Posted on: 19 August 2020
Sadly, Brent has a high causality rate from Covid-19 and the Church End area has suffered many deaths – at least 42. This has hit the community very hard, raising many issues about grief and bereavement, anxiety and fears about how to keep safe.
That part of the borough has a significant Somali population, so with the support of Brent Council, Robyn Doran, CNWL’s Chief Operating Officer, Fatima Elguenuni, from the Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service, and Jenny Lanyero, Senior Nurse Practitioner and Primary Care Lead, Brent Community Mental Health Team, met Somali community leaders on Tuesday 11 August for a wide ranging discussion about how to reach this community with public health information, making face coverings as well as providing advice to worried people, including counselling for the bereaved or people traumatised by the experience.
As part of the project Jenny Lanyero is working with local community leaders:
- Rhoda Ibrahim, Director Somali Advice and Forum of Information Organisation
- Abdillahi Mohamed, Executive Director Free the Forgotten Organisation
- bdul Aziz Ahmed, Director Brent Almis Organisation
- Halima Nur, Director Somali Women’s Empowerment Group
- Jane Lanyero, Director African Women’s Care Organisation.
On Tuesday 18 August Judith Greening, Lead Nurse Infection Prevention Control, and Jenny Lanyero, provided a training session for a group of Somali community leaders to use themselves within the community.
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(Pictured – Judith Greening second from left and Jenny Lanyero, fourth from the left) |
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Jenny said
“This training to the Somali community leaders was very successful. It focused on hand hygiene, use of face covering, social distancing and environmental hygiene. The group were very happy and feel they can train others if we supply further materials. We will support them as necessary to roll this training out. The event was very practical - the help and support asked for and delivered.”
Robyn Doran said
“One of the main lessons from the Grenfell experience is that it’s important to go to the community direct – to see the situation as the community sees it and provide they help they ask for – that way it’s a much better fit. This was an important start for working together. There’s more to come!”
Following the training one of the community leaders Abdullahi Mohamed said,
“Thank you so much for coming to see us and for this training. I really like the hand steps and I can now show people how to wash their hands properly and how to wear their masks.”
Abdul Aziz, said
“environmental hygiene is very important.”