COVID-19 Masks for Deaf in Tanzania

COVID-19 is affecting the Deaf community in Tanzania.

BILAT, a great Deaf organisation in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, requested my* help to raise funds to buy resources to make masks for Deaf and their family members. In addition to wanting to make masks, BILAT made two videos in Tanzanian Sign Language  to help the Deaf understand the dangers of COVID-19 and how to stay healthy.  Through BILAT, Deaf volunteers have already started making cloth masks but they need access to additional resources to be able to make masks for more Deaf in Dar es Salaam and other regions. 

The money raised will cover materials, manual sewing machines, food for the volunteers, transportation and distribution to 1,690 people.  Each person will receive two masks and each family will receive soap for hand washing.

BILAT plans to begin the "mass production" of masks the 3rd week of May and finish distributing the masks and soap the third week of June.

Thanks for partnering with BILAT and the Deaf community in Tanzania.

*(Information required by GoFundMe for COVID-19 fund raising)

I am Harry Harm, a consultant who has been privileged to make many trips to Tanzania to work with Deaf people.  BILAT has always treated me very well when I visit them.  My last visit was in March of this year just before travel became too difficult.  Since then I have been working with BILAT in video conferencing to assist in the COVID-19 videos and now am pleased to help them with this project to make masks.  I am a US citizen.