On 16 June 2021, the Office of the First Lady launched the #LOVEProtects Campaign. The campaign is aimed at amplifying the public health messaging of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), challenging misinformation, providing critical and accurate information regarding COVID-19 vaccines and to highlight the impact of COVID-19. At the same time, the campaign is encouraging vaccination and compliance with public health regulations as key ways to alleviate the COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia.
“The situation is the worst that we have ever seen, and the numbers we see are people that we love. And love…protects. Love does not go out irresponsibly and comes home and makes other people sick. So, if we need to stay at home for the next three weeks and not go out drinking or braaiing, that's what we have to do because that is the price of love.”
In response to the flood of disinformation, false news, and misinformation that has infiltrated our national consciousness, the Office of the First Lady of the Republic of Namibia created the Facebook Live Dialogues “Conversations with FLON."
Through this, FLON engages experts, including medical specialists such as psychiatrists, psychologists, lung specialists, neurologist, doctors and an ICU ward medical officer, as well as wellness practitioners, SGBV experts, journalists, and religious leaders.
Our dialogues are shared through the Informanté's Facebook page and broadcast on national TV (NBC 1). This is how we should all confront misinformation in relation to COVID-19, encourage community members to get vaccinated and call for our loved ones to adhere to public health regulations.
on our 6 dialogues:
A Conversation with FLON and Dr Bruwer
A Conversation with FLON | 2
A Conversation with FLON | 3
A Conversation with FLON | 4
A Conversation With FLON | 5
A Conversation with FLON | 6
#LOVEProtects has produced and published 11 multilingual videos urging Namibians to comply with public health regulations while encouraging those eligible to receive the available COVID-19 vaccines to get vaccinated in Oshikwanyama, Rukwangali, German, Khoekhoegowab Sign Language, Otjiherero, Afrikaans, Silozi, Setswana, and Khwedam.
Campaign Launch: FLON's Message
Pefimbo's Message
Dr Veronica's Message
Pastor Briaan's Message
Louise's Message
Hon. Emma's Message
Helena's Message
Dr Belinda Bruwer's Message
Nadia's Message
Eliaser's Message (Sign Language)
Mpho's Message
Bothas' Message
Ben's Message
Dr Amagulu's Messag
Gernot's Message
The COVID 19 crisis has heightened the risk factors typically linked to poor mental health. Along with the dread of catching the virus, people are confronted with major changes in their everyday lives as their movements are restricted to help in the containment and slowing of the virus' spread. Faced with new realities such as working from home, temporary and permanent unemployment, school closures and a lack of physical connection with loved ones, family members, friends and co-workers, it is easy to become overwhelmed as our mental health suffers.
In response, we offered mental health assistance to the public through toll-free helplines, and to frontline care providers through our mobile counselling vans stationed at Katutura Hospital and Central Hospital.
To help Namibians access psychological support services from anywhere in the country, we worked with LifeLine/Childline Namibia to expand the toll-free lines' working hours to between 8 am and 8 pm through Monday to Sunday. The free counselling and trauma debriefing provided by these helplines starts with one text or phone call.
By being there to give support after traumatic events, the mobile counselling vans stationed at Katutura and Central Hospitals aided frontline staff such nurses, social workers, cleaners and physicians, as well as ordinary Namibians.
For many, the greatest difficulty was the unresolved pain and sorrow as they were not allowed to say goodbye to their loved ones.
In addition to providing therapy for family members who lost loved ones to COVID-19, we also offered trauma debriefing to frontline care service providers, family members, friends, and even patients, as well as educators, school staff and scholars when schools reopened .
In an effort to support vaccination efforts and bring vaccination sites closer to those in peri-urban areas, a new vaccine drive called #LOVEProtects was launched in conjunction with Omnicare Trust, Vaccine for Hope, the City of Windhoek and the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS). During the activations, health experts joined #LOVEProtects and engaged community members by answering their vaccine-related questions and concerns and challenging COVID-19 related misinformation.
To encourage people to get vaccinated, we provided them with care packs containing a lunch pack, a soft drink sponsored by Coca-Cola Namibia, painkillers, N$20 MTC airtime, 5 masks, hand sanitiser spray, a vaccine pamphlet and a #LOVEProtects t-shirt.
In the words of our #BeFree Ambassador - Bertha Tobias
Since July 2021, #LOVEProtects has been providing weekly and monthly analysis of Namibia's COVID-19 data. These analyses have aided the business sector and the general public in staying informed with current developments. Our weekly study of MoHSS mortality data by vaccination status continues to prove the COVID-19 vaccines' efficacy in avoiding severe illness, hospitalisation, and death.
To recognise the efforts of community leaders and bolster psychosocial support during the pandemic, we held a two-day trauma debriefing training in collaboration with the Trauma Healing Network for 75 front line members of the community. Attending the training were church leaders, life skills instructors, social workers, and shelter staff who learned strategies in reducing secondary trauma and fatigue, and how to develop capacity in trauma debriefing.
In conjunction with the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare, we organised a trauma debriefing training for social workers assigned to the Khomas GBVI Unit at Monte Christo Game Farm. The emphasis of the training was trauma detection methods, their impacts, and self-care for social workers.