Need to value communities post-Covid-19

The traumatic experience of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought us together and taught us that everybody has a critical role in overcoming the challenges and shaping a better world tomorrow for us all.

The world’s attention was hitherto on the progress and incredible potential of technology to transform lives.

But this has been challenged, more so in towns and cities, where most of those affected by Covid-19 live.

Often, the government was overstretched and overwhelmed. The spotlight would be turned on local communities and grassroots groups as the frontline soldiers in provision of basic and essential services. 

In Kenya, community partners have helped to keep families and the most vulnerable safe and healthy.

In the informal settlements and towns, a coalition of youth-led organisations joined the United Nations agency focused on urban issues, UN-Habitat, Canada and Norway to establish Covid-19 prevention stations which have led to over two million handwashes.

Community-led solutions

Globally, volunteer-run centres provided food and shelter as communities organised shopping, quarantine sites, criticial information and water and sanitation, offered employment for those out of work and helped in the collection of relevant data.

We must build on this strategy to mainstream community-led solutions to problems we face in every sphere of life — economic, political, social and environmental.

This will go a long way in building resilience to withstand future disasters that is based on local knowledge. It is also critical in ensuring sharing of resources; and bring people together to promote creative talents and ideas; and advocate and challenge issues such as poverty and discrimination.

It is for this reason, therefore, that the theme of the annual World Cities Day this Saturday, whose the main global observance will be co-hosted by UN-Habitat and the government in Nakuru, is “Valuing our communities and cities”.