The overall objective is to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable communities, particularly women and girls in Chile, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in the face of the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19.

The specific objectives are to:

• Strengthen the institutional sustainability of Alternatives and its partners in the context of COVID-19.
• Improve communities’ ability to comply with COVID-19 health measures while taking into account the rights of the most vulnerable communities (marginalized communities in the municipality of Cerro Navia in Chile, market vendors and artists in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and women and girls living with disabilities in the DRC).
• Improve the resilience of communities in Chile, Haiti, and the DRC and their ability to recover from the economic restrictions associated with COVID-19.

This initiative is being carried out with the following partners:

The Allegados Los Conquistadores Committee in Chile is a local organization representing families in the municipality of Cerro Navia. The association’s mission is to ensure the well-being of families, represent them, and coordinate its activities with the Cerro Navia City Council. The association organizes sociocultural and festive activities, national and religious celebrations, and other activities for children, as well as information and training workshops for their parents. In addition, the committee works closely with all representative bodies in the community, including municipal schools, the Cerro Navia City Council, and women’s, youth, cultural, and sports organizations. Since 2018, with support from QSF, the committee and its partners have established an urban agriculture and greening program for the neighborhood.

In Haiti, we work with the Association for the Promotion of Integral Family Health (APROSIFA), a Haitian organization that has been working for some fifteen years in the informal settlements on the slopes of Morne de l’Hôpital, a hill overlooking the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. APROSIFA provides healthcare services primarily to women and children, using an innovative approach based on the multidimensional nature of health issues and the integration and participation of traditional local structures. Its mission is to promote the health and well-being of families, particularly women living in the Carrefour-Feuilles area and its surroundings. Clinical activities and community interventions are at the heart of its work.

APROSIFA also offers educational and cultural programming to young Haitian students, using various forms of expression, including theater, music, painting, and dance.

Our partner in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the association Solidarité des femmes pour un développement intégral (SOFEDI). SOFEDI’s mission is “inclusive development through local ownership of sustainable solutions that take into account the context of community needs.” Its main objective is to “contribute to improving the situation of women, girls, and other people in particularly difficult situations through self-promotion.” For nearly 15 years, SOFEDI has focused its interventions on four key areas: a) health, b) mining and extractive resources, c) demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration, and d) good governance and the fight against corruption. Our partner also works closely with a large network of organizations involved with people living with disabilities.

This initiative is structured around four main areas:

1. Support for our mission and our communications program, which includes the following activities:

• Updating the website by creating new spaces that amplify voices from the Global South.
• Training the team on best practices in digital strategy, including podcast creation and facilitating inclusive spaces for reflection.
• Implementing a strategy aimed at institutionalizing and integrating our policies on gender equality and racial equity.
• The production of a podcast series entitled “Féministes pluriel·les” (Plural Feminists), which addresses the gendered experience of COVID-19 and feminist initiatives around the world.

2. Support for the activities of the Allegados Los Conquistadores Committee in Chile, through:

• The implementation of campaigns promoting local purchasing and support for small retailers (open-air markets).
• Promoting community sharing initiatives (bartering activities, truecas).
• Conducting workshops on the situation of immigrants in the neighborhood.
• Support for community kitchens run by five vulnerable groups in Cerro Navia.
• Support for urban agriculture activities.
• Conducting an awareness campaign on COVID-19 protection and prevention measures, as well as distributing masks and disinfectant products.

3. Support for APROSIFA’s activities in Haiti:

• Support for vulnerable women vendors in Carrefour-Feuilles (Port-au-Prince) affected by COVID-19 through cash transfers, a COVID-19 prevention and protection campaign, and workshops on various sustainable urban development practices.
• The implementation of a large-scale information and education campaign on COVID-19 carried out with local artists and the creation of 12 educational murals in Carrefour-Feuilles.

4. Support for SOFEDI’s work with women living with disabilities (WLD), in particular through:

• Training educators in various WLD associations on measures related to COVID-19.
• The creation of informational posters and accessible materials on the consequences and means of protection (in local languages and in versions adapted for people who cannot read, as well as in Braille).
• Implementation of strategies defined with targeted associations to raise awareness among WLD about the risks of COVID-19 and protective measures.
• The distribution of information tailored to the needs of WLD groups in places where WLD and their families gather.
• Distribution of protective equipment to WLD and their families: face masks, hand sanitizer, soap.
• Carrying out educational and advocacy activities to raise awareness among civil society and public authorities about the problems affecting WLD during pandemics and other crisis situations.
• Distribution of food and non-food items to targeted vulnerable households (rice, beans, sanitary pads).

To come.