Date: 8 September 2020 – 31 March 2021
Funded by: DCMS – Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Support, – The National Lottery Community Fund
Project Coordinator: Gulnur Salih & Project Officer: Ozgur Solma
We supported the community during Covid-19 outbreak by providing up-to-date Covid-19 information from Hackney Council’s Public Health team by translating into TURKISH about Covid-19, tests, vaccination, and financial support available and by food parcel deliveries. Covid-19 Response Project was funded by DCMS-Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Support administered by The National Lottery, Community Fund. This project was a Consortia bid with 4 organizations- Hackney Cypriot Community Association, SANTE, Roj Women’s Group). It was the first time we worked with other 3 organisation; this was very positive move and we felt being supported by each other as an organisation.
Services delivered are:
- Advice helpline in TURKISH
- Covid-19 Information sharing
- 22x Zoom Weekly Zoom meetings
- 70 non-perishable culturally specific food parcels delivered
Food parcel handed out: We researched the market carefully to get cost effective products by contacting various Turkish food wholesalers and got quotation for the selected items. 70 non-perishable culturally specific food parcels were delivered to homes of over the age of 65s; in London wide. It exceeded the 40 food parcel delivery which was mentioned in the grant application.
Food parcels included bean, chick peas, rice, lentil, cracked wheat, pastas, flour, oil, pomegranate mosses, tea, coffee, sugar, jam, olives, eggs, 2 fresh chicken, yogurt and Turkish pie. We included more than 40 items in each box per person.
Advice sessions provided by a Turkish speaker adviser on welfare topics, housing and support with Covid-19 issues. Advice worker advised people on the weekly session on the phone and in person, filled forms, made phone calls and also sign posted to other support services.
Zoom meetings aimed at supporting people during lock downs and shielding period. People were feeling scared, emotionally low by not knowing what is going to happen to them if they catch Covid, how to protect themselves and getting vaccination or not as they witnessed some people died from Covid. We supported people via this Zoom calls weekly and offered emotional support and even delivered yoga sessions online helped them to join these meetings. Zoom training was given in person by meeting in the open air café or restaurants.
