Sonko Rescue Team recognized in Covid-19 volunteer awards

The Sonko Rescue Team and a host of ten other volunteer organizations were recognized for their outstanding role in supplementing the government’s efforts to fight the Covid-19 scourge in the country.

The Country has recorded over 40,000 cases of Covid-19 with Nairobi leading as the epicenter of positive cases.

The Sonko Rescue Team was recognized for its humanitarian support role and its efforts of helping residents adhere to the Ministry of Health regulations in combating the spread of Covid-19.

The Nairobi City County government,Makueni County,Mombasa and Machakos are some of the counties that were also awarded for their quick response in putting in place containment measures.

The event organized by Volunteer Involving Organizations Society in partnership with the UN habitat was attended by Cabinet Administrative Secretary Dr. Mercy Mwangangi.

Mwangangi hailed efforts by volunteer organizations and noted that some like the ‘Sonko Rescue Team’ made positive strides in helping the needy.

‘’ We appreciate the efforts brought on board by these organizations and in the future we may look into ways through which we can together,” Mwangangi said.

Governor Mike Sonko’s spokesman Ben Mullwa received the award on behalf of the governor and the county government.

Covid-19 volunteers response recognition Awards are held every year to recognize individuals societies and well-wishers who help societies in one way or the other. In this year volunteers involving organizations society picked on a few County governments and society who have been instrumental in combating and contributing in covid-19 period.

“Among the governor’s we settled on were Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, Makueni’s Kivutha Kibwana and Mombasa Hassan Joho,” said Fred Sadia the society National coordinator.

Sadia said that Governor Sonko has been instrumental in helping the needy, by donating a number of foodstuffs during the Covid-19 pandemic period.

Early this week, the Ministry of Health declared that the Nairobi metropolitan remains the epicenter of Covid-19 infetions.The caseload in Nairobi is now over 20,000.

When the virus struck the capital city, many residents had to flee fearing for the worst while some were caught in deep trouble when the President announced cessation of movement in and out of the metropolitan area.

Residents leaving in formal settlements had to call on more well-wishers and the government to hurry up plans of food distribution

Those in Kibra’s Makina ward,Kibagare,Makadara and Mathare were lucky to be the first to benefit from food and monetary distributions by the Sonko Rescue Team .

This was coupled with the fumigation and distribution of sanitizers in all the 85 wards and some parts of the neighboring counties.

This would later see the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launch cash transfers and nutrition support for more than a quarter of a million people struggling to survive from the impact of COVID-19 on informal settlements in Nairobi.

The cash distributions also complimented the government’s social protection programmes that targeted around 250,000 residents.

But food was not the only challenge, the demand for water rose significantly due to the regulation that washing of hands was one of the World Health Organization’s measures to curb the spread of the virus.