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We hope you and your loved ones remain well. So many of our supporters continue to check-in asking about the situation here in the DR, and how they can help. We greatly appreciate all these messages and wanted to send another brief update on how the virus is progressing and how you can help us continue to combat it.
You may have seen that today is Giving Tuesday, and we're participating in the Nonprofit Matching Fund Initiative to raise more money for COVID relief efforts in the DR. Our first priority is to expand Puente's hand-washing initiatives so communities without daily water access can still have safe "sinks" for hand-washing 24/7. Learn more about this program below, and please consider supporting us today while the matching fund initiative is in place.
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The DR's Coronavirus case count has climbed well into the thousands, with larger metropolitan areas being impacted most severely. Notably, the La Vega province (our home turf) exhibits the third highest case count in the country. Most of these cases are found in the city of La Vega, home to the closest COVID treatment hospital (Morillo King) to Constanza. You may recall that we recently purchased PPE for the Morillo King staff.
Despite the ongoing case growth in our province (and the country at large), the city of Constanza remains fairly calm. The last reported figures from Constanza show just 16 confirmed cases and no deaths. We remain nervous that a second peak will hit once regular business and social activities resume, but for now, we're pleased to report that our local response and prevention efforts have been reasonably effective.
The government recently announced a gradual reopening plan that will phase in various business activities over the next four months. We will be sure to keep you informed of further developments as this plan is carried out.
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Giving Tuesday: Hand-Washing Initiative
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Our Giving Tuesday goal is to expand Puente's sanitation programs, starting with our hand-washing initiative. We aim to purchase new hand-washing stations from Wine to Water and provide them to 3+ local communities with limited water access. Residents in these communities are now very aware of how important it is to wash their hands frequently with soap and water. Unfortunately, their houses only receive running water roughly every other day, and access points inside the home (like sinks and faucets) are sparse. Under current conditions, it is nearly impossible for these people to follow best practices and keep their hands clean on a day-to-day basis.
Our plan is to purchase hand-washing stations with 5-gallon tanks, which will store water between days when the faucets are working. This should allow residents to access a sanitary "sink" every day. We will work with local leaders and trained Puente volunteers in each community to select optimal locations for the stations and assign responsibility for regular cleaning and maintenance.
Your support is critical to the success of this project, so please consider donating to keep hands across Constanza virus-free!
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Recap: Puente's COVID Response to Date
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We'll end with a quick review of what Puente has provided to local citizens and healthcare professionals to combat the virus thus far:
- 720 protective masks (500 homemade, 120 medical, 100 n95)
- 300 gloves
- 60 hazmat suits
- 50 protective glasses
- 15 visors
- 20 hand-washing stations -- and counting!
Please stay safe and help us boost these numbers this #GivingTuesday!
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