CSW65 | OneMama
OneMama’s Official Statement
Statement Written and Submitted by UN Ambassador Jessica Buchleitner on behalf of The OneMama Organization.
The global COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to the advancement and security of women. Its impact on rural communities worldwide proved particularly devastating with women trapped in domestic violence situations, limited access to medical care, and a veritable collapse of economic opportunities.
Building an inclusive and effective path for the sustainable and resilient recovery from the pandemic while honoring the 2030 Agenda and principle of “ensuring that no one is left behind” at the global, regional and national levels is crucial.
As an NGO supporting the rural community of Kirindi in Uganda (East Africa), we are an emblematic case study of the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic both exacerbated and enhanced for rural communities and their women globally. OneMama Inc. promotes sustainable development, maternal health, and community health in a rural model and advocates for sustainable and resilient recovery through our unique programming. We advocate for building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda particularly around the SDGs that closely align with our program and work: Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), Goal 5 (Gender Equality), Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Sustainable development will not holistically happen until rural women and their communities are considered.
In rural areas in Uganda, particularly that of Kirindi, COVID-19 restrictions on transportation (motorcycle and buses) have made it extremely difficult for women to get to our health clinic without walking long distances while pregnant or suffering from illnesses. COVID-19 restrictions also put a halt on all community meetings, craft and OneMama collection women’s group meetings, including our ability to offer limited domestic violence prevention trainings.
Sales of agricultural crops in physical market places shrunk drastically due to contact restrictions and transportation cuts. All these restrictions are also making it hard to get medical supplies like our birth control and medications. Simple home COVID-19 tests have been impossible to access so we can’t track it in our community. The vaccines that have been made recently will most likely never reach our community and if they do they also may not keep since we don’t have the kind of refrigeration needed to protect the vaccine. Domestic violence has increased significantly with the lock downs, giving the women no alternatives to flee or free themselves.
We recommend the following actions to ensure rural women in all global communities are not left behind as developed parts of the world rise from the pandemic more rapidly:
- Tracking health issues we suspect to be COVID-19 due to absence of testing. We are watching and communicating daily with our patients and community and increasing medical supplies for both the birthing and medical clinic.
- Hosting community education days on COVID-19, birthing, family planning, best practices in self-care and domestic violence prevention.
- Searching for funding and partnerships as international restrictions halted 75% of funding.
A partner to provide COVID-19 testing and a vaccine that is distributable in rural areas without refrigeration access.
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