Page 9 - Barefoot guide

CHAPTER 1

THE BEST MEDICINE TO

FIGHT THE CORONAVIRUS

STORY

LOOKING FOR MEDICINE AGAINST

COVID-19 IN THE FOOD MARKET!

Martha walked slowly towards the marketplace.
The colours of her West African Kente cloth shone
brightly in the morning sun, but her face was
clouded with worry. Her cousin Sylvie had phoned
that morning to say that her father had died from
COVID-19. He was a diabetic, Sylvie said. Martha
was worrying about her Aunt Esther, who was
diabetic too. What if Esther caught COVID-19?
“Martha, wait for me!”
Martha’s spirits lifted as she saw her friend Sarah
hurrying towards her. The two friends greeted each
other, and Martha told Sarah about her worries.
“I’m just going to the clinic now to see if I can get medicine in case my aunt
gets COVID-19,” she said.
“But Martha, dear, there is no medicine that can stop you getting COVID-19,
and no vaccine. It’s a new disease.”
“No medicine?” Martha wailed. “Oh, my goodness, what can we do? On the
radio, they say we must stay home and do this ‘social distancing’ and wear masks. Why do you think
What ‘social distancing’, in our small house with six people? And how must we
wash our hands all the time when there’s only one tap outside? And if I stay Sarah didn’t embrace
home, how will I earn money? Who will buy the food?” her friend when she
Sarah clucked sympathetically. She wanted to embrace her friend, but knew wanted to?
that she shouldn’t. “I know. It’s so hard. I’m worried about my grandfather. He’s
over seventy. But I also have to buy food… and go out to my kiosk to sell my
wares to get money for food. But you know Martha, there’s something like
a special kind of medicine you can get to help you stay healthy, and resist
COVID-19 and many other sicknesses.”
Martha’s face brightened. “Where can you get it? From the traditional healers?” Do you think Food
Sarah laughed. “No, you can get it right here, at the market. It’s called food.” can be medicine?
Martha flapped her hand at her and clicked her tongue. “Eish, Sarah, how can Why or why not?
you joke about these things?”
“I’m not joking, my dear. Food is the best medicine, and it’s especially good
for COVID-19, because this virus affects people with bodies weakened by other
illnesses much worse than healthy people.”

CHAPTER 1: THE BEST MEDICINE TO FIGHT THE CORONA VIRUS 1