COVID-19 Community Support In-Conjunction with the Miracle Church of God in Christ (MCOGIC) and Pimento Community Kitchen CIC

Coronavirus has been a gamechanger, a life-taker across the UK and an illustrator of how underlying structures such as racism, health inequalities, poverty and unemployment shape disparities across all public sectors, such as health and social care, education, housing funding, criminal justice, etc.

We know from decades of inequalities that our African and Caribbean communities are more likely to find themselves in lower paid jobs, zero hours contracts, poverty, living in overcrowded homes or homeless. Hypertension, Sickle Cell and Diabetes is more prevalent among some members of our community.

As a local community we have developed strong resilience over the years of the hostility of Windrush. However, it is important that we play our role at this challenging time to protect our community to provide them with support and link them to key services and where they are gaps develop those which are culturally specific in meeting their needs.

We will raise awareness, provide vital and practical support and sign post African Caribbean individuals and their families across Bedford to key services to lessen the impact of Covid-19 on the community. 

LOWD and MCOGIC will work in a collaborative way and will draw on the expertise, reach and delivery capacities of the various individuals involved in the Network to identify and help those most in need across Bedford.

The overarching aim of LOWD and MCOGIC is to build the resilience of the African Caribbean communities across Bedford during Covid-19.

LOWD and MCOGIC are made up of individuals from a range of sectors across Bedford to oversee the implementation of this new approach. The group will fulfill a number of functions, including providing intelligence about emerging needs, sharing resources, promoting best practice in addressing Covid-19 and its impact on the African Caribbean community. LOWD and MCOGIC will coordinate responses across Bedfordshire, and will provide a channel for us to engage with individuals, families, community organisations and local groups and relevant stakeholders, such as NHS, Police, Bedford Council etc.

The group will undertake weekly reviews to ensure its activities are getting to the people that are most in need and for local issues to be picked up on a regular basis. We will develop various tools to capture information to protect, safeguard and help some of the most vulnerable in our community deal with the challenges that Covid 19 present. LOWD and MCOGIC will:

  • Identify Covid-19 impacts on vulnerable African Caribbean individuals and families 

  • Signpost issues to local statutory services and voluntary and community organisations where this is appropriate

  •  Provide assistance to vulnerable individuals and families to meet their identified need and protect them over the Covid-19 period

  • Distribute information and updates about how to stay safe from Covid-19

  • Record and relay emerging community concerns to the Council, and key agencies

  • Act as a problem solver and remove barriers for African Caribbean individuals and their families, using contacts and resources where possible. This may include liaising with individuals in the group or external organisations

  • Provide advice and reassurance when required