Covid-19: Keeping The Dream Alive
The ITTF Foundation is reallocating funding to alleviate the severe impacts of Covid-19 on their partners in the field. Dream Building Projects – like all projects involving physical contact – have come to a standstill. The communities they are working in are however, very much ‘alive and kicking’.
In regions where daily life and survival is based on human interaction, the current isolation has severe impacts. It was just a few weeks ago that many of our project participants, aimed to learning table tennis, dreamt of getting a scholarship to continue education or to open the door to other opportunities, are now aiming to survive and stay safe in places where governmental support is not enough.
At the ITTF Foundation, we believe that everyone’s priority should be to look after their loved ones, and to stay home wherever possible to stop the virus from spreading. We are also realistic however, in understanding that “staying home”, this act of solidarity, remains a luxury for many. It entails having a home in the first place. The lock down in many countries has caused the inability for many to travel and generate an income. Sanitation issues do not consider the lack of toilet paper in stores as the biggest problem.
All ITTF activities have been put on hold until June 30th and this reality is very similar with our social change projects in the field, the centres and schools are on a standstill. Over the past weeks, we have been getting updates from our project leaders in the field to explore the best ways we can help them during this crisis. Although they are currently unable to run activities, we believe that these programmes are more important than ever before. We also believe that their commitment to their community, their adaptability to volunteer and innovate in order to find local solutions should be encouraged.
Some of our programmes are already working to help people affected by Covid-19, and we are committing up to 20,000 Euros spread between all our programmes to help fund their incredible support to their communities. Many of our project leaders, partners, and the communities they serve are facing extraordinary difficulties, and we are committed to supporting them to continue their support activities ranging from a radio station sharing official information about the virus in Uganda to providing sanitary kits in India and providing food to families in Ecuador and Kenya. We are proud to work with them and will do what we can to support them in these challenging times.
Get to know the Dream Building Projects:
- Click HERE for the 2020 Funds (start postponed until further notice):
