Addressing a pandemic: Old lessons, New lessons.

Over the past few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed  lives all over the world.  Our new normal is  indefinite quarantines and social distancing. People have become more aware of how we communicate with each other. Hugs and handshakes have  turned into elbow touches, feet taps, or simple nods.

In some countries, people are mandated to cover their mouths and noses when out in public. However, what happens in a community when face masks are scarce? 

A community takes action.

As part of STK’s mission, our goal is to leave a lasting legacy of opportunity and wellness for our  community. With that in mind, we are very proud to announce that we have partnered with Margaret Kadi, and her company Pangea, to produce face masks to distribute to  essential workers, including the Mountain Cut  area of Freetown where we currently run our programs.  These essential workers will include the Eastern Police Station, health clinics, and street cleaning crew.  

Mrs. Kadi transformed her interior design factory to produce cloth face masks using CDC specifications. “Seeing how countries like the United States were running out of masks, I wasn’t sure what the state of mask inventory was here in Sierra Leone, so I just wanted to be ready,” said Margaret, who operates Pangea from her home in Freetown. 

“I also wanted to see what I could do for the underserved communities who could be hard hit if this virus spreads here,” Mrs. Kadi added, “so it was a great pleasure when Neneh Diallo (STK Advisory Council Member) reached out to me the very next day with the partnership proposition --it was a no-brainer for me.”

Impacting lives.

In addition to the face masks, STK has already launched health campaigns to educate the community on the importance of hand washing, proper techniques for coughing and sneezing, and social distancing. STK distributed 20 large water buckets with soap dispensers at different locations around the community, including the Eastern police station and the Annie Walsh Secondary School.

Hope for the future.

Currently, cases of COVID-19 are slowly increasing, and as an organization that serves our children, families and community at large, we will continue to be a part of the efforts by providing preventative education to ensure Mountain Cut remains safe and healthy. 

Thanks to Neneh Diallo for sponsoring the productions of the masks.

If you would like more information about our work, or if you are interested in making a contribution to support our efforts, please visit www.stksportsacademy.org.  

Thierno Diallo

Founder & Executive Director