The Power of Information Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak

By Natalie Sarrett

Fear is a powerful weapon.

In remote communities in Uganda, rumors of the coronavirus’ fallout are running rampant. Most villagers don’t have access to the internet, TV or radio to get legitimate resources about how to protect themselves and take preventative measures against the illness.

When government mandates were put into place for lockdown, all they heard was that the police and military personnel were allowed to physically enforce quarantine and curfew rules at will. The lack of information available to these families caused a ripple of panic throughout the rural regions.

These villagers are isolated from the capital and often live in warring tribal communities. Most families are generational farmers or cattle herders who live hand-to-mouth, rarely knowing where tomorrow’s meals will come from.

They live in close quarters, huts huddled together to defend against outside invaders or herds of wild animals. This means that when an infectious disease is contracted, it spreads even more rapidly throughout the community than in other more spacious regions.

There are no toilets or bathrooms. Handwashing is not a common practice because they have been deprived of soap, clean water and access to hygiene education. Soap is a luxury only available in city centers, and the travel there and back would put even more people at risk of contracting the virus.

These conditions aren’t ideal in the best of times, but in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of health education could be deadly.

Send Relief partners are combating the coronavirus and the false information being spread about it by holding health education classes, building water stations and distributing soap in 23 villages!


Over 400 households and 2,300 people are benefiting from your generosity every week.

Members of local churches, along with our partners, are able to share the source of Living Water with these families as they work in new communities, bringing hope and health to each new village.

The relief that these families experience when they’re told the truth about what is happening in their country is palpable.

Fear is powerful, but love is greater.

Thank you for supporting Send Relief as, together, we share love and light with the people of Uganda. Give today to help us make an even bigger impact in these communities!


Published May 7, 2020