The COVID-19 pandemic has hit us all hard. We want to thank you for walking with us, even in this most challenging of times. But we still need your help.

Many A Rocha teams serve communities in countries with weak public health systems and whose populations already face threats to their health and livelihoods. For some, the restrictions are having a significant impact on conservation activities and finances. In India, Uganda and Peru, the situation is particularly critical. But we are encouraged by the amazing and sacrificial ways projects have responded and continue to support people and nature.

A Rocha India:

The COVID-19 infection rate remains very high in India, and Bangalore and Bannerghatta National Park where A Rocha India's work is based are in a red zone where very limited movement is allowed. Forest fieldwork is severely restricted, due to fears of transmission between humans and wildlife, and environmental education school visits have been cancelled, meaning a loss of income. Despite this, the A Rocha India team have been helping to feed 1,200 community members badly affected by the pandemic and hope to continue this support until the end of lockdown. Close to one million people live adjacent to Bannerghatta, and 60% of them have been deeply affected by the pandemic. So providing essential supplies remains critical as people slowly transition to normal life.

A Rocha Uganda:

With poverty increasing and the growing importance of clean water and good sanitation, A Rocha Uganda's sustainable livelihood programmes are proving invaluable to many community members. Local people are learning to make liquid soap, which can be sold for an income; and charcoal briquettes from waste materials instead of buying expensive firewood. Tippy taps - simple handwashing devices - are offering families a water-saving solution to good hand hygiene, helping to prevent the spread of coronavirus; and bio-sand filters are providing clean, safe drinking water, without the need to cut down trees as fuel for boiling water. Lack of food is a growing concern for many, so A Rocha Uganda is helping people grow their own using the principles of Farming Gods Way and sack gardening, practices that are good for people and local wildlife.

One of the main concerns in Uganda is an increase in domestic violence and child abuse. By learning to create and use fireless cookers, women and children can spend less time alone in the kitchen where they are vulnerable, leaving their beans and rice to cook while they are out. And because the food is ready when they get home, their husbands are less likely to beat them.

A Rocha Peru:

Peru is one of the worst countries to be hit by COVID-19 in South America and the infection rate is accelerating. Strict curfews and restrictions on movement have been introduced, with schools closed until September and a ban on all public meetings until December. For several months, A Rocha Peru was unable to carry out the fieldwork and community capacity-building that is central to their Dry Forest project and reforested areas were at risk of deteriorating and dying from the lack of irrigation and maintenance. Despite this, the team have been thinking creatively and exploring new ways of conducting meetings and workshops through virtual learning platforms and social media. They are also developing an online catalogue so that participants of their artisan workshops can continue selling their products during the pandemic.

In June, quarantines were lifted in La Libertad, where the Dry Forest project is based, so the team has been back in the field and conducting a full review of the coronavirus impact and funding implications. However, on 12 August the quarantine was expanded and work shut down once again. The Dry Forest project team is currently seeking permission to continue their work, with appropriate protocols in place.

As we dream ahead to a post-COVID world, will you dig deep to ensure that A Rocha teams in India, Uganda and Peru can continue caring for creation? The time is urgent and they are unlikely to make it without your help. Our aim is to raise £20,000 which will go directly to supporting A Rocha's vulnerable projects.