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COVID-19: A letter from John Keane, CEO, SolarAid

John Keane

 

Greetings from all of us at SolarAid at this challenging time.

As the world struggles to cope with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, I wanted to share with you the action we have been taking to help ensure the safety of our staff and everyone we work with.

The safety and well-being of everyone we work with is, and will continue to be, our top priority and this underpins every decision we make as we adapt our operations to respond to the pandemic.

In Zambia, where cases of the virus have now been confirmed, we have suspended field operations in order to ensure that our staff and the communities we work with, are not put at risk. Schools have been directed to close nationwide and restrictions have been put in place on public gatherings.

Our team in Malawi is also scaling back many of its operations as we continue to monitor the situation.

We have also equipped our teams in Malawi and Zambia with soap, sanitisers, face masks and medication to help reduce the impact on our staff and be as prepared as possible.

As we adapt to this new reality, we remain committed to developing our projects, supporting entrepreneurs and enabling rural communities to access solar lighting and power, which bring people light, opportunity and hope.

All decisions we make regarding our operations and staff will be informed by the latest guidance from the WHO, national governments and medical experts.

Our whole London office is, meanwhile, working from home for the foreseeable future. We will remain contactable, however, in all the usual ways.

It appears that no country will be spared from the impact of this virus. I’d, therefore, like to thank you all for continuing to support our work at such a challenging time. We are with you, as I know you are with us.

– John Keane, CEO, SolarAid