How to combat Covid in crowded informal settlements where people share bathrooms and toilets? In 100 informal settlements in Cape Town and other cities, IBP South Africa is working it out on the ground. This guest post is from IBP’s Albert van Zyl More than 5 million South Africans live in informal settlements—sprawling, crowded communities that frequently lack even the

Well this might work…. The floodgates are opening for Covid research and advice, especially on impact and response in poor countries (has anyone put together a round-up of roundups? I’m drowning) On Impact and Response Arundhati Roy’s absolutely gripping portrayal of India’s crisis Bangladesh sends food aid to sex workers A measured and balanced Reuters Special Report on the UK’s

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Irene Guijt introduces the second part of Oxfam’s proposal for addressing the development impact of Covid-19, published yesterday (the first part, dealing with the health crisis, is summarized here). COVID-19 has unleashed global domino effects. Health impacts understandably dominate the news, but the economic impact is where the big dominoes are falling, due to restrictions on people traveling for their

Guest post from Katherine Marshall, Olivia Wilkinson and Dave Robinson Ebola and COVID-19, two devastating infectious diseases that spread rapidly through populations, crossing boundaries of all sorts, put local, national, and international health systems to crucial tests. They also try religious communities, locally and globally. We are learning vital lessons from both experiences. First, religion and science must combine their

I was on a fascinating Zoom check-in on this late last week, involving researchers of the Action for Empowerment and Accountability research programme (I’m on its advisory board). A4EA is focussing on Pakistan, Mozambique, Myanmar and Nigeria, but the conversation took in a few other places as well. Things that jumped out as new, or at least new angles on

Last supper on Zoom ht @MythAddict Lots of good analysis on how to manage Covid response in low income countries where self isolation is not an option, but I would like to read more from southern authors – please send links. Does One Size Fit All? Realistic Alternatives for COVID-19 Response in Low-Income Countries. How to Tackle Coronavirus in Slums.

My LSE students are a challenging lot (not as in ‘problem’; as in ‘challenging’) and their questions got me thinking about Covid-19 as a critical juncture. The result is this short-ish (12 page) paper (much improved by the students’ comments on earlier drafts). Please send comments. We will also be discussing it on Zoom next Wednesday (8th April) 2.30-3.30pm UK

I’m on my 16th day of official Coronavirus lockdown. Since day 1, I’ve been seeing a welcome revival of all sorts of virtual conversations, resources and inspiring quotes about care. But here’s the thing: most of them focus on self-care rituals, yoga, mindfulness, and exercise regimes –  the ‘well-being complex’ and ‘wellness industry’ at our rescue. Before you leave thinking

Some excerpts from today’s briefing: Oxfam is proposing two things that the G20 and other leaders can do simultaneously. The first is to develop a Global Public Health Plan and Emergency Response to tackle the disease head on – preventing and delaying its spread, saving lives now and into the future. The second is to create an economic rescue plan

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In times of crisis, faith can be a source of huge personal comfort and community resilience. But as Covid-19 arrives in Africa, some faith leaders are making things worse. This is an edited version of a piece by Amanda Lichtenstein, Rosemary Ajayi and Nwachukwu Egbunike that went up on Global Voices yesterday. Leaders in Africa are grappling with faith in their