Today’s video of In First Person finds us in Medellin, Colombia.
Joana is a single mother of six, who works in Medellin’s informal economy as a street peddler. Darcy is the grandmother and guardian of her two grandchildren: Juan and José Gabriel. Juan is in second grade and José Gabriel Is in fourth grade. The two boys are her son’s children, who were left in Darcy’s care after their mother abandoned the family.
As recently as mid-June, Medellín was hailed as a COVID-19 pioneer for their early intervention and innovative use of apps to track coronavirus cases and connect poor residents with resources. As of June 13, there had only been 4 confirmed deaths out of the city’s 2.5 million residents. However, the city saw a steep rise in COVID-19-related hospitalizations in July as distancing requirements were relaxed.
To learn more about how this families are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, watch this week’s video.
