The Covid-19 Action Fund for Africa (CAF-Africa) has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to health ministries in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte D’Ivoire, and Mali for each nation’s cadre of community health workers (CHWs). CAF-Africa is an action-oriented collaborative of over 30 organizations dedicated to protecting community and frontline health workers in Africa’s COVID-19 response.
CAF-Africa donated over 5 million PPE to Mali. The shipment contained 5,472,000 masks, and 22,529 face shields-PPE required to safeguard health workers providing services at the last-mile.
Sierra Leone received 2 million PPE. The shipment contained 2,3 million masks, and 41,300 face shields.
Côte D’Ivoire received 1 million PPE. The shipment contained 1,120, 000 masks, and 22,306 face shields.
Liberia’s received 3,100 face shields.
According to the World Health Organization, there has been a 203 percent increase in Covid-19 infections amongst health care workers in Africa caused by a lack of PPE. Community health workers (CHWs) provide essential health services such as integrated community case management as well as COVID-19 specific activities. Without adequate PPE, they can neither fight COVID nor ensure communities have access to routine healthcare services.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, global demand for PPE has grown by a factor of 100, and prices are up to 20 times higher. While a worldwide shortage of PPE affects all health workers, the brunt has fallen on low- and middle-income countries and community health workers in particular.
The PPE donations already made by CAF-Africa will protect 200,000 CHWs safeguarding community health services during the pandemic.
Including West Africa, CAF-Africa has donated PPE to various countries in East, Central, and South Africa. The COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa’s goal is to raise $100 million to supply PPE to CHWs in over 20 African countries for approximately one year.