17 June 2020
In the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and many parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, the threat of coronavirus continues to threaten health and lives due to humanitarian chronic challenges such as overcrowding, inadequate clean water/hygiene facilities and poverty.
MAP has partnered up with UK charity PACES to provide an advanced preventative response to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in East Jerusalem and Lebanon. Together we will be providing more than 1,200 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to support infection prevention and control in Palestinian hospitals.
Full PPE kits are needed when caring for patients with a suspected or confirmed coronavirus infection. Key PPE items (face masks and gloves), combined with hand sanitiser, are vital to limiting hospital-based transmission of the virus, and protecting health workers.
Since the pandemic began, MAP has responded by prioritising infection control measures and the provision of PPE for health workers across all areas of operation. In Palestine and Lebanon, MAP has been working hard to slow virus transmission by procuring and distributing vital antiseptics and disinfectants such as chlorhexidine, ethyl alcohol, glutaraldehyde and povidone iodine.
PACES, a UK based charity established in 2006, provides sports and educational programs for 7,000 Palestinian girls and boys every year living in refugee camps and most marginalised and vulnerable areas in Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, PACES has decided to delay the start of its program for 2020. Instead, they launched the 'PACES COVID-19 Initiative', which aims to continue supporting vulnerable communities in these unprecedented times by providing essential items to help them deal with the pandemic and its knock-on effects. This includes food parcels, hygiene kits, PPE kits and equipment for healthcare professionals in Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon.
This grassroots campaign will benefit nearly 30,000 individuals in Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. For more information please visit their website or follow their work on Facebook.