Maria Kidney and her husband Martin Ballantyne who have remained in rural Kenya to volunteer with the Kericho County Emergency Preparedness and Response Team.

‘Struggling to even buy thermometers’

A Cobh native and her husband are working in Kenya as it deals with a lack of essential equipment.

Maria Kidney, one of the founding members of Irish charity Brighter Communities Worldwid and her husband Martin Ballantyne, CEO, from Sligo, have remained in rural Kenya to volunteer with the Kericho County Emergency Preparedness and Response Team in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak.

Speaking on the crisis from Kenya, Maria said: “Developing countries will be disproportionately affected through their lack of strong health systems, lack of access to healthcare and running water. Crucially, it is not just the lack of physical equipment or facilities, but even access to health workers too.

“In Kericho County, Kenya there are seven doctors for every 100,000 people. At the moment, we are struggling to even buy thermometers.”

Maria and Martin are working to sensitise communities, to provide personal protection equipment equipment to the area, and to convert buildings into isolation wards, which in turn will need beds, triage tents and essential equipment.

There is currently one ventilator per one million people in Kericho County where Maria and Martin are based.

Maria added: “We understand that the world is in crisis, but for the developing world, basic needs aren’t being met even on a normal day, and now those basic needs are the difference between this crisis becoming a long-embedded battle and flattening the curve. We need to eradicate this crisis across the world, and that includes the developing countries.

“When we are in crisis it is not easy to think of others. We need the continued support of Irish generosity to continue our work. All monies raised will fund what is needed to protect these communities from Covid-19 including soap and water containers, training for health workers, communication materials, personal protection equipment, preparation of health facilities and equipment.”

She concluded: “We have been here 18 years we simply couldn’t leave now, when the need is so great. We have, over the years, developed programmes that have now adapted to the current crisis.”

Donations can be made at justgiving.com/campaign/ourfutureisinyourhands.