Audio Story by Clotilide

English Translation

It was really difficult during this Corona time. We lost a lot of things like work, money and food. Many people I knew died of Corona, but in my family nobody died, so I thank God for that. I know some of my neighbors died of Coronavirus. There was also so much poverty because there was no work. We as women had a lot of problems because we stayed home for a long time, actually a whole year without work or money. We also kept hearing every now and then certain families have lost someone or certain communities have lost someone. This was really hard on us hearing these things and yet there is nothing we could do to help. So, we keep asking God to help us so that Corona never comes back again. We are also asking the government to continue helping us out ,that is our request. We were also really praying to God to help this Corona go away because we lived in so much fear. We knew that if you went out somewhere you would come back with Corona. We also knew that if kids went somewhere like school they would also come back with Corona. We were that afraid, but now we thank God he has really saved us because we are still alive. Many died ,we saw some of this in the news and it was really scary. There was so much poverty and life was uncertain without money and with kids, but we thank God for having taken care of us through vaccines that we got, which really helped out like the vaccines. Our prayer is to stay safe and healthy, so that this disease does not come back again ever and we ask the government for continuous help. 

Swahili Transcription

Ilikuwa ngumu sana wakati huu wa Corona. Tulipoteza vitu vingi kama kazi, pesa na chakula. Watu wengi niliowafahamu walikufa kwa Corona, lakini katika familia yangu hakuna aliyefariki, hivyo namshukuru Mungu kwa hilo. Najua baadhi ya majirani zangu walikufa kwa Coronavirus. Pia kulikuwa na umaskini mwingi kwa sababu hakukuwa na kazi. Sisi kama wanawake tulikuwa na shida nyingi kwa sababu tulikaa nyumbani kwa muda mrefu, kwa kweli mwaka mzima bila kazi au pesa. Pia tuliendelea kusikia kila kukicha familia fulani zimepoteza mtu au jamii fulani zimepoteza mtu. Hili lilikuwa gumu sana kwetu kusikia mambo haya na bado hakuna tunachoweza kufanya ili kusaidia. Kwa hiyo, tunaendelea kumuomba Mungu atusaidie ili Corona isirudi tena. Pia tunaiomba serikali iendelee kutusaidia, hilo ni ombi letu. Pia tulikuwa tunamuomba sana Mungu atuepushe na Corona maana tuliishi kwa hofu kubwa. Tulijua kwamba ukitoka mahali fulani utarudi na Corona. Pia tulijua kwamba watoto wakienda mahali fulani kama shule wangerudi na Corona. Tulikuwa na hofu hiyo, lakini sasa tunamshukuru Mungu kwa kweli ametuokoa kwa sababu bado tuko hai. Wengi walikufa, tuliona baadhi ya haya kwenye habari na ilikuwa ya kutisha sana. Kulikuwa na umaskini mwingi na maisha hayakuwa na uhakika bila pesa na watoto, lakini tunamshukuru Mungu kwa kututunza kupitia matibabu ambayo tulipata ambayo yalisaidia sana kama chanjo. Maombi yetu ni kuwa salama na afya njema, ili ugonjwa huu usijirudie tena na tunaiomba serikali kwa msaada endelevu.