SO PAINFUL BUT WE SHALL COME OUT STRONGER.#covid19pandemic

When I heard of covid19 in Kenya, it never hit me so hard,things were running normally. Then with time schools started closing,cases started rising ,washing hands at every point ,sanitizing and then curfew,lockdown and masks as a requirement to leave your house.That installed fear in me,being that the year started well and promising with projects and many women on the line to transform.The boom!corona virus .

Many women have been affected in one way or another. Most of them that i know including me are small business owners who have been forced to either close or take risk to run them and face violence from the police who either want bribe in form of cash or sex its upon you to choose to run your business or go to quarantine for fourteen days at your own expense.Many women are facing different kinds of violence in their homes,some can't run away because where are they going to ?they have no homes and some have homes that cant absorb them,and about Justice?in my country you have to give bribe to win a case,even if you are right,so we are left with no option but our eyes to see ,most of us  fear speaking for it might take you six feet under with no trace.

We are at a higher risk of this virus spreading fast,its not the wish of the people but their living conditions and poor government. We live in a country where you have to get out to work to feed your self.Most of the women and youth live from hand to mouth. Most of the gorverment  funding offices have closed down,where do we turn to? On the news we see funds being allocated to help the marginalized,but on the ground things are different for all that fund ended up in someone's belly.

I have come to realise that technology has played a key roll ever since this pandemic started,many of us are updated on what is going on around the world,but again a larger number of people here in Kenya  are affected since most of them either don't have an android phone,access to the Internet or literacy of using these phones. What if  as a nation we embraced technology most of the people would be working at home and earning,some informed on  what they are facing,some having new ideas daily on how to handle this virus and most important learning at home during this time. When everything goes back to normal then I have the will to empowere many women on importance of embracing technology and transforming it.

It's so painful that the what's app group I formed is no longer active,many of the members have no access to the Internet for they are financially unable to support themselves, that means one more step back ,we have to find solution's when things normalise so that during such hard times we can still connect ,learnt and empower each other.For now I can't reach most of them but I dearly pray they are safe and sane.so may God protect us till we meet again.

Am seating on my bed near the window,for that is all I can do  this morning,its raining outside and inside the house too,the roof is leaking a lot of water. Looking at my son sleeping makes me realise that he was the best decision I ever made four years ago when I had just completed high school, pregnant and confused. I have never done anything meaningful to my self but worry on how to raise him, today I see him grow and it makes me realise I need to go back to college and learn ,He makes realise that we all have ourselves to make decisions ,The decisions we make today as were at home affects us negatively or positively tomorrow. So let's not remain quite, let's remain sane during this time,let's pray for each other and above all stay at home if possible,wash our hands/sanitize,wear face mask and think don't loose yourself.

Lots of love from Kenya.

Amonge.

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