01 Jun 10 social actions to face Covid-19 in Mexico
In Mexico, the Covid-19 health crisis, its economic and social effects, are being addressed with innovative and creative responses by members of organized civil society in favor of the most vulnerable populations around the country.
Despite the fact that the social sector is one of the hardest hit, in drastically reducing their income and donations, they continue to be an example of resilience and collaboration by placing the common interest at the center of their objectives to strengthen actions that benefit public health, food security, and economic recovery projects.
At Comunalia, we’ve compiled 10 projects and initiatives that are being implemented both by partner community foundations and by other members of organized civil society in this pandemic. Take a look at their actions and share:
- Collaborating in a spirit of mutual aid.
Fundación Comunidad, in alliance with the Food Bank of Morelos and other civil organizations in Morelos, have launched the Banco de Voluntades initiative to deliver full pantries to the populations and families that have been most affected in this health and economic crisis. In addition, Fundación Comunidad promotes local consumption and women producers in the state of Morelos.
- Finding new ways to reach people.
In the face of the Covid-19 crisis, millions of vulnerable Mexican families need humanitarian aid. And while it is essential to attend to their basic needs, in this isolation it is also essential to focus on the emotional and developmental needs of babies and children in the medium and long term. In this way, the Pact for Early Childhood initiative launched the PLAY KITS, an ideal recreational tool to mitigate stress and provide emotional support through play. At this stage, at least 50 thousand families will be benefited.
- Digital transitioning their value offer.
The challenges that physical distance have imposed come with the innovation that Fundación Merced Querétaro has developed by offering digital strengthening services to citizen organizations and initiatives. In this way, its value offer remains current through training, consultancies and virtual conversations. In addition to professionalization, its focus on the articulation of organized civil society and social investment continue to be factors for which Fundación Merced Querétaro maintains its objectives as valid as before the pandemic.
- Showing empathy for the team.
Comunalia has just joined the collaborative initiative: #WedoitforMexico. Hand in hand with the Social Value Institute, Deriva, Ecoagency, Values for the Third Millennium, and the Gentera Foundation, the initiative seeks to be able to attend to the mental health of the collaborators of Comunalia’s community foundation members around Mexico, which are providing immediate support in the face of the crisis. Comunalia considers that emotional overload, system capacity limitations, long working hours, and contact with vulnerable at-risk groups, in addition to the elements of private life, generate a latent risk of suffering anxiety and post-traumatic stress. For this reason, this project seeks to create empathy as its first objective, and connect team members to mental health professionals for support they might require.
- Finding new ways to operate.
In order to make the organizations that it supports and strengthen visible, Amigos de San Cristóbal, in Chiapas, created a series of webinars that showcase the work and impact of Organizaciones Amigas (allied/supported organizations). They hope to promote more people to collaborate with citizen causes in the context of the health and economic crisis. Each week they present a different organization, the only requirement is to pre-register in order to access the Zoom session.
- Being flexible with communities.
The emergency has impacted the development and continuity of many programs in the civil society sector. Despite this, Fundación Comunitaria Oaxaca took on the challenge, providing flexibility in its scholarship program, which it continues to implement without losing focus. During the 2019-2020 school year, its Community Scholarships program, in partnership with Bécalos, benefits 155 high school students in six regions of Oaxaca, achieving the continuation of their studies.
- Creating a crisis management team.
In the event of a Covid-19 contingency, businessmen and employers in Chihuahua, through the Fundación del Empresariado Chihuahuense (FECHAC), strengthened their collaboration with the authorities and social initiatives through a state Committee to deal with the crisis, having assigned, until May , 17 million dollars ($ 37 million pesos) in the purchase of medical supplies and equipment for hospitals, clinics and health centers in different municipalities, as well as the provision of food pantries and support for families living in vulnerable conditions.
- Advocating on behalf of the sector to cushion the negative effects of the crisis.
In Jalisco, Corporativa de Fundaciones and other civil society organizations have been in dialogue with the state government in a push to include organized civil society along with micro and small businesses in all the plans and funds for economic reactivation and support that local governments are undertaking. These actions aim to prevent the disappearance of the thousands of organizations strongly impacted by the crisis.
- Listening and being empathetic.
After overcoming the critical initial-response stage of this pandemic, the most difficult stage will come. For this, the initiative #WeNeedtoListenToEachOther was launched in the last weeks of April. In it 65 civil society organizations, collectives, activists and journalists have opened spaces and channels for dialogue to place growing inequality in the Covid-19 crisis at the center of the discussion. A movement was launched where the population in general, and particularly those most affected by the crisis, are invited to share messages about their reality, their needs and their proposals to overcome the crisis, and sharing these messages social networks and communication media with the hashtag #WeNeedtoListenToEachOther (#NecesitamosEscucharnos)
- Generating a solidarity movement.
In Nuevo León, Fundación Comunidar has integrated the solidarity efforts of the community, the business sector, and the Government to help the public and private medical system, vulnerable people who just lost their jobs, and economic recovery through the movement Unir y Dar. The initiative consists of three phases: The first is called #RespiraNL (Breathe NL) and has more than 100 volunteers to donate complementary medical equipment such as splitters, oxygen concentrating valves. and protective equipment to hospitals. The second stage is called #AbrazaNL (Embrance NL) and it temporarily benefits people who have lost their jobs and earned less than 10,000 pesos a month. The third stage is #ReactivaNL (Reactivate NL) and it will contribute to the recovery of lost, or at-risk, sources of work, and to the reactivation of the local economy.
From Comunalia, we hope that these innovative examples can serve as inspiration or analysis to be implemented by your organization. If you would like to know more about the initiatives or want to share an example, do not hesitate to communicate at: contacto@comunalia.org.mx
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