us. How can washing our hands stop a virus? It makes no sense. You also tell us to keep away from our best friends. It’s unbelievable! I will tell you the truth: this is a curse from God to punish people who live sinful lives. And the coronavirus cannot survive in a hot climate anyway.”
This gave our team a chance to deal with the misinformation properly. They did not attack Mr. Ali or his beliefs. FSA’s strength is that we know Afar culture and beliefs and have close ties with the community. That is what lets us help people see why an issue matters and name the problems they face.
Our team answered with a well-known Afar proverb: “We are the ones who swim, and it is God who saves our lives.” They asked Mr. Ali what he thought it meant. “If someone jumps into the Awash River without knowing how to swim, will he live? No. That does not mean God failed to save him. It means he did not do his part. We are saying the same thing. Let us do our part, and God will do the rest.”
Mr. Ali smiled and nodded. He reached out to shake hands with one of our staff to show his respect. Our staff member politely declined and explained that shaking hands is one of the things to avoid during this time. Mr. Ali apologised, then joined our team for the rest of the day as they shared the message around the village. It was a joy to see the same man wearing a face mask, handing out hygiene supplies and telling his neighbours what he had learned.
Thank you for your kindness. Your generosity and support remind us of God’s care for us.
Guret Ahmed, Founder and Executive Director