The Coronavirus has affected everyone, but for some, it has left a greater dent. We may be living in a negative time, but thankfully, kind hearted people across the world have been very inspiring. If you’re having a bad day, hopefully, having a glimpse of how various individuals have stepped up to help others will put a smile on your face!
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
A handyman requires his tools. Likewise, medical workers in close contact with patients daily are incomplete with their safety gear. Malaysia has been facing a shortage of medical supplies, specifically PPE gowns and face masks. This resulted in healthcare workers making do with whatever materials they could find, which were most definitely not ideal in protecting them. Some even struggled to piece together their own PPE gowns, despite having zero background in the sewing department.
Image: The Star/ @khoonhooi
Upon learning of this news, designers from Malaysian Official Designers’ Association (MODA) led by Melinda Looi, gathered resources and manpower with the goal of sewing over 100,000 PPE gowns for local frontliners. These gowns were then delivered to healthcare facilities by Grab drivers or volunteers with the permit to work. They’ve since hit their goal, but the battle is far from over. In hopes of producing more protective equipment, MODA has joined forces with FashionValet and IMARET to raise funds for this initiative.
Toiletries
In addition to ranking third globally with the most number of reported COVID-19 cases, the UK is home to many living in poverty. With no ready access to basic hygiene essentials like hand wash, soap and hand sanitizer, these individuals have minimal protection against the virus. On top of that, some don’t have a shelter over their head for proper self isolation.
Image: Beauty Banks
To lessen some of their burden, Jo Jones And Sali Hughes who founded Beauty Banks, a charity delivering toiletries to those in need, have started a fundraiser. Not only will the proceeds go to purchasing body soap, hand wash, hand sanitizers and laundry detergent, it will also be shared with charity partners such as food banks, homeless shelters and domestic abuse refuges to name a few.
Kindness comes in all shapes and sizes. It could be as simple as saying "thank you" to a special someone, your friend or food deliverer.
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Online therapy sessions
The number of Coronavirus cases haven’t shown signs of slowing down globally, but in Hong Kong, measures to curb the spread of the virus have proven to be useful.
Image: Liv Magazine
Medical workers have spent the bulk of their time and energy in battling the pandemic. One can only imagine the amount of stress they’re dealing with. With the aim of helping these frontliners relieve some stress, Amanda Yik, founder of Shinrin Yoku Hong Kong has been offering free therapy sessions online.
Traditionally a series of therapy sessions which entail physical visits to forests and parks, these classes are now digitized for greater accessibility. Participants will watch videos, listen to the sounds of nature, and talk about themselves in the online sessions.
Translation portal
Circling back home, many Singaporeans have gone above and beyond to lend a helping hand to the community as well. In addition to helping locals, kind souls have extended their help to migrant workers badly hit by the virus.
Image: TranslateForSG
Faced with the alarming increase of cases in foreign worker dormitories, 24-year-old Sudesna Roy Chowdhury came up with a brilliant plan one night - to create a translation portal where medical staff could better communicate with Bangladeshi patients. Armed with nothing but a sense of urgency to mitigate the situation, Sudesna successfully completed the website in 8 hours, with the support of her family.
News spread and soon, the portal was used by many healthcare workers, all of whom found it to be a great help. Since then, the site has come a long way and now supports a variety of translations in 9 languages.
The impact of random acts of kindness shouldn’t be downplayed - you'll be amazed by how a simple action can go a long way. Let’s spread kindness, not the virus. We hope this inspired you to contribute in your own way, even if it’s staying home or checking up on your friends.
Stay safe everyone!
