Convoy of Hope’s International Response to COVID-19

September 4, 2020 | 11:15 a.m.

Convoy of Hope team members around the world continue to courageously serve the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the virus continues to affect families around the world, low-income communities are experiencing the most severe fallout from the virus.

Travel is limited in a number of the countries where Convoy of Hope works, but we are finding creative solutions to ensure that we can serve as many people as possible. Children are still being fed, women are still being trained, individuals are still learning how to grow better crops, and disaster survivors are still being helped.

Thanks to the support you provide for our international teams, Convoy of Hope is multiplying hope in these incredibly trying times.

Response in Numbers

Individuals Served	1 million+
Meals Served*	18 million+
Countries Served	31
Masks Distributed	237,800
Hygiene Kits Distributed	26,902
WASH Training Participants Engaged	64,554
Churches, Organizations & Partners Engaged	1,156
Communities Served	826

*Includes meals distributed through Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding initiative.

August 13, 2020 | 4:15 p.m.

Convoy of Hope’s response to COVID-19 and Tropical Storm Amanda got a boost this week by an air shipment of products delivered with the help of the U.S. Southern Command. In partnership with the U.S. Embassy of El Salvador and the People Helping People Network, Convoy’s local team received more than 60,000 pounds of food and hygiene supplies.

COVID-19 and its impact on the economy of El Salvador are causing food shortages across the country — hitting low-income families especially hard. Despite a strict lockdown, cases of the virus continue to climb.

In an article published by the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador, Ambassador Ronald Johnson said, “This donation is an indication that the ties between the U.S. and El Salvador go beyond government to government relations. U.S. NGOs like Convoy of Hope and People Helping People, are also carrying out impactful work on behalf of El Salvador.”

Relief delivered for the people of El Salvador included distributions of rice, sugar, powdered milk, dehydrated potatoes and fruit, canned goods, instant soups, and more. The delivery of food is expected to serve nearly 30,000 people in the coming weeks.

The value of partnership is central to Convoy of Hope’s mission to feed hungry people. By working together, tens of thousands of people are receiving help. Without your support, we wouldn’t have the food to send. Thank you for continuing to care and give as we continue to serve the people of El Salvador.

August 11, 2020 | 4:50 p.m.

Below are the latest international updates by region regarding Convoy’s response to COVID-19.

• Africa – The closure of churches in Togo has created a crisis for local pastors whose livelihood normally comes from weekly church offerings. This week, the team in Togo distributed dry food rations to 200 pastors in the east central region. Distributions in Ethiopia to children in our strategic school-feeding program continue through local partners.
• Asia Pacific – Metro Manila was placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine. The government found it a necessary step to relieve exhausted frontline medical associations and to decrease cases of COVID-19.
• Eurasia – In Sri Lanka, partners have provided two weeks’ worth of food for 1,000 families. A majority of these families are headed by daily wage earners who, as a result of the lockdown, have had no means of earning money.
• Europe – Convoy of Hope Europe held distributions in Slovakia, Bulgaria, and the cities of Bilbao and Zaragoza in Spain. People in five additional Spanish cities were served through our ongoing partnership with Fiet Gratia.
• Latin America & the Caribbean – Our teams in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras are preparing to feed more than 1,700 families in the next few weeks. In addition, a cargo flight sponsored by the U.S. military will carry more than 45 pallets of product to San Salvador this Saturday. This product, in combination with more than 2,000 hygiene kits delivered by United Airlines, will help us serve hundreds more families affected by the pandemic in El Salvador.
• Oceania – Convoy of Hope Australia continues to supply masks to people around the country. There has recently been a large uptake in mask requests from the state of Victoria, which is experiencing a strict lockdown and requiring masks to be worn for the next six weeks.

Response in Numbers

Individuals Served	802,995
Meals Served*	16,375,909
Countries Served	31
Masks Distributed	237,300
Hygiene Kits Distributed	21,247
WASH Training Participants Engaged	52,489
Churches, Organizations & Partners Engaged	1,145
Communities Served	790

*Includes meals distributed through Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding initiative.

July 29, 2020 | 2:15 p.m.

Convoy’s team in the Philippines has been working relentlessly to make sure those across the islands are cared for during the COVID-19 pandemic. They created the video posted below to share the good work they’ve been doing during these trying last few months.

Response in Numbers

Individuals Served	742,667
Meals Served*	14,305,024
Countries Served	31
Masks Distributed	235,160
Hygiene Kits Distributed	20,897
WASH Training Participants Engaged	48,985
Churches, Organizations & Partners Engaged	1,130
Communities Served	805

*Includes meals distributed through Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding initiative.

July 29, 2020 | 2:21 p.m.

Below are the latest international updates by region regarding Convoy’s response to COVID-19.

• Africa — The closure of churches in Togo has created a crisis for local pastors whose livelihood normally comes from weekly church offerings. This week, the team in Togo distributed dry food rations to 200 pastors in the east central region. Distributions in Ethiopia to children in our strategic school-feeding program continue through local partners.
• Asia Pacific — Metro Manila was placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine. The government found it a necessary step to relieve exhausted frontline medical associations and to decrease cases of COVID-19.
• Eurasia — In Sri Lanka, partners have provided two weeks’ worth of food for 1,000 families. A majority of these families are headed by daily wage earners who, as a result of the lockdown, have had no means of earning money.
• Europe — Convoy of Hope Europe held distributions in Slovakia, Bulgaria, and the cities of Bilbao and Zaragoza in Spain. People in five additional Spanish cities were served through our ongoing partnership with Fiet Gratia.
• Latin America & the Caribbean — Our teams in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras are preparing to feed more than 1,700 families in the next few weeks. In addition, a cargo flight sponsored by the U.S. military will carry more than 45 pallets of product to San Salvador this Saturday. This product, in combination with more than 2,000 hygiene kits delivered by United Airlines, will serve hundreds more families affected by the pandemic in El Salvador.
• Oceania — Convoy of Hope Australia continues to supply masks to people around the country. There has recently been a large uptake in mask requests from the state of Victoria, which is experiencing a strict lockdown and requiring masks to be worn for the next six weeks.

July 20, 2020 | 4:45 p.m.

Convoy of Hope began working in El Salvador in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch devastated the country. While continuing to aid affected Central American countries in the wake of recurring natural disasters, Convoy of Hope launched the Children’s Feeding initiative in El Salvador in 2007. We’ve been spreading hope there ever since.

Despite the hardships brought on by COVID-19, Convoy of Hope is committed to feeding the children and families in Children’s Feeding. Each of these 300,000 lives are important, and we want to make sure they are well-fed with bright futures ahead of them.

Much thought goes into the types of food we send to each country. We also value the feedback we get from each program, since it helps us know what kinds of food we should send to each location.

“Out of the soup mix that is donated, our beneficiaries prepare different recipes,” says Winny Menéndez, National Director for Convoy of Hope El Salvador. “If they do not have many ingredients to work with, they only add water. But they also prepare it with herbs we use for cooking, such as chipilin or mora, or they add chicken. The children love it!”

Another favorite ingredient in El Salvador is dried peaches. This versatile ingredient is blended and used in drinks and jams, cooked in a regional dish called dulce de panela, or just eaten as-is.

“This is very helpful for them because they can’t afford to offer a drink along with the meal, so the dried peach adds a great value to the meal and children really enjoy it,” says Winny.

Convoy of Hope’s commitment to the children of El Salvador is unwavering. Thank you for helping us continue to feed these amazing kids.

July 15, 2020 | 2:15 p.m.

Teressa and her husband were street food vendors who used to go out and sell from their cart every day. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Philippines, they lost their only livelihood and are now uncertain if and when they can get back to work.

That doesn’t mean Teressa isn’t finding solutions. She currently sews facemasks to provide for their daily needs. It helps them get by, but they still struggle to put food on the table. That’s why they were overjoyed when they received supplies from Convoy of Hope. The very day they received food was the day they had run out of rice.

Stories like this continue to pour in from around the world. Convoy of Hope is thankful for the support of donors and partners. Without them, we couldn’t keep helping people like Teressa.

Below are the latest international updates by region regarding Convoy’s response to COVID-19.

• Africa — Tanzania hosted a training event for 158 educational leaders over the weekend that covered COVID-19 and WASH training. Togo continues to distribute food and hygiene kits, recently delivering meals to more than 500 individuals in eight different communities. The Convoy of Hope Kenya team recently distributed food and hygiene kits to 60 individuals and take-home rations through local schools.

• Eurasia — Emergency distributions of take-home rations and hot meals continue in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
• Latin America & the Caribbean — A donated commercial cargo flight will provide more than 2,000 hygiene kits to El Salvador this week. Our teams in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras are finishing up the third month of distributions for pastors and community leaders who have been affected by the virus.
• Oceania — Utilizing the partnership of Novotel, approximately 1,000 food kits will be distributed to employees of all other Novotels within the state of New South Wales that have experienced a reduction in hours. The relief supplies will also be given to families who are in a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

July 8, 2020 | 2 p.m.

Below are the latest international updates by region regarding Convoy’s response to COVID-19.

• Africa — Our teams provided COVID-19 awareness and prevention training to different audiences throughout Tanzania, including community health workers and church leaders. The training included the provision of hygiene items and locally-made hand washing machines.
• Eurasia — Emergency distributions of take-home rations and hot meals continue in Bangladesh in response to both COVID-19 and Cyclone Amphan. Our team in Nepal continues to do distributions as well.
• Europe — In Bulgaria, distributions have been very well received within the Roma communities of Nessebar, Bulgaria. Our team in Europe is assessing and developing project proposals for long-term involvement as they recognize the continued need for empowerment. Church partners in Amiens, France, are hoping to start distributions to nearby communities soon. There has been great success with COVID-19 training at the Bira Camp in Bosnia,where 400 refugees received information on awareness and prevention.
• Latin America & the Caribbean — In Guatemala, each Children’s Feeding participant received bags of food that included an educational flyer on COVID-19 prevention measures. This past week, 1,500 relief packages were assembled and delivered to church leaders for distribution to pastoral families in Nicaragua. The second phase of distributions to pastoral families took place this week in Honduras. Additionally, the team began new deliveries to the children involved in our Children’s Feeding initiative. The team aims to reach 50,000 children in the next three weeks.
• Oceania — The team in Australia delivered 3,500 masks to the Novotel in Sydney, which is operating as a quarantine hotel for residents of New South Wales who are arriving from overseas. Through the connection, RVTLS Church has also served the Novotel with more than 350 food kits for staff whose hours have been significantly cut back. Free warehouse space has been provided through an existing church relationship at Forbes in rural New South Wales. Their generosity will assist with storing and distributing large quantities of goods for rural and remote areas of New South Wales.

Response in Numbers

Individuals Served	712,428
Meals Served*	13,259,151
Countries Served	30
Masks Distributed	228,050
Hygiene Kits Distributed	15,552
WASH Training Participants Engaged	40,635
Churches, Organizations & Partners Engaged	1,108
Communities Served	752

*Includes meals distributed through Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding initiative. 

July 1, 2020

Below are the latest international updates by region regarding Convoy’s response to COVID-19.

• Africa — In Ethiopia, implementing partners procured food rations for the third round of distributions that will occur in the coming weeks. Last week, church leaders in Tanzania gathered to reassess needs created in communities as a result of COVID-19 and to strategize for future relief efforts.
  Partners in Togo will carry out another distribution of corn and rice in the coming days.
• Asia Pacific — As the Philippines continues to lift restrictions, the government is focusing on specific cities where there is an increase in COVID-19 cases. June 23 was the highest increase in cases the country has seen, with 1,150 people infected. Despite the rise in cases, our in-country team continues to distribute relief supplies to families in need.
• Eurasia — Agriculture initiatives were launched in all of Nepal’s project areas this week. We distributed orange and lemon saplings, as well as other agricultural supplies in Petku, Samurai, and Kimtang.
• Europe — During World Refugee Day, the Convoy of Hope Europe team had the opportunity to serve refugees at Harmanli Camp in Bulgaria during a small Community Event in their honor. Distribution continues in Greece to families in need. Additionally, relief products are being staged in Paris and distributions will last for four weeks.
• Latin America & the Caribbean — Distributions continue in Honduras and Guatemala to pastoral families and other vulnerable people. In Guatemala, two additional schools received take home rations. Because of strong regional partnerships, more than 3 million meals have been distributed to families affected by COVID-19 in Puerto Rico.

Response in Numbers

Individuals Served	678,224
Meals Served*	12,330,291
Countries Served	30
Masks Distributed	228,050
Hygiene Kits Distributed	14,668
WASH Training Participants Engaged	37,445
Churches, Organizations & Partners Engaged	1,042
Communities Served	728

*Includes meals distributed through Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding program.

June 25, 2020 | 5:35 p.m.

Around the world, Convoy of Hope is partnering with local churches, businesses, civic groups, and health organizations to bring much-needed food and supplies to those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our team in Europe is equipping groups across the continent with the supplies they need to make a difference in their communities. Watch this video to see the difference you’re helping them make by partnering with Convoy of Hope.

June 24, 2020 | 3:40 p.m.

Life is not easy where Marivel and her family live. Their house in the Philippines sits next to a creek that overflows whenever the hard rain hits their community. And yet they press on, sending their kids to school and working toward a better future.

Marivel is the mother of two children, both of which are participants in Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding program. Last November, Marivel joined one of Convoy’s Mothers’ Clubs and began volunteering her time to serve meals at the program center.

Then COVID-19 hit, complicating her already difficult life. When their community locked down, Marivel lost her part-time job as a maid and her husband couldn’t find work as a construction mason. To feed their children, they are attempting to sell black pepper and condiments in their local market.

Fortunately, Convoy of Hope has supplied Marivel and her family with take-home rations of food. The meals they’ve received are irreplaceable during this time. With her eyes full of tears, Marivel expressed her thanks to everyone who has provided meals for her and her children.

“I am very grateful to Convoy of Hope because the food ration is such a big help,” she says. “I am very much grateful.”

June 19, 2020 | 11:40 a.m.

COVID-19 has affected all of Convoy of Hope’s international programming projects in some way. However, team members and partners around the world continue to serve people living in difficult circumstances due to disaster, humanitarian, and COVID-19 related situations.

As requests and needs around the world continue to skyrocket, Convoy of Hope and partners around the world are helping as many families and communities impacted by COVID-19 as possible.

• Africa — Partners in Kenya continue to distribute meals, hygiene kits, and masks to include three new locations where children were only receiving one meal a day. Because of generous donations, children are now receiving 3 to 4 meals a day, depending on household size. Additionally, partners in Kenya provided take-home rations to two schools that will last at least three days. Tanzania partners continue to distribute hygiene kits and train individuals on the local hand washing machine.
• Asia Pacific — Due to elevated numbers of COVID-19 infections, the national government in the Philippines has extended the community quarantines until June 30. Public transportation is still not fully functional. Despite these restrictions, Convoy of Hope continues to distribute relief supplies to several families in need with the blessing of the local governments.
• Eurasia — Due to restrictions in place for COVID-19, travel to various districts within Bangladesh are very difficult and limits distribution of relief products. COVID-19 and Cyclone Amphan distributions continue throughout the region.
• Europe — Supplies and groceries continue to be distributed in Madrid and to a refugee population in Athens. Several locations across the region are expecting the delivery of product soon, while others have received product and are preparing it for distribution. In Spain, Fiet Gratia continues to deliver goods to victims of human trafficking. At the end of this week, a special Community Event for a refugee population in Bulgaria will take place.
• Latin America & the Caribbean — Early this week, restrictions in El Salvador that were previously hindering field activity were lifted, allowing distributions to increase. Other distributions continue across Guatemala and Nicaragua.
• Oceania — Convoy of Hope Australia continues to distribute food and goods to families in need across Australia. Because of partnerships with several churches in the country, the team has been able to give out 145,000 meals to families affected by COVID-19.

June 16, 2020 | 3:30 p.m.

Convoy of Hope team members from all over the world are sending in pictures of Convoy’s international response to COVID-19 — of people delivering relief to others on six continents as the pandemic and its effects continue to grow.

Thus far, Convoy of Hope has delivered more than 9 million meals in our international COVID-19 response.

June 10, 2020 | 4:45 p.m.

Just like in the United States, COVID-19 has hit the people of the Philippines hard. To make matters worse, a massive typhoon recently struck the island nation. Watch how the Convoy of Hope team in the Philippines is reaching out and spreading hope during this difficult time.

June 8, 2020 | 4:50 p.m.

The Convoy of Hope team in Tanzania is still serving people throughout the country despite difficulties brought on by COVID-19. They are focused on doing everything they can to protect children and community members against the effects of the virus.

In the Tanzania’s Women’s Empowerment program, women have found a new confidence and boldness in finding ways to solve the problems they face. Training has been transformative and has helped them gain the self-realization and determination they need to change for the best.

“After the training, I went home and started my own group of 10 women,” said Ana, one of the women in the program. “We made an agreement to start changing the grass-roof houses we currently have. That way, everyone will have a house covered with iron sheets and we can stop the worry we have during the rainy season.”

Additionally, 62 girls were trained on COVID-19 awareness, goal setting, and menstrual hygiene. Girls were provided with hand sanitizer, face masks, and hygiene towels. Community volunteers for Girls’ Empowerment are highly engaged and motivated to bring girls to the training.

Thankfully, everyone in the Tanzania office has remained healthy. Their good work has given hope to so many during a tumultuous time. Convoy is thankful for everything they do.

May 26, 2020 | 11:15 a.m.

As the coronavirus continues to affect millions, the stories of families Convoy of Hope has helped keep pouring in. Convoy hears time and time again how hope is being restored in people who have struggled to find it during this pandemic.

In Guatemala, a farmer named Yolanda had been struggling to feed her three children for years. She had recently joined Convoy of Hope’s Agriculture program — and then COVID-19 hit.

“A few weeks before I was praying and cried to the Lord with tears in my eyes that He would provide me with a new hoe and rake so that I could continue working the land during this time,” she said. “When I heard about the coronavirus outbreak, I was sad because I thought that the trainings were going to be cancelled.”

Thankfully, while practicing proper social distancing, Convoy of Hope proceeded with Yolanda’s training and equipped her with a new hoe and rake. “It has been an answer to the prayers I was making these last weeks,” she said.” Thank you so much for your help Convoy of Hope. God bless you.”

Without faithful supporters, helping women like Yolanda would not be possible.

Below are the latest international updates by region.

• Africa — We have distributed family kits with maize, beans, and cooking oil to more than 1,200 families in Kenya.
• Asia Pacific — Convoy of Hope has already distributed more than 35,000 meals in the Philippines in response to COVID-19. Distributions to multiple areas are underway as requests continue to pour in.
• Eurasia — In Bangladesh, meal kits have been provided for 1,000 families. In Nepal, 800 families were provided with food rations in coordination with the local government.
• Europe — The Convoy of Hope Europe team is preparing to ramp up distribution activities in the coming weeks. Plans include distributions to nearly 10,000 beneficiaries living inside some of the most vulnerable communities in Austria, Bulgaria, England, France, Greece, Moldova, Slovakia, and Spain.
• Latin America & Caribbean — Convoy of Hope teams in Central America continue to provide relief to families across the region. In-country teams are preparing to serve 7,700 families in need with food support and distribute seeds to families for home gardens.
• Oceania — Convoy of Hope Australia has distributed relief boxes to communities recently affected by wildfires. They are exploring partnerships with churches and organizations across much of Australia and New Zealand to serve in even more locations.

May 7, 2020 | 2:35 p.m.

With her community and country under lockdown due to COVID-19, Andrea, a Convoy of Hope volunteer in El Salvador, was watching a massive problem unfold in her community. They were out of food.

But Convoy of Hope stepped in and filled that need. Despite the police and military enforcing mobilization restrictions for the rest of the area, two police officers accompanied Andrea to the warehouse to pick up food for 300 families.

Later that same day, she sent pictures and a video of the food being distributed. With tears in her eyes, her words of gratitude and appreciation confirmed her story and the story of many families who cannot work due to quarantine.

Stories like this are all too frequent these days as Convoy of Hope responds to the growing need around the world caused by COVID-19. Thus far, Convoy has distributed nearly 2.5 million meals in 19 countries. In the countries where Convoy of Hope has regular programming, teams are working diligently to ensure that every child receives the essential nutrients they need.

In addition to meals, Convoy of Hope has distributed more than 86,000 face masks, distributed approximately 1,600 hygiene kits, and trained 15,000 people in WASH and COVID-19 awareness.

Below are the latest international updates by region.

• Africa — Distributions continue in program countries as they continue to provide food for Convoy of Hope program beneficiaries, their families, and other families in need. A partner in Togo will be procuring and distributing dry food rations to approximately 1,750 families.
• Eurasia — Work in Sri Lanka is ongoing. Distributions through field partners in both countries are able to continue because we have been given special access by local authorities to distribute relief supplies.
• Europe — Distributions of emergency food items and medical supplies have begun in Moldova, with a plan to broaden these distributions across Europe next week. In Spain, a partnership with Fiet Gratia will soon provide emergency resources for some of the most vulnerable families in the region.
• Latin America & Caribbean — Convoy of Hope’s response is underway across Central America, serving hundreds of communities with needed food relief. These communities are struggling with the economic fallout due to COVID-19. The distribution of groceries continues in Puerto Rico, serving struggling families across the island. As of May 1, Convoy has distributed 52,431 meals.
• Oceania — Convoy of Hope Australia continues to distribute masks to hospitals, aged care facilities, front-line community services, and hotels used to quarantine overseas travelers. The Australia team is also distributing family food kits via local churches and partners in various communities affected by COVID-19.

May 1, 2020 | 11 a.m.

In some ways, people in Kenya are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic just like those in the United States. In other ways, things look very different. Across Kenya, there is a curfew from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., travel between counties has been halted, and jobs are being lost at an alarming rate. Burglaries and abuse are rising rapidly.

Many people in Kenya, especially those in lower-income areas, earn their wages by working as day laborers. “Mentally, guys are not doing well. Many people have been laid off,” said Convoy of Hope team member Naomi Ateng. “Most people are not able to work right now. If you look at the industries, you’ll find that most shops have reduced the number of employees.”

As the situation in Kenya becomes more desperate, Convoy of Hope is maintaining Children’s Feeding and Agriculture programming, while addressing new needs generated by the pandemic. Because schools are closed, Convoy of Hope teams and local school partners are coordinating with parents and children to come to the school on a staggered basis to receive take-home rations.

“We’re trying to ensure that by the time schools open, we don’t have severe cases of malnutrition. During this time, we know many of them are surviving on maybe one meal a day,” said Ateng.

Going beyond normal programming, local partners are distributing additional meals around the country to communities suffering from COVID-19. In addition to supplying meals, soap, and disinfectants, training on proper hygiene and social distancing are being taught. Convoy of Hope team members are focusing many of these efforts in densely populated urban areas, where an outbreak of the virus would be catastrophic.

While distributing relief in one urban area, residents told staff members, “God bless you. We’ve heard of you. We’ve heard you feed the children.”

“It was very good,” said Ateng, “because it shows us that this is something that they needed.”

April 28, 2020 | 3:15 p.m.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Convoy of Hope has been fielding requests for assistance from all over the world. At this time, we are focusing on addressing needs in our active program countries and the beneficiaries we already serve. With the need growing around the world, we are closely monitoring other areas and plan to expand our reach as we are able.

Convoy of Hope has already provided more than 150,000 individuals with more than 1.1 million meals in response to the outbreak. These meals have been distributed in addition to the pre-existing Children’s Feeding program, where Convoy provides meals for more than 300,000 children at local program centers.

In addition to providing meals, Convoy of Hope has conducted training in hygiene and sanitation to nearly 14,000 individuals in an effort to help curb the spread of the disease. More than 16,000 face masks have been distributed in affected communities.

• Africa — Several projects are underway across the continent. These projects include food and hygiene relief in Kenya, food relief for an orphanage in Togo, and both food relief and sanitation and hygiene training in Tanzania.
• Eurasia — Projects are taking place in Sri Lanka. Dry food rations will be distributed to 1,000 families.
• Europe — Convoy of Hope is initiating a plan to serve communities in Moldova, Bulgaria, Spain, France, England, and Austria with bags filled with relief supplies. This project will last several months and includes the distribution of food to vulnerable families. In Moldova, distributions of food relief through local partners to 10 small communities have already begun. Convoy of Hope partners will also distribute personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer to smaller hospitals.
• Latin America — There are three priorities of response in the Latin America region. Convoy’s first priority is to continue serving existing program beneficiaries. The second priority is to serve vulnerable populations (women, children, and elderly individuals) by distributing food and hygiene items. Distribution of food and supplies in Puerto Rico is already taking place.
• Oceania — As positive cases for COVID-19 continue to rise in Australia, requests for masks continue increasing as well. The Convoy of Hope Australia team is actively vetting each request and providing N-95 masks whenever possible.

Convoy of Hope would like to thank everyone who continues to support our work around the world amid this global pandemic. Caring for at-risk communities overseas remains one of the highest priorities during this time.

To see what Convoy of Hope is doing here in the U.S., click here.

April 3, 2020 | 4:57 p.m.

In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Convoy of Hope is pressing forward with international work. Our aim during this time is to help communities respond to the pandemic while continuing to feed, train, and equip those who are already in Convoy of Hope programming. 

What impact is COVID-19 having on Convoy of Hope’s international work? All 18 countries where Convoy of Hope has regular ongoing program activity have been affected by the pandemic. The impact has disrupted normalcy of life, resulting in school closures and a negative economic impact on families and communities.

Are children still being fed through the Children’s Feeding initiative? While the majority of children are not receiving food in schools due to closures, our teams and partners are making alternative arrangements wherever possible through local churches and other partners to ensure food is available to the children and families we serve.

What happens to the Agriculture and Women’s Empowerment programs? Our teams on the ground are working hard to stay engaged with the people we serve through digital communication and phone calls. We are also in the process of creating new, innovative ways to ensure progress can still be made during events such as these.

How is COVID-19 impacting team members in the field? The health and safety of team members is a top priority for Convoy of Hope. Like in the U.S., the majority of in-country staff is working from home. Only a few essential people are running the warehouses and continuing distributions. We’re asking our teams in the field to lead by example in their communities and follow the guidance of local health authorities. Please keep them in your prayers.

Businesses and companies are struggling, so how is Convoy of Hope still providing food to programs? Just like with our domestic response, we have strong relationships with suppliers that continue to provide donations of food and supplies. Additionally, we are monitoring the ability to import food and making contingency plans for local purchases as needed. 

Thank you for your continued support during this time of great need. To see what Convoy of Hope is doing in the U.S., click here.