For OVSA, our local communities are at the heart of everything we do. Like many of our colleagues, peers, partner Funders and NGOs, we are watching with great concern how the Coronavirus is impacting our country and loved ones. The one clear thing is that we need to stand together in friendship, in love and faith.

On 15 March 2020, we replaced a familiar way of life with a terrifyingly unknowable future. Thankfully, the virus arrived here later than in the other parts of the world, offering some respite and time to prepare our people and an already burdened health system. Lessons learned from Italy, China, and Spain were taken seriously – and combined with our experience of viral pandemics and tuberculosis (TB), and good public health policies – the South African public health service was, by and large, able to prepare for the eventual increase in infections. The government’s early decisive action is generally felt to have mitigated more catastrophic effects and once again shown the adaptability and resilience of our people.

Unfortunately, the pandemic also clearly highlighted the many social and economic challenges within our economically disparate society, with most South Africans living below the poverty line and in crowded households. Rates of depression, anxiety, gender-based violence, child abuse and neglect soon increased. Our education system has and is bearing the brunt of the crippling impacts of Covid-19 – highlighting how students from poorer communities have been cut off from education during extended school closures.

When lockdown measures were implemented, people initially attempted to adhere to lockdown rules – but over time, fear, isolation, despondency and especially a lack of food security, became a critical issue impacting mental wellbeing and dividing a nation. While many responded with solidarity and humanitarianism, others resorted to violence and exploitation, using lockdown activities as a ruse to defraud.

As a caring organisation and as global citizens and citizens of South Africa, we knew that we needed to do whatever we could to slow the spread of the coronavirus and minimize its impact. After extensive discussion with the team, we have decided to focus on two things: the health and safety of our team and communities and continuing to educate and support our young people on their educational journeys and development of self.

Anticipating a lockdown and the long-term effects of the epidemic, Staff explored (and subsequently trained on) the creative uses of digital learning technologies and assessed which might be most suitable for our beneficiaries. After this, workshop content and tutorials were adapted to online formats. It bears noting that although nothing can replace an in-school, face-to-face, learning experience, we learnt that other systems and approaches to learning can provide equitable, meaningful, and productive ways of engagement and enhancement of learning journeys.

Ultimately, OVSA developed a multi-modal response; that combined the use of existing infrastructure and resources with different learning and communication mediums, ensuring a percentage of learners and students remain engaged and learning. OVSA consistently reached around 600 learners out of 6000 (10%) and although this is never acceptable, OVSA was by all accounts, the only Department of Basic Education partner, who was able to reach any school learners during these difficult times. Staff engaged learners on the normal Life Orientation (LO) curriculum, as well as the Coronavirus and cross-cutting issues such as TB. Learners were encouraged to ask questions during the delivery of the Facebook LIVE workshops or the WhatsApp Group sessions. The latter included consistent engagement of key stakeholders such as the Principal,  Educators and/or Learner Support Agents (LSAs) per school.