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In these difficult times of COVID-19 spread, it is more than important to share information, resources, opportunities, strengths and best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Burundi. It is in this context that Service Yezu Mwiza, with the support of SFF (Segal Family Foundation), organized on dates from 06 to 07 and from 11 to 12 May 2020 training sessions for all its staff (medical and non-medical) on measures to prevent this Pandemic.

Since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern and, in March 2020, it was described as a pandemic to highlight the seriousness of the situation and to urge all countries to take action to detect infection and prevent spread; WHO identified three priorities for countries: protecting health workers, involve communities to protect those most at risk of serious illness (the elderly and those suffering from medical comorbidities), and helping vulnerable countries contain the infection.

Burundi has a total of 27 confirmed Covid-19 cases. One person died as a result of the pandemic and 11 others were declared healed. The Ministry of Public Health and the fight against AIDS has invited every citizen and community to adopt preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus through :

• Wash hands regularly and properly with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
• Cover nose and mouth with a disposable handkerchief or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing;
• Avoid close contact with anyone who may have COVID-19 (any person should be considered as potentially contaminating);
• Stay at home and isolate from other family members in case of clinical signs of COVID-19;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to minimize the risk of catching the disease in case your hands are contaminated;

This training of more than 65 participants, which was organized in two groups in order to respect social distancing, aimed at strengthening the capacities of all SYM staff on good practices while respecting the gestures barriers to protect themselves, and to protect others from the contamination of Covid-19, but also to awaken the consciousness of everyone in each one in order to make all those measures his or her own. Note that after this training, hygiene and washing points will be set up in the community where the SYM team offers services at the mobile clinic: Ruziba, Kanyosha, Gitaza, Buhonga, Kabezi, Rubirizi, Gatumba, Magara, Matara, Karinzi.

“In the prevention measures of Covid-19, washing hands regularly is one of the barrier gestures used to contain the spread of this pandemic, during this training I found that we were not doing it properly, I strongly appeal to everyone not to neglect this practice and do it well as we fight with a faceless enemy” says one of the participants in the training.

“Health care staff may not be experienced in dealing with a pandemic like COVID-19. I am therefore pleased that the session has benefited SYM staff in preventing the spread of COVID-19. The more we are informed about how to avoid a disease, the more we are able to avoid it and not contaminate others. And since we are at the service of people whose immune system is weakened, it was more than urgent to stand up as one and prevent this virus from entering our organization. It is now up to everyone to put into practice all that we have learned, with much gratitude for the SFF which supported the realization of this training” Concludes, Father Védaste NKESHIMANA SJ, Executive Director of Service Yezu Mwiza.