Page 29 - MRC Newsletter Ed-1 (2021)
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Mogotsi  cautioned  however,  that  provided most of the assistance to  stressed that access to clean
       “while these  measures  are  seen  the  elderly within  their  midst, who  water  is  also  to  be  identified  as  a
       as  greatly  beneficial  to  the  fight  needed  special care  given  their  prerequisite  in  the  fight  against
       against the pandemic's spread,  susceptibility  to COVID-19.” More  COVID-19 and that access to clean
       we must be aware of the dynamics  specifically,  in  some  rural  areas  of   drinking water in rural areas, informal
       that unfold in the care economy,  Namibia, Ms Mogotsi indicates that     settlements and among the urban
       and the burden it places on women  since many women  have to  walk       poor  must remain a necessity. By
       and  mothers  since  in  the  large  several kilometres to collect water   way of concluding,  Ms Mogotsi
       majority of cases, it is  the women  in order for the household members   suggested  and emphasised that,
       who will take care of the children”.  to comply to the COVID 19 safety   “Namwater, municipalities and
       Ms Mogotsi  further  enlightened  regulations  of  washing  hands        village  councils  in collaboration
       that  for  some  women,  remote  frequently,  “multiple trips have to    with various government agencies
       work  meant  a  double  burden  as  be made to water points and all      must urgently act on the directives
       they had to juggle their office work  these added some more workload
       from home; attend to children, and  to  women’s  household  chores,”     of the  Ministry of Information  &
       assist children with online schooling  she concluded.                    Communication        Technologies,
       or home schooling where that was                                         Hon.  Peya  Mushelenga  for  the
       possible. She further stated that for  One  central  impact of  COVID19   reconnection   of  disconnected
       the  majority  of  women,  given  the  on  women  has been  centred  on   water  supplies as a  measure  to
       jobs they  occupy such as being  its economic and social impacts         fight COVID-19.”
       domestic workers and supermarket  on  women.  There  has been fear
       employees, working  from home  that many women who work  in  What  lessons can  we  learn  from
       was not a viable  option as their  underpaid jobs are in danger  of  this analysis? Ms Mogotsi asserts
       work  was  classified  as  essential  losing their jobs and that restrictions  that  one  great  lesson as equally
       services.                            that  were  imposed on  street  asserted by other scholars such as
                                            vendors as a measure to prevent  Claire Wenham, Julia Smith and
       Some  examples from  countries  the spread of Coronavirus have  Rosemary Morgan is that “women
       such  as China,  Italy and  South  robbed a lot of women of their much  should be fully incorporated  into
       Korea have shown that the closure  needed  income  as emphasised         global health security surveillance,
       of schools as a measure to control  by Ms Mogotsi,  when  she  averred   detection,     and     prevention
       COVID-19 transmission has severely  that;  “You  see, women-headed       mechanisms, given their front-line
       affected  the  work  and  economic  households usually  have a lower     interaction  with   communities”.
       opportunities  of  women  since it  income. Yet, the introduction of the   Although  the WHO itself has
       means that they have to take on  epidemic has pushed up the price        recognised the importance of
       extra child care duties. The pressing  of  protective  equipment  such  as   including  women  in  the  fight
       question that many Namibians  anti-bacterial gels, gloves or simply      against epidemics, Ms Mogotsi is
       need an answer to, therefore  is,  soaps. This meant that poor women
       “How did women in Namibia take  had  a  difficult  choice  to  manage    worried that the majority of policy
       care  of  their  children  during  the  between  buying food  to survive   forums discussing responses to the
       pandemic period?”                    during  quarantine  and  buying     Coronavirus  still involve very few
                                            sanitisers, soaps and gloves”       women.  She therefore  strongly
       Ms Mogotsi asserts that “As primary                                      advises that if Namibia is to find a
       caregivers,  women     were    not    The researcher suggests that if the   more  effective  approach  to  fight
       only at risk of losing their jobs as a  negative impacts of the COVID-19   against the virus, “We must make
       result of the impact of COVID-19  pandemic on  women  are  to  be        the right decisions and involve more
       on the economy,  but they also  reduced  then,  “the  distribution  of  women  in  decision-making  about
       had    their  domestic   workload    essential goods to poor households  COVID-19 for a more effective fight
       increased.   Apart   from   taking   should be considered for effective  against the virus, for the well-being
       care  of  the  children,  they  also  disease  control.” Similarly, she  of women, and all Namibians!”.





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