Sheltering the family unit through the COVID-19 pandemic

By Brenda Asiimwe

COVID-19 | FAMILY

On May 15 of every year, the world commemorates the International Day of Families. This day was designated by the United Nations in 1995 aiming to create awareness about the benefits of the family systems to the masses.

In relation to the ongoing global fight against COVD-19 pandemic, this year's theme for International Day of Families 2020 is "Families in Development" to stress the importance of families and how much they mean to us.

According to the UN, a family has a worth of being a foundation-pillar in the development of society as social laws and norms are the anticipated form of family bonding and strength.

The family has proved to be a constant source of stability for many during these unprecedented times we are living in as a result of COVID-19.  We are leaning on family for care, support, and a sense of normalcy in a time where everything around us seems to be changing.

From working from home to homeschooling to being confined in the same spaces due to restricted movements, it has been a major adjustment for all of us. Corona Virus has awakened us to the fact that life though precious is also very fragile. It has also deepened our sense of appreciation of those closest to us, our family.   

President Yoweri Museveni stressed the importance of family in his last state of the nation address on May 4^th, 2020 iterating that family is the basis of life. He added that everything, the jobs, and all material things are merely facilitators of family.

However, while this lockdown has made it possible for families to spend time together for most that ordinarily would not due to jobs, school, and other daily activities it has equally brought stress and frustration for some that have no means of sustaining a large family under one roof for many days.

For families that were already vulnerable without a stable source of income and relying on casual jobs and small businesses in order to feed children, pay school fees and provide basic home necessities, this has been halted. Without a source of livelihood, their circumstances have been exacerbated to extremely vulnerable. Children living in such homes are likely to engage in child labor or be taken advantage of such as demand for sex from girls in exchange for food.

These are some of the extreme effects of COVID-19 on some families today. Through my work at ChildFund Uganda an organization that works with communities to empower or support vulnerable children achieve their potential through all circumstances, I came across a story of Ben (not real names). The only source of livelihood for Ben's family has been cut off and in these past few weeks, since the lockdown, they have gone without regular meals and occasionally feeding on wild fruits if he gets them or a meal from neighbors. Ben's story is somewhat unique because at 13 years old, he takes care of his two grandparents who are disabled (75 and 85 respectively). 

Before COVID-19 struck, Ben had approached a nearby church about the need for support and occasionally, the church would give the family a donation off the offertory from the Sunday gathering. However, with church services suspended, so has Ben's family's source of food.  Unfortunately for Ben, the government food aid has not yet reached their home in Jinja.  Such is the plight of some families across the country whose circumstances have been escalated by the impact of COVID-19.

The UN stresses that the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic brings into sharp focus the importance of investing in social policies protecting the most vulnerable individuals and families such as Ben's. The UN statement adds that it is families who bear the brunt of the crisis, sheltering their members from harm, caring for out of school children, and at the same time continuing work responsibilities.

It is in times like these that the family unit needs to be supported, preserved, and sheltered against disintegration arising from the stresses of COVID-19. This is the time to revive the spirit of neighborliness by looking out for families that need support and lending a hand if we can.

This can be through sharing our food and other essentials so that we all can survive this pandemic. The COVID-19 is a test to our basic foundations such as family and it is upon all of us to ensure that though shaken, the family foundation should not be broken. This is especially through protecting and looking out for the most vulnerable such as children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

Families should be empowered and strengthened to withstand big challenges such as this COVID-19 pandemic. Uganda is only as strong as its people and strength come from great foundations such as family.

The writer is Communications Officer, ChildFund Uganda