The Complete Guide to Giving Help During a Pandemic in T&T

If you’re in a Pandemic in T&T there are 4 main ways you can help on the ground

 

So at the beginning of the pandemic, we reached out through our social media networks to identify sources of help and we got amazing responses. It was very encouraging to see the numbers of persons out there, who were seeking to help. So, we first began referring persons to charities closest to them, but then they would call us back to say “no one answered” or “no one is responding to my email”. So, we did an exercise to determine who was still active and found that out of the 161 charities identified, only 46 were actually responding.

Charities that pop up overnight, tend not to have a constant source of support and therefore tend not to be a long-term solution.

Longstanding charities, since they were more recognizable, were quickly overwhelmed with requests. Some of the charities we called, that we knew were doing a lot of work on the ground, requested not to be included in our lists, because the demand was just too great.

What we did notice with charities, is that they would serve persons way out of their catchment area. There is an emotional difficulty with saying no, but this causes a logistical challenge where resources across the country weren’t used in the most efficient way. This results in excessive delivery costs and multiple hampers going to a single family.

This is where the local councilors come in. We made a visit to the office of the Mayor in Arima who took the time to explain exactly how aid and the system of local government ought to work. The mayors and councilors, are in the best position to organize a cohesive strategy, since they have the inherent legitimacy due to the responsibility of their post and they have access to the electoral lists which can eliminate duplication by only serving persons within their electoral district.

If I were in a Pandemic and wanted to make a difference on the ground I would:

 

  1. Offer Your Resources To Your Local Charity

When we interviewed the charities, the 2 main difficulties they highlighted, were a lack of staff and a lack of constant resources.

You can approach your Local Charity and offer resources such as your time. Other Resources may vary vastly but can include things like Panel Vans or vehicle access, Tin Cans and other food products, Mattresses (When there, remember to encourage that charity to work alongside their Local Councilor and the local companies, to improve the sustainability of your efforts. ) The companies ought to provide the treasure, the councilor the resources and the charities the time.

2. Help Charities Find Resources

Help charities find resources . If you can’t provide the time yourself, you can help source additional hands  – there is often a need for volunteers such as delivery drivers and persons willing and able to assemble care packages.

3. Donate Funds

Donate funds – no matter the amount, the money has an impact and is used to change someone’s life, each dollar adds up. If you’re wondering what you should do with those few extra dollars you found in your pants pocket. Charities can turn it into a gift that can help make all the difference.

 

4. Leverage Your Skill

Leverage your skills – if you are versed in scheduling and accounting, website building, project management or other skills you perceive to be of value, you can leverage these skills to improve their daily operations. What have you noticed from this list of skills? Yup, they can all be done from home! We noticed in T&T many persons take this option for granted but it is a great way to help the Charities scale and grow.