COVID-19

COVID-19 is tearing through Papua New Guinea. And people with disabilities are at the back of every queue for help.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

Our lives continue to be touched in some way by COVID-19. But we are fortunate to live in New Zealand, and enjoy a level of freedom.

This is not the case for a growing number of countries facing a significant humanitarian crisis on a scale never seen before.

Countries like our near neighbour Papua New Guinea (PNG), who are now in the grip of widespread community transmission of COVID-19.

This is why your help is needed today. You have shown your courage, your kindness, and your faith so many times before. Now, more than ever, the people we serve in PNG are in desperate need.

The epidemiological estimates in PNG are that COVID-19 infections have reached over 100,000 cases [1], and could reach one million cases within a few weeks!

This is a dire situation for people in PNG. Something that we here in New Zealand do not have to contend with.

Please send your urgent gift before 30 June to help vulnerable people in Papua New Guinea who are living with the triple challenge of poverty, disability and COVID-19.

With the majority of the PNG population living in small, mountainous villages spread out across the country, travelling to the main town centres for COVID-19 testing is simply not realistic, and reliance on busy markets to feed their families means contract tracing of close contacts cannot take place.

The situation is even more challenging for people with disabilities, many of whom do not have access to accurate information about COVID-19, and how to keep themselves safe. They rely heavily on their families to help them with their daily personal care.

Not having equal access to public health information, and being dependant on how their loved ones and guardians apply protective measures, puts children and adults with disabilities at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19.

People living with disabilities in PNG urgently need your help today so they can receive practical support to help keep them safe during this global pandemic.

As you know, the most effective ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 are maintaining personal hygiene and keeping a safe distance from others.

PNG moved into a nationwide isolation strategy to help reduce community transmission by closing schools, reducing numbers of people travelling on public transport, and mandating to wear a mask in public.

But the cost of obtaining a mask and hygiene supplies is too often out of reach for the majority of people in PNG, many of whom survive on less than $3 per day.

Your urgent gift today will help raise awareness of hygiene standards; help distribute hygiene kits which include items like masks, soap, and hand sanitisers; and will help supply Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cbm-funded community field workers and teachers to keep them safe so they can help others.

Another area of urgent need is for families who are experiencing food shortages prioritising non-disabled family members for meals, and therefore children with disabilities are at a high risk of malnutrition.

Your gift will help provide nutritional support to hungry children by providing them with boiled eggs, fruit, sweet potatoes, and other nutritional food to help keep them healthy so they continue to grow and reach their developmental milestones.

cbm-funded community health workers are ready to walk hours on end to reach people with disabilities living in remote communities in the Highlands of PNG, and then stay for as long as needed to provide them the assistance they desperately need to keep them safe from the spread of COVID-19. But they need your urgent help to do God’s work and provide them with the emergency aid they need.

Just as Jesus walked among people with disabilities and responded with love and care, you can be His hands and feet today.

Please send your urgent gift before 30 June to help vulnerable people in PNG who are living with the triple challenge of poverty, disability and COVID-19.

COVID-19 is tearing through PNG. And people with disabilities are at the back of every queue for help.

How do you and your loved ones avoid becoming infected if you do not receive public information about how COVID-19 spreads? What if you do not have access to soap, masks and hand sanitisers? How do you help keep vulnerable children fed and healthy if livelihoods are affected by the pandemic?

The answer is as simple as it is horrifying. You can’t.

The only hope for people affected by the triple challenge of disability, extreme poverty, and the rapid spread of COVID-19… is you and the many other wonderful cbm supporters who make up the cbm family.

You can be on the ground, turning your generous gift into life-saving action for the many people in need. You can help reach them. You can help protect them. You can help feed their vulnerable children and infants. Please will you send a generous and urgent gift right away.

You can give online immediately, just click the DONATE button. Or you can call 0800 77 22 64 to give over the phone.

Time is of the essence, please give now or before 30 June. Every day that goes by, the cases mount and more people become infected. Please help protect and support people with disabilities by taking action now.

This global pandemic is of frightening proportions and it is unfolding at an alarming rate in PNG – your response will provide vital support to help vulnerable people living with the triple challenge of poverty, disability and COVID-19.

Please prayerfully consider a life-giving gift today to help raise awareness of hygiene standards, help distribute vital hygiene kits and PPE, and help feed hungry children affected by this pandemic.

Thank you for your kindness during this challenging time in all our lives.

Your generosity and loving kindness will help care for those living with the triple challenge of poverty, disability & COVID-19, like 7-year-old Ndresai, who lives in the remote Highlands of Papua New Guinea.

The power of your gift in Papua New Guinea today

Here’s a quick look at the range of items most urgently needed right now.

• Hygiene Kits for people with disabilities: masks, hand soap, personal towels, hand sanitiser, laundry detergent and a bucket for hygiene purposes.
• Nutritional Support for hungry children to help keep them healthy so they continue to grow and reach their developmental milestones: boiled eggs, fruit, sweet potatoes and other nutritional foods to help them increase their nutritional needs.
• Help with travel costs for cbm-funded field workers to visit remote villages to raise awareness of hygiene standards, and distribute vital hygiene kits to people with disabilities and their families.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cbm-funded community field workers and teachers: gloves, masks, soap and sanitisers for six month’s supply.