COVID-19 Global Relief Effort

June 5 | To date, 5,910 individuals have received aid via LJI in Zimbabwe! Our team shared many stories and pictures from a recent distribution there. One volunteer said, "As I gave out the food baskets, I saw such joy and relief in the families we were helping, and I was so touched. What really touched me was that some of them had slept without eating, and their cries had been heard and answered. I rejoiced with them as they thanked God who has shown them such love.”

One recipient was in the hospital when we were distributing the provisions, but our team was able to supply her children with food. She has since returned home healthy from the hospital, and she shared, “I would like to say thank you for the food my family received when I was so sick in the hospital. It was comforting to know that they were being provided for. I have no way to show how grateful I am. May God bless you so much.”

June 4 | Our team in Cambodia has been delivering hot meals to daily wage earners each evening from Monday through Friday to fight starvation and hunger due to COVID-19 shutdowns.

"We give out 30 meals nightly but could easily hand out 50+. We are seeing the same 30–45 women each night. … They are some of Phnom Penh's most vulnerable. The virus situation has left them with little to no income. Many are having to sell what little possessions they have, and some have even been kicked out of their homes."—Team Member in Cambodia

June 1 | In this distribution, 49 families received aid in South Asia. Most of the recipients are concrete makers and sand collectors who have been lacking work due to the COVID-19 lockdown. They live near the bank of a river, and our trusted contact, a pastor, helped us identify them.

May 31 | Most of the people working in Alexandra, South Africa, are daily wage earners who have been hit hard by their inability to work during the lockdowns. Our trusted contact Philemon runs an NGO called Blessed Are the Givers and works as a junior pastor in Alexandra. He established a feeding program for 400 school children, and it has been put on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions. Philemon said, “I worry about the kids I used to feed because I know their parents aren’t working now. What will they eat?” He is now working with an NGO called Leaves of Healing which sources food to give to the communities. Recently, Love Justice partnered with Leaves of Healing to identify vulnerable people and supply food to those who need it most.

In response to the shutdowns, Leaves of Healing has set up a temporary feeding program, operating out of a small two-by-two meter home that houses a kitchen, bedroom, and lounge all in one. Volunteers work in the kitchen, a makeshift emergency cooking room, and each day, they fill about five large pots in preparation for the rush of 300 children who reside in the nearby squatter camp. Philemon said, “We just want to make sure they get something everyday, even if there is no meat—something that just fills their stomachs.” Our team spoke with several women who helped start this feeding program, and one of them named Florie said, “Most of the people aren’t working, and the kids aren’t going to school. So, people are hungry; we had to help them.” These amazing women walk around Alexandra each day asking people for food to cook. Florie said, “We feed about 300, but there are always more who we have to turn away.” By partnering with them, Love Justice was able to provide 1,875 highly fortified meals, aimed at staving off the hidden hunger that comes from a diet consisting of limited nutrients. Join us in providing necessary food to those who need it most!

May 29 | This distribution was made possible by our trusted contact, a pastor, who has been running a community kitchen to serve food to jobless villagers. We partnered with him to provide cooked meals for four consecutive days, delivering a total of 3,600 meals. Each day, the beneficiaries received one meal consisting of rice, lentils, soybeans, eggs, and other vegetables. Most of the recipients are daily wage laborers who earn their livelihood by working as construction workers, carpenters, quarry laborers, etc.

Our contact said he couldn't collect any quotes because "people were eating"—something to celebrate! Thankfully, since that distribution, the pastor has been able to receive enough funds from other donors and sources to continue his community kitchen.

May 28 | Our COVID-19 Global Relief Effort projects have now begun in Liberia! In this first distribution, we partnered with Provision of Hope to identify and provide food for 65 individuals who are either blind or living with other disabilities. Afterwards, extra food was given out until everything was gone. There is so much need, but we are excited to see our relief work expand more in this country.

May 27 | We completed our first distribution in Ghana in two phases at Buduburam Refugee Camp where we delivered essential supplies to 62 individuals who were in desperate need of food. The beneficiaries included widows, single mothers, and young children. We were able to give them packages of food, water, face masks, and hand sanitizer—enough provisions to last two weeks.

May 26 | Through trusted partners in the Philippines, we were able to deliver 375 meals to the neediest in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. For this distribution, the recipients were primarily families who lost their jobs due to the shutdowns. Many of them worked as laborers, seamstresses, drivers, porters, vegetable vendors, etc. Our trusted contact said, "Thanks to our donors—whose love of God is overflowing from their hearts to others."

May 24 | Love Justice Uganda distributed their third phase of aid. Many amazing testimonies came out of these deliveries. One of our field monitors said, "I could not control my tears of joy to see this family after sharing that they were starving already. The wife could not help but cry because she least expected such a miracle. The children were very happy and excited. It was an amazing experience. I have seen the reality of the love of Christ through working with LJI."

One beneficiary in particular said, "I am a single mother of eight children. I am a private school teacher who supports my family through my job; unfortunately the situation has negatively affected us. I feed my children with one meal per day, and sometimes we sleep on an empty stomach. I am very grateful for the help that LJI extended to us through the provision of these food items. My children are happy, and we pray that God will bless you." 

May 22 | LJI Bangladesh distributed to 50 families in Jessore.

"We distributed rice, lentils, cooking oil, potatoes, onion, salt, soap. This would last for about 3–5 days. People in this area are now suffering a lot. Most of them are daily laborers. ... During present COVID-19 situation, it is getting impossible for them to provide food to their children because they have no work or jobs to do to earn."—LJI team member

May 21 | In this project, 223 individuals (57 families) were identified through recommendations from the Beautiful Dream Society, one of our trusted partners in Lesotho. The needs of these potential beneficiaries were confirmed through local officials including village chiefs and pastors. The recipients were orphaned children, families with the extra burden of feeding children who no longer receive a meal at school, and individuals and families who are unable to work because of the shutdowns.

Prior to the COVID-19 lockdown, a 9-year-old girl would frequently come to a feeding program, carrying her 4-year-old sister on her back. Our team learned that their mother has died, and the two sisters are being cared for by their dad who struggles to make ends meet. When our partners took the food packages to their home, they found out that they live in an unfinished house with no windows. Our contact said, "Their father welcomed us and shared a little bit of how hard it is to take care of small girls on his own. They were very happy to receive the food parcels, and he said most of the time the 9-year-old girl has to take care of her younger sister when he goes out to look for small jobs. He said the food parcels would help them because he has not been getting any jobs because of the pandemic and lockdown, and the girls have had to go days without food."

May 20 | A group of grandmothers who support their families by knitting and selling their products in Diepsloot, South Africa, have been drastically struggling to make an income during the lockdown. To help these “gogos” earn money, Love Justice South Africa donated sewing kits and materials to them so they could make and sell 1,400 masks. In many communities in South Africa, grandmothers are the sole providers for extended family members, and they rely on their pensions to support many people.

So far, we have been able to distribute 700 of these masks to city workers, police officers, security teams, sanitation workers, as well as pensioners and children in surrounding areas who did not have masks. During distribution, we also provided education on the usefulness and necessity of wearing a mask.

May 18 | Our team returned to a slum area where they delivered essential supplies last month. This time, they distributed 161 bags of rice to recipients who were all in desperate need once again. One beneficiary told our team that she had just used up the last of her rice supply from last month's distribution. She shared that she had been afraid for her children and did not know what they would eat if she couldn’t make any money that night. When our team showed up with enough rice to feed them for another month, she was completely overwhelmed with gratitude and said, “Whenever I am struggling, God always shows up to bless me!” 

Regarding the recipients of this distribution, one of our trusted contacts shared, "It was fun for them to see God continue to provide for their needs. Thanks for making such a big impact here protecting vulnerable persons and helping them in their time of crisis."

May 17 | We have started distributions in the Philippines! More than 500 packs of essential supplies were delivered. Here is a note from our trusted contacts: "We were able to finally get the food packs distributed this week. We went to one area and distributed some of the food packs. The rest were given to different areas where they had not been given any packs at all and government help had not arrived yet, mostly in the rural areas. Several of our extension pastors in the rural areas told me that their members had not received any help from the government yet, so I distributed the rest of the food packs among them. Many of these people are very poor, so I felt that this would be what you would have wanted us to do. What a joy to see people’s faces light up when they get the food packs!"

May 15 | This distribution effort took place at one of the tea plantations in South Asia that produces the renowned Darjeeling tea. One of our staff members is a resident of the village, and when he realized his neighbors’ urgent need, he immediately informed our team. Packets of rice, flour, lentils, cooking oil, soybeans, potatoes, and onions were provided to 212 individuals—enough food to last for at least a month.

Due to the ongoing lockdown, the tea-producing estates and factories have closed, so the recipients no longer have a source of income. As daily wage earners, they have been surviving on only one meal per day and were on the verge of starvation because they were rapidly running out of food.

One beneficiary said, "The manner in which the organization and the donors have opened their hearts out with love and compassion, yet remaining behind the curtains to provide us all these support of food essentials, we are very much delighted and appreciate the wonderful gesture. We can now survive for many days to come. And we pray to God that He blesses you and your work abundantly, to be able to reach out to more of such people in need and distress."

May 13 | Sometimes in this relief work, it is hard to see past the numbers. We've distributed to over 21,000 individuals so far. But each of these numbers represents a complex life, an unfinished story, specific dreams, particular struggles, and unique hopes. We wanted to share one recipient's story today to help paint that picture.

Our staff recently distributed to a single mother who is unemployed. Due to continual violence and spousal abuse, she separated from her husband and now lives with her two sons, the oldest of which suffers from depression. Because of the lockdown, she has been running out of food and money. She does not receive any support from her husband, and she is unable to get relief distributed by the government. As the sole provider for her family, she has become increasingly worried about how she is going to continue feeding her children.

Thankfully, our team came in contact with her and was able to provide her relief aid of rice, cooking oil, lentils, and sugar. She expressed her deepest gratitude to our staff for their assistance. Our team member said, "She was overwhelmed with joy to get support in such a hard situation that her family was going through. She was thankful for providing her food items to overcome her problems in some ways."

May 12 | The staff of Love Justice Bangladesh completed another delivery of aid to their neighbors in Dhaka. Most of the recipients are daily wage earners who work as van pullers, day laborers, rickshaw pullers, tea stall shop owners, etc. As the primary providers for their families, they rely heavily on the small amount of money they earn each day. During the COVID-19 lockdown, they are all out of work, and it is becoming impossible for them to provide food for their children. Our team was able to distribute rice, lentils, cooking oil, potatoes, onion, salt, and soap—enough provisions to last for up to five days.

One beneficiary said, “During this COVID-19 pandemic, we were passing very hard time with our family. I do not have work during lockdown. Last 45 days we are in home without work. We don’t have food, so I was looking for some help. At the right time your team came to me and today gave me some help. This food will help our family for next couple of days to live. We will pray to Allah [God], and Allah will bless you all more.”

May 11 | The LJI Sierra Leone team reached around 100 households, many with 10 individuals living in each, to deliver essential goods. Many of the recipients had nothing to eat and were extremely grateful to receive the provisions.

The army headquarters sent three soldiers to accompany the LJI team to assist our staff at various checkpoints and to build relationships for future aid deliveries. 

May 10 | LJI Uganda distributed aid in four rural communities and were able to provide essentials to individuals who were all living in desperate conditions.

One beneficiary stated, “With affectionate greetings I am writing to you to express my gratitude and my thoughts for supporting us. There are many things I want to thank you for, but there are no words that describe how happy and thankful I am; without knowing us, you gave us an opportunity to eat in such a time when families are dying of hunger. We had taken three days without food, just taking tea without sugar and popcorn. LJI Uganda sent us money for food, sugar, soap, salt, beans, and vegetables; we are so, so, so humbled and grateful because you have saved us. My children would cry at night asking me for food, and I would tell them Jesus will provide; and He really has!”

May 8 | During a previous distribution, LJI was able to meet a remarkable woman who supports her family off her pension and also provides for 46 foreigners who live on her property. She told our team that when she sees people who are hungry, she can't help but share what she has. Foreigners in South Africa have received no government support during this crisis, and under the current lockdown, they are struggling immensely.

At our previous delivery to this group, we realized that the need was much greater than we had anticipated the first time around. Our staff member said this about her experience with this amazing woman: "Today a lady was breaking down in tears with me out of sheer desperation just for food. She has SO little and shares it with those around her who have nothing—no job, little clothing, and no beds. She lives off a small pension and has many people living with her family. She is their hope at the moment while all of them have lost their jobs and have no way of finding more jobs. She sees trauma in her face every day; she doesn’t have the luxury of turning away from it when life gets too much. She lives with it. This is ONE person’s story amongst thousands. She needs medication and can’t buy it. ... Her bedroom doesn’t even have a door; it’s covered with a sheet. Can you imagine how cold she is at night? Our organization was able to help with food today, and I prayed for her. But when I left, my heart felt overwhelmed with sorrow. ... People should never suffer to this extent under our watch. My heart is utterly broken to see it."

May 6 | LJI Bangladesh was able to distribute essential supplies to 25 needy Muslim families. Most of the recipients are garment factory workers, van pullers, and domestic helpers who live near a contact's church in Dhaka. A pastor at the church, Rev. Judith Milita Das, said, “Every day many needy people and families are coming to our churches for getting some help, especially food for their children. They are living in our church's surrounding area.”

Our team was able to provide packages of rice, dal, cooking oil, potatoes, onions, salt, and soap to these families, and they were all very happy and blessed by our support. “In Dhaka ... the cases of COVID-19 are increasing every day ... we need to respond and support them.” – Rev. Das

May 5 | Most of the recipients of this distribution are day laborers, van pullers, rickshaw pullers, and tea stall shop owners. Our team was able to distribute packages of rice, dal, cooking oil, potatoes, onions, salt, and soap.

The beneficiaries were eagerly awaiting the supplies. During the last few days, they told our team they had been trying very hard to collect some food for their families, but they had been unsuccessful. These food packages will help them tremendously, and every family was very happy to receive them.

May 4 | Our team in South Asia was able to distribute aid to 11 families in desperate need through their local pastor. The recipients are all daily wage workers who have had no work since the lockdown. Our auditor shared about one beneficiary, stating, "She was so happy and couldn't control her happiness and kept saying, ‘Thank you!’ I can't even remember how many times she said it!" 

May 1 | Love Justice Uganda completed their first phase of distributions in multiple villages last week! As they were handing out supplies, our team heard so many amazing stories of resilience, strength, and gratitude from the beneficiaries.

They met a 34-year-old single mother of eight children who had been operating a salon before the COVID-19 outbreak. Following the presidential directives, she was forced to shut down her salon until further notice. Since this was her only source of income, she has been unable to support her family during the lockdown, and she told our team that her biggest problem was feeding her children. Our team was able to give her a package containing maize flour, beans, rice, sugar, soap, and cooking oil—enough food to sustain them for about two weeks. When they received the provisions, they were all grateful to LJI for their help. Her children were smiling, and she said, “Thank you so much! May God multiply your blessings. May He richly bless you!”

April 30 | Living in the slums of Cambodia, these families were already struggling to provide before COVID-19, but now they are in dire need. When they received their packages of food, one of the children exclaimed excitedly, "Yay! Now we have enough rice to eat."

A team member who helped distribute shared, “In an extreme place of desperation, one mother was thinking of selling her children ... but God intervened! She not only received food this month, but we've been able to move her and her family into a safe house for more one-on-one care during this difficult time. Thanks for protecting and providing for them!"

April 29 | LJI Zimbabwe was able to distribute provisions to 130 families—a total of 577 individuals. Each package included mealie meal (a food staple), cooking oil, sugar, salt, soya chunks, dried beans, tea bags, soap, and rice. An average family of four people can survive two weeks with these provisions. 

One beneficiary shared, “We have had nights without food ... and God intervened and met us at the point of our need. I intended to walk 90 kilometers to my rural home to look for maize meal [a type of flour] in order to feed my family, but it's difficult—especially with the presence of police throughout the way. This is a miracle that Love Justice has given us food in the face of a harsh situation."

April 28 | Packets of rice, flour, cooking oil, potatoes, and onions were distributed to 372 individuals—enough provisions to last a month, if not more! The local police granted our teams exemption from the current lockdown restrictions and allowed them to deliver these essential supplies to three different villages in South Asia. The shutdowns have had a severe impact on the already suffering and struggling masses of laborers who rely on their daily wages to survive. With no source of income, these beneficiaries were without food, and some of them are also facing health-related issues. 

When they received their food packages, many of them were overwhelmed with emotion, and some of them burst into tears. An LJI staff member stated, “Several instances of emotional whirlwind engulfed our volunteers as well as the beneficiaries while the distribution was carried out—just realizing the plight of the people where there was so much hardship being faced by them as they shared about their circumstances. Our volunteers felt very blessed to be a part of this; we give glory to God and gratefully appreciate the funding to be able to serve the least of these!”

April 27 | LJI South Africa delivered e’Pap, a nutritious instant porridge, to 1,106 individuals in several locations. The families were extremely poor and in desperate need of food. A team member shared, "There is an incredible spirit of generosity amongst the poor that we have been witness to, a poignant reminder in which we have seen just how many people with very little are supporting others with nothing and how those with nothing are willing to share the little they get with others."

April 27 | This distribution effort was made possible through a local church partner. The beneficiaries are all daily wage earners who work as masons, cobblers, domestic helpers, barbers, drivers, street vendors, etc. They have temporarily lost their jobs due to the shutdowns, and with no income, they are rapidly running out of food. Our team was able to distribute packages of rice, dal, cooking oil, potatoes, onions, salt, and soap—enough provisions to last for about five days! Our staff plans to return to this community as soon as these supplies run out. Lazarus, an LJI team member who assisted with the distribution, said, “They were very pleased and were very thankful to us for this act of generosity. Our help and these food packages will bring some smiles to their children.”

April 26 | Packages of rice, dal, oil, salt, and soap were distributed to 25 daily wage earners through an LJI trusted contact. The beneficiaries that received these essential items are factory workers, drivers, and house painters who rely on their meager daily incomes to survive.

April 22 | LJI helped distribute food to five females living in a women's slum in Cambodia who have not been able to work since the shutdown. When one woman received her bag of food, she was overwhelmed with emotion because she hadn't eaten anything for several days. She told our team that she had taken some mangos from a neighbor's tree earlier that day to try to exchange them with someone for rice. She knew that God had provided a miracle for her, and she kept saying, “Thank you, Jesus!” Another woman told our team that she wasn't sure how she was going to be able to feed her children, and then she was suddenly given rice! She said she recognized it as a gift from God, and she told our team that she was so excited to have something to cook for dinner that evening. 

April 21 | The food distributed in this project was e’Pap, an instant porridge made from wholegrain maize and soybeans that contains all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and energy required for a day. The team chose e'Pap because it is nutritious and will enable people to survive extreme hunger during the lockdown. Plus, it does not require any cooking; it only needs either cold or warm water to be added to it. Nikki, our country director in South Africa, said, "The majority are more concerned about getting something to eat than a virus that seems very far away."

April 20 | During the global lockdown, many families have been deprived of work. With no opportunities for income, they are running out of food and facing the real possibility of starvation. Our team was able to provide food for 22 desperate families living in a slum area in South Asia. The rations of rice, dried beans, flour, soybeans, and potatoes should feed each family for at least one month. As we were distributing these provisions, one recipient stated, “You all have been our savior, a messenger from God for providing us with food items for our survival.”

April 19 | An LJI South Asia team member received a desperate plea for help from the father of a 12-year-old boy that we intercepted at a railway station in February. The father is a daily wage laborer, and since there has been no work for him due to the lockdown, he has been unable to provide for his family. They have been hungry for several days now and have had no food in their home. The restrictions on movement in the city where they live made it difficult for us to get them provisions, but our team was able to work with a local shopkeeper to get them basic goods like flour, rice, oil, and dried beans. The family sent us pictures of these supplies as soon as they received them.

April 16 | LJI was able to distribute rice, lentils, cooking oil, potatoes, onions, salt, and soap to beneficiaries in a community in South Asia. These provisions should last them up to five days. The recipients are daily laborers who work as masons, cobblers, domestic helpers, barbers, and hawkers. They rely on the little money they earn each day, and they are the sole bread winners for their families. Our team plans to return to this community when these supplies runs out. “The families were very pleased and were very delighted and grateful for this act of generosity.” - Lazarus, LJI staff member

April 9 | Today, LJI distributed food to the most vulnerable during the lockdown. They worked with trusted contacts to find those who would not be able to eat without their help. They delivered food in Lehae, a township with a 93% unemployment rate. They also dropped off provisions to a children's home and to some individuals who don't have access to government food. More to come!

April 7 | LJI staff delivered provisions to workers who had been employed at a garment factory that closed three weeks ago. The recipients told our team that they always send home their meager salaries each month to other family members, leaving them with no personal savings to rely on during this lockdown. As daily wage earners, they were barely surviving, and LJI was able to provide them with enough food and supplies to meet their basic needs. 

April 7 | With the worldwide shutdown, daily wage earners are receiving no income, and many people are running out of food and essential supplies. LJI staff coordinated with local churches to deliver food aid to families living in townships outside of Johannesburg, South Africa.

April 4 | LJI delivered food to around 150 women in one of the most notorious red light districts in South Asia. These women did not have access to any food, and they lacked the means to obtain any on their own. Our staff packaged meals, drove the truck, and unpacked everything—providing enough to feed each woman for about 10 days.

April 3 | Eight wage workers, who have had no source of income since the lockdown, received money from their pastor via LJI to provide for their families. Many of these women are widowed or have been abandoned by their husbands. One is a survivor of domestic violence. All were teary-eyed, overjoyed, and grateful.