"Hi everyone I would like to ask for some help I have been working as tour guide but now I'm no longer working because of covid 19 and it's hard to put food on the table for the family and to send my kids to school because I don't have money. If you can give a hand it will make big difference in my family I don't know how I will thank you." -Philani, out of work due to COVID-19, sole provider for family of 15

 

While COVID-19 has impacted all of us, it has decimated the tourism industry. Traveling internationally is something I’ve been privileged to do regularly in my adult life, and it’s oftentimes been when I’ve felt most alive, well, and thriving on this earth.

 

I’m creating this page because one of my former tour guides, Philani, has not been thriving during the pandemic. As tours have shut down, with no clear return date, Philani's livelihood in Southern Africa has come to an immediate and unexpected halt. Over the past year and a half, for the first time in his life, Philani has had to survive days without food, unsure when or from where his next meal would come. He has had to acknowledge the excruciating, terrifying fact that he can no longer provide food for his family - something he has always managed previously.

 

According to the World Tourism Organization, the number of international arrivals dropped by 74% in 2020, putting between 100 and 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk, and most experts do not anticipate a return to pre-pandemic levels before 2023. Moreover, Philani lives in a country where government assistance is limited, if provided at all. It is a country reported to have a serious severity of hunger, as indicated in the 2021 Global Hunger Index. It is a country where nearly half of the population has fallen into extreme poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Philani is the sole provider for 15 family members, including his sister and her children, none of whom are currently employed.

 

If you can spare $10, $20, $50 or more, please consider making a contribution, which will go directly to sustain the lives of these 15 individuals throughout this devastating time in their lives. Philani and I have chosen to raise $2200 because $200 will feed him and his family for about one month, and $200 has already been generously contributed. Given the need for immediate assistance, I will send $200 to Philani as soon as it's been raised, which he will receive on the same day I send it. Thereafter, we will work out a plan for sending/receiving money based on the needs of Philani's family and how quickly we are able to raise funds to support them.

 

While it is unclear when he will be able to resume his livelihood, it is my sincere hope that raising enough money to last 12 months will provide Philani and his family with physical, financial, and mental relief from the devastating burden that he has borne bravely for the past 18 months.

 

Thank you for your support, generosity, kindness, and goodwill.

 

Note: I have included photos from various travels across Southern Africa. I have not included photos of Philani, which is a pseudonym, in order to respect his anonymity.

 

 

It is common to see these mini takeout restaurants across Southern Africa. This is a photo from my Peace Corps training site near Mokopane, South Africa. Unfortunately, Philani can no longer afford to buy these foods on a regular basis for his family.

 

 

In the photo above, I am cooking pap (maize meal) with my host family while visiting South Africa. It is a staple food with which Philani is very familiar and would like to purchase for his kids, nieces, nephews, siblings, and mom.

 

 

Food pictured above includes rice, chicken, spinach, butternut squash, beetroot, and steamed bread from a World AIDS Day Event. These are some of the foods that I hope Philani will be able to provide for his family with your generous support.

 

 

The photo above was taken in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It is emblematic of the peacefulness and calm that funds raised will bring to Philani and his loved ones in their time of need.