Although classified as an essential service and therefore able to continue operations at this time, Nazareth Care Africa as a Non-Profit Organisation, has been impacted by South Africa’s national lock-down as implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic. This extends not just to the vulnerable residents themselves, but to the very staff required to care for them and the organisations’ ability to remain sustainable.

The impact of the lock-down to date, and for weeks and months to come, has resulted in an exponential and unbudgeted increase of costs of which Nazareth House is struggling to accommodate. Further due to the restriction of admitting new residents, income is dramatically reduced and cannot be recouped at this stage. This results in a major shortage of funds available and effects each Nazareth Houses ability to cover its operational costs including salaries.

To ensure the organisation will make it through this crisis, and in an effort to reduce the impact where possible, including the possibility of having to retrenchment employees in the near future, numerous and hard decisions needed to be made. This includes the decision to place all non-essential staff on ‘temporary layoff’ and apply the notion of ‘no work no pay’. Further the employee’s annual salary and wage increase has been postponed until further notice and a ‘provident fund holiday’ has been initiated. These decisions are extremely difficult and directly affect the very persons whom are looking after the most vulnerable elderly and children within our Society.