About two months ago we launched the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program to focus on supporting African communities and young people, as well as young people and the indigenous communities in Canada, to support them and their needs as they evolve during this COVID-19 reality.

So under the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program we've moved quickly to partner with a range of actors that have experience, influence and reach for building robust public responses to the COVID-19 situation.

READ: Mastercard Foundation Commits $5M to Protect Kenya Health Workers

And if you allow me, we are not just focusing on outreach or just providing equipment; we also see an opportunity here to support businesses in the countries we are working in, that can actually play a role and participate in solutions.

READ: Mastercard Foundation Supports Ethiopia MSEs Affected by COVID-19

An unprecedented demand for flexibility

AllAfrica: And Daniel, on that specifically—the gender-based violence —have you been seeing it across the region, or is it more localized in some countries, and is it more an urban scourge, or is it also prevalent in the countryside?

Can you give us an example of what the foundation is doing to respond to the current economic crisis in your region, and also if there are more long-term activities the foundation is doing to help the continent be resilient and come back in full force if I may give a disclaimer, I'm sharing with you the work we are doing that I am responsible for in East and Southern Africa.