Sometimes it is the little things that make a big difference. That is why we showed the children in Idlib in March how important it is to wash their hands regularly.
In March, a variety of prevention measures against CoVid-19 were launched in Myanmar. For example, nearly 5000 soap packs were distributed in 30 villages around Lashio in Shan State, as well as posters and information flyers in five languages - Chinese, Kachin, Shan, Burmese and English.
Also in Myanmar, 1,000 face masks were donated to the Ministry of Health in Lashio by our logistics and security consultant David. These now protect the medical staff in the rural area of Lashio, where nurses, carers and midwives are on the road every day to heal and help.
Our team in Iraq was one of the very first to help prevent the spread of Covid19 by distributing soap and information on how to wash hands thoroughly. For a while, activities were suspended due to the strict curfew. Now our colleague Azad reports that the team in Iraq is trying to do its best, despite the difficult circumstances, to inform as many people as possible about preventive measures and hand hygiene. "The most important thing right now is that everyone in the team adheres to the necessary safety measures, then we can help as many people in the camps as possible to protect themselves from the corona virus," says Azad. In the Sulaymaniyah region, the arche noVa colleagues in Iraq take care of about 1000 families in a total of three camps for internally displaced persons.
In many of our project areas CoVid-19 is just another problem to many other disasters and conflicts. For example, our co-worker Laura from Rakhine State in western Myanmar reports: "15 of our project villages have been inaccessible for weeks due to the ongoing fighting between the civil war parties. However, we have not forgotten the people who are between the fronts. Packages of soap and information material are being tied up for them so that they can be delivered to the villages quickly and easily as soon as the opportunity arises".
IIn the Philippines, a so-called water bubble or a flexible drinking water tank provided joy. This was delivered to the community of Magingisda, where 10,500 people were quarantined because some fishermen were tested positive for corona. In order to provide the people with clean water for their daily needs in spite of initial restrictions, the new 6000 liter tank was set up in a central hall, which is regularly filled by drinking water trucks.
The emergency aid in Magingisda is part of the cooperation of arche noVa with A Single Drop for Safe Water. Our Philippine partner organization has taken care of the installation under strict regulations and is ready to help if quick assistance with the water supply is needed elsewhere.
When at the beginning of April a handful of Berlin students started sewing cotton masks, selling them over the Internet and donating the profit to arche noVa, we didn't imagine that by July a whole 10,264.12 Euros would be collected. We are thrilled about the initiative and thank the Mask Have team once again.
Nan Kathy Taung is a friend of the face mask. The long-time staff member of the Red Cross in Myanmar has advised tuberculosis patients for twelve years and is therefore used to working with face masks. When the Corona pandemic broke out in March, he therefore acted quickly. He began sewing fabric masks himself and distributing them to needy families. Why: because the textile mouthguards are washable and recyclable, so that they do not cause any costs in the families and also no garbage, like the disposable masks from fleece. In the meantime he sewed 2000 masks on behalf of arche noVa, which were then distributed to people in rural Myanmar for protection against the corona virus.
