Livin' La Vida Lockdown Day 72: It takes a village
I can not control anything anymore but sometimes I do small things quietly to restore order in my heart, make sense of it all and ease a little suffering in the world. It also takes me beyond myself.
I have had much time alone to reflect on life and what is important and the real hardships humans are facing right now one way or the other. The follow on effects of COVID that go beyond sickness and death - the human toll of lockdown. The poverty, homelessness and the inevitable food shortages that are happening all over Asia right now.
South East Asia with its economy highly reliant on foreign workers travelling abroad for work - means during this lockdown a lot of people are now going hungry. When the workers cant work the villages and their families back home suffer. And in most cases they did not have that much to begin with - it is a simple follow on effect that is often devastating. It doesn't matter what country you are in right now - people are struggling in some way and I find compassion is the ultimate superpower to facilitate some change.
I luckily have the means and the time so this week I put together a plan, pulled together a small crew on the ground here in Penang and also in Bangladesh and we got to work on feeding some people.
It didn't take me long to organise - it just took a few of us caring enough and pulling together across 3 countries - it took trust and communication with people I have yet to meet in person and their big hearts and effort guiding me. And of course it took belief and unquestioning support from those that back my decisions. So this week we began by focusing on just one local village in Bangladesh and a group of foreign workers here in Penang.
I had two wonderful, talented local women on the ground in Bangladesh who conducted a needs assessment in the village on my behalf and they found that the women in government housing (pics below) were most vulnerable and in need due to personal circumstances. We now have their names, we know who they are and their heartbreaking stories and today they got a bit of help.
30 women will have enough basics to feed themselves and their next of kin for a month. I still cant quite believe how much rice we bought. But this is how it begins. Sunday we will feed 21 Bangladeshi male workers here in Penang who have been unable to work for almost 3 months. They will also get enough food basics for a month. 4 of their friends will be handing out the food parcels and fresh masks we have allocated for them.
It is not much but it is something. The follow on effects of COVID have seriously impacted the most vulnerable in our society regardless of what country you are from.
We may be in lockdown but we can still live and give beyond these walls and closed borders.
*If you wish to help out in any way just send me a private message or email me direct through my website.
Peace
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