When the Covid-19 struck in Kenya and was declared a pandemic in March 2020, Davis Lichuma, popularly known as Dife, stepped forward in his role as a community volunteer.

Lichuma volunteered to help his community and was part of the Billian Music Family team of volunteers which distributed water, hand washing soap and masks in Mathare area of Nairobi.

Having grown up in Mathare, he used his influential status to educate residents on various crucial ways of preventing the virus from spreading fast.

The Billian Music Family, in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, then ran a two-month public awareness campaign on Covid-19 which targeted communities living in Mathare.

The campaign reminded residents to continue adhering to Covid-19 prevention protocols set by World Health Organisation (WHO) and Kenya’s Ministry of Health to slow community infection.

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Here is the story of Davis Lichuma as captured in an interview conducted by Covid HQ Africa and published in their website https://www.covidhqafrica.com on October 14, 2021:

Davis Lichuma, born and bred in Mathare, Nairobi. He is popularly known as Dife. He is a presenter at Mathare radio and also a community organizer and mobilizer.

Dife is a member of Generation Shapers and Ghetto Foundation. He is an activist, under Article43 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 - that guarantees each Kenyan citizen the right to access the highest attainable standard of health including reproductive health care.

Davis Lichuma. PHOTO/COURTESY

“I am passionate about the environment because I believe when we have a clean and green environment that means we will have clean water, air, good health, and also the crime rate will be reduced to save lives of our young people who are at risk of losing life because of crime”.

He started volunteering in 2007 during the post-election violence that rocked the country. He has worked with and for a different community-based organisation.

Davis Lichuma. PHOTO/COURTESY

When the COVID-19 virus hit Kenya and was declared a pandemic, he stepped forward in his role as a volunteer to help my community. He was part of the Billian Music Family team volunteers that distributed water in the Mathare area. The area has a need for clean water for daily use.

“I enjoy the work. I interact with the members of the community and that is very fulfilling”, said Dife.

Davis Lichuma. PHOTO/COURTESY

He says access to clean water, facemask and soap has played a huge role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 virus.

“I do a lot of awareness in Mathare because some are still sceptical about the virus. Some still believe it is not real. In the last few months, I have seen great improvement in Mathare because people are wearing masks while in public places”.

Davis Lichuma. PHOTO/COURTESY

He encourages fellow youths to stay safe and help the community.

“If you are one of the people who lost their jobs, I would like to encourage you not to give up. Just like we have a cycle of seven days in a week, and a new week after the seven days means there is always another chance to try again and look for a job. Life is full of challenges but it is what we do to manage the challenges that matter”.