We hope that you, your families and friends are keeping well and safe at this difficult time. Now, more than ever, the health and safety of our volunteers is EPAfrica’s priority.
Following formal discussions over the past week about the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have considered the ability for EPAfrica to run the 2020 Summer Programme in East Africa. Our Directors and Trustees have taken the difficult decision to not go ahead with the Programme this year.
The Directors and Trustees have a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of volunteers and to ensure that we do not take any undue risks for our people or for the wider charity. We know it may seem early to be making a final decision about the progress of the summer, but we feel it is necessary on several logistical counts. Firstly, the changing nature of this pandemic makes it very difficult to plan ahead, both for us as a charity and for our volunteers committing to a long time away from their families and a significant fundraising ask. Secondly, as Foreign and Commonwealth Office guidance is currently advising against ‘all but essential international travel’, it would be irresponsible of us to continue planning a Summer Programme in East Africa. Finally, we would potentially be putting our partner schools at risk, were we to be ‘carriers’ of COVID-19 and introduce it into the community.
Please bear with us during this time of uncertainty. We remain only volunteers, doing this alongside our day jobs and personal lives, which may have suddenly become much more time-consuming or stressful.
We will be contacting all of our partner schools individually and hope that you are all well and safe during this difficult time.
More information will be published in due course, but thank you for your interest in EPAfrica and please – look after yourselves and stay safe.