"The Peoples Collective" Gambia
In the midst of the Corona pandemic, people in Gambia set up a blog to raise awareness for the difficult local situation as well as money for solidary support.
The "Peoples Collective" is a group of friends in Gambia who joined forces in order to build a solidarity network of mutual neighborhood support. Their blog informs about what the pandemic means for people in Gambia. On March 27, president Barrow declared the public state of emergency to contain the spread of Covid-19. Despite the risk of infection and the social distancing measures, the majority of the population cannot affort to isolate. Only a very few have the financial means to buy essential goods ahead or to stay away from their jobs. Moreover, the danger of the virus and its impact is widely ignored.
To facilitate people to self-isolate, the "Peoples Collective" (just like many other initiatives) took on the task to buy, pack and supply food and personal care products for others - a solidary and necessary action which has been omitted by the state so far. Even though Gambia only has a low number of confirmed Corona infections, the number is expected to rise to 180 000 infections in June or July.
For more information and support of the collective and their work
