So far, we are impressed by the vaccination rates and fastidious mask-wearing and hand-sanitizer availability we are seeing! That said, it is very clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the broader sense of hopefulness in these communities. It has been challenging for our weavers to acquire the materials needed for basket-weaving, and perhaps more importantly, women have not been able to gather together to weave- we cannot help but appreciate the meaningful social aspect of basket-weaving, and understand the impact pandemic social isolation has had on the numbers of baskets our women’s cooperatives have been able to produce. Like all of us, these communities have been living through COVID, VERY luckily without significant infection rates!!!! But for our already vulnerable communities, the impacts have been profound.

”masks on faces! two-meter spaces! uncrowded places!” Thanks Dr. Levine for this great learning tool!

A sign that things are improving: sisal fiber for sale at our meeting in Mupagamuri!

In Mupagamuri, far fewer baskets to buy than pre-pandemic. But our weavers showed up, the baskets are high quality, and we had a productive conversation about rebuilding motivation and a sense of community after COVID.

During a brief visit to the now-complete Zienzele Community Center in Berejena, we were extra-impressed with the traditional roofing system on the cooking space! This Community Center and the one we are starting to build in Mupagamuri will play a key role in post-COVID rebuilding of community in these villages. Prisca and I are SO glad that Berejena took the initiative to be our first ZCC community.