COVID-19 Impact & Response

Keeping updated via our Whatsapp group and plans to have a virtual meeting. We have been doing a social media campaign on taking care of your mental health while social distancing.

Supported delivery of medicines and food to some isolated people and connected the concerned with government authorities. We are volunteering to support applications and software to handle this for local and India Government.

Processing stamps for Brotherhood Fund and keeping in contact by phone and e-mail.

Now is the time for Y’s Men’s Clubs to demonstrate our rationale of existence and our willingness to support the current needs of community. The biggest dilemma is our inability to act as one united organisation as well as active service provider due to the restriction of curfew. We are looking forward to getting any suggestions for our activity.

One of the issues for digital communication is that not necessarily all the members are computer literate, which requires a lot of time and educational effort, so that we could communicate without a hitch. One of the clubs taught us to conduct video conferencing with ‘Zoom’ so that we can communicate with each member without physical meeting.

Keeping in touch with Whatsapp group and supporting the community with sensitisation activities about the preventive measures as recommended by World Health Organisation and Ugandan Ministry of Health and Government.

Region is in touch with its leaders and has noted activities that continue to serve the needy, especially with free meals being supplied. There is still dire shortage in face masks, hospital equipment, testing kits and so on. While movement is quite restricted, we are able to penetrate some needy segments to distribute food and some basic supplies.

Regular communication continues via Whatsapp and a few individual clubs are cooperating with YMCA centres to donate and distribute face masks and hand sanitizers to marginalised people and the community.

To keep members in contact with each other, club meetings are now held by conference emails, coordinated by the Club Bulletin Editor. Members participate at a given time and day by sending emails to the Editor who then forwards the emails to all other club members. This is done for a period of one hour, and then the meeting/conference is adjourned. This format allows for reports, news, project status, member sharing, etc.

All meetings including the 3rd Regional Council are postponed. We have an enhanced use of electronic communication, especially emails and Whatsapp. Advice to clubs is to conduct meetings through video conferencing and DGs asked to personally call all the Club Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers and club leaders so that they will not feel an absence of Y’s Men activities and Club Presidents to keep calling their club members to meet any health / personal assistance during lockdown. This is also to make the members feel some continuity in our activities.

The Region is working with clubs to donate disposable 3-layer masks and sanitizers for health workers, in coordination with the the Health Department of the Government of Kerala. Activities also include installation of sanitation kiosks in public places, provision of essential medical items for government hospitals and primary health centres, food kits for isolated/quarantined COVID-19 patients and food and clothes for labour camps. Police officers and health workers in each of the Districts are being given food and water.

With a 21-day lockdown in place, club members are in touch through Whatsapp. Club members are supported with daily messages and updates from Club President about the pandemic and the safety measures to be taken.

Conducting business via e-mail and phone – no contact. Supporting the community in Southern Rowan County (NC) with Meals on Wheels. We also gave $50.00 to help with meals and have have 2 members who volunteer full time. We donated $50.00 toward the Rowan County United Way/Salisbury Post newspaper COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Whatsapp chat is lively and constant communications are passed through it. One of our club members is operating a community kitchen for the destitute during this locked down period. We have to respect every life, however small and seemingly insignificant that may be, with due importance. Our relationship with nature and microflora, etc. need to be re-evaluated.

Using video conferencing at various levels for communication, in addition to telephone, e-mail and Facebook. In Japan, Y’s Men’s Clubs have begun to produce handmade masks and are providing them to their local communities as one of the effective service activities which can be done staying at home.