The Corona crisis in spring 2020 hits hard on the poorest people in North Macedonia. Families that normaly gather plastic and scrap metal for recycling are stuck in quarantine with an urgent need for food and hygiene.
With the Covid-19 epidemic and the decision to shut down society and quarantine people, the poor and families with children are hit hard. The children cannot go to school where they usually receive food and support for hygiene and families who usually survive a day at a time by collecting plastic or metal for recycling cannot collect what usually is enough to put food on the table.
In cooperation with the local NGO Dendo Vas in Shutka Skopje, Loza Foundation carries out an emergency support effort and grants are distributed to the poorest and most vulnerable. The support packages contain food in the form of tinned food and rice as well as hygiene items such as soap and shampoo. The aid is distributed once a month to the most needy. Shutka is North Macedonia’s largest Roma settlement and one of Europe’s largest Roma ghetto.
Dendo Vas usually works with education and prepares poor children and their families to attend school. By teaching the children and their parents basic hygiene and understanding of the school system, the parents become a support for the child to start school and a success factor in getting through elementary school.
During the corona crisis, the Loza Foundation supports families with children who are usually supported by Dendo Vas and other vulnerable families who are in urgent need of support. The support packages are distributed by a crisis team from the municipality to ensure that it is carried out safely and does not spread the virus in the vulnerable area.
For the most vulnerable in the poorest parts of Europe.
Photo: Jodi Hilton
