When the Czech government imposed a protective face mask regulation in March, community groups across the country jumped into action and began sewing for the needy with lightening speed. We adapted our support just as quickly, opening a one-off grant call in collaboration with Česká spořitelna bank to enable the sewing teams to recoup some of their costs. We supported 24 projects and awarded a total of $8,000 (CZK 204,000).

We supported community groups and individuals who are sewing protective face masks for people in hospitals and retirement homes, delivering food to at-risk groups or making masks on 3D printers. We awarded micro-grants of $200-400 (CZK 5000-10,000) to groups across the entire Czech Republic.

“Right after the face mask regulation was announced, my 89-year-old mother, my neighbor and I registered on the website www.damerousky.cz  (which means: “we’ll give face masks”). We dusted off our sewing machines, dug through our cupboards and drawers for scraps of material we’d saved over the years for some future project and got to work. After we’d given masks to all of our family members, neighbors and friends, local teachers and town hall employees, we turned our attention to doctors and nurses in hospitals and retirement homes. To date we’ve sewn and given away 447 masks. We love giving them to specific people or organizations and we aren’t done yet!” says one of the supported individuals.

At Via, we’re glad that we could help. Our thanks go to everyone who is sewing and also to Česká spořitelna for its generosity, which made it possible to provide this funding.