Coronavirus: Kiwi stuck in Kenya volunteers in fight against Covid-19

Monday, 8 June 2020

Kiwi Stephan Grabowski picking tea in Kenya, where he has lived for six years.

A Kiwi businessman stuck in Kenya during the coronavirus pandemic has helped set up a not-for-profit project which has enabled half a million people access to soap and water for hand washing.

Stephan Grabowski has spent the past six years living in Nairobi and working at a company named Koko Networks, which supplies residents with the clean fuel bioethanol for cooking.

He had planned to return to home to Auckland in May to start a private equity firm, but has been unable to leave the Kenyan capital due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Instead, the 34-year-old has been busy working with other entrepreneurs on a campaign called Safe Hands Kenya, which they hope will help prevent the illness from spreading.

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One of the public hand washing stations set up by Safe Hands Kenya.

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Since the project launched a few months ago, the group has distributed hundreds of thousands of kilograms of soap and about 250,000 face masks to people living in densely populated areas of Nairobi.

They've also installed public hand washing stations in several neighbourhoods which total more than 500,000 people.

Grabowski, who grew up on Auckland's North Shore, said Safe Hands Kenya began as a partnership between businesses concerned about the impact the virus would have on the country if there was widespread community transmission.

'It’s a situation where there’s a lot of pressure. You’re starting almost before the start line because the virus has a jump on you,' Grabowski told Stuff.

It wasn't uncommon for 30 to 50 families to share one toilet or washing facility in Nairobi.

About half of the city's resident don't have access to water in or near their homes.

While Kenya has seen far fewer confirmed cases of coronavirus than other similarly-sized nations, just 84 of which have been fatal, the pandemic has taken a toll on the economy.

Going into full lockdown like New Zealand was not really possible in Kenya, as much of the population rely on shared community facilities.

Stephan Grabowski touring Kenya via motorbike.

However, an overnight curfew has been in place since March 25 and there are restrictions on business operations.

Grabowski said the restrictions had had a huge effect on the 'vast majority' of Kenyans who are informally employed.

'If they don’t work that day, they don’t eat that day. It’s sometimes literally like that.'

According to some estimates, 60 to 80 per cent of people on lower incomes have suffered a total or partial loss of income in the wake of the pandemic.

Grabowski, who has a commerce degree from the University of Auckland, got involved in Safe Hands Kenya because he wanted to make himself useful while waiting for a flight home.

'In a place like Kenya, when you build a business or an organisation, the most rewarding part of that is the change or development you see employees go through – the relative impact of their lives is incredible,' he said.

Because Kenya's population is young compared to other countries, with a median age of 19, it can take the average university graduate six to seven years to find a job in their field.

To help other young expats and former international students who have studied in Auckland stay connected, Grabowski has served as a voluntary alumni coordinator for the university.

He has spoken out about his experience ahead of National Volunteering Week, which begins on June 21. University of Auckland students and alumni can sign-up to volunteer here.