A Race Against Time: Preventing Covid-19 – WATAN
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A Race Against Time: Preventing Covid-19

Families in northern Syria have been experiencing great suffering. Due to the deterioration of the health situation in the camps caused by the presence of many septic tanks, both private and public, closed and open, there is an urgent need to prioritise the issue of hygiene. As a result, a large project was launched based on prioritising the issue of personal hygiene, which is considered one of the most important needs that requires immediate intervention in all areas. In order to alleviate the burdens of those displaced, especially in light of the spread of Covid-19, and based on all of the above, it was proposed to implement several projects for the following camps: Nahnu Umma, Al-Nuri, Madina Tayba, Abnaa Hamaa, Al-Mal’ab Kafr Daryan, Al-Furat, Umm Jalal, WATAN’s Second Model Camp, Al-Furja, Baldat Kafr Daryan to implement the following planned services:

1- Supplying sterilized water through tanks.

2- Removal of solid waste.

3- Emptying septic tanks

4- Distributing baskets of personal hygiene boosters.

5- Periodic health awareness campaigns.

6- Distribution of garbage containers.

7- Building blocks of regular bathrooms and for people with special needs.

8- Contracting workers to clean the bathroom blocks on a daily basis.

9- Paving of roads.

10- Implementation of sewage lines with fermentation pits, to convert water into water suitable for irrigation.

11- Providing wells, constructing reservoirs, implementing water networks, electric generators, operating costs, and a solar energy system to operate wells.

It is worth noting that the project was launched at the beginning of this year, and these are the most important stages that it reached at the end of last September:

  1. Continuing to provide the following daily services: water supply, emptying septic tanks, solid waste removal.
  2. Finishing the work of distributing 205 garbage containers
  3. Distributing cleaning equipment to 21 cleaning workers distributed over the targeted camps.
  4. Starting the implementation of sewage lines in the camps: (Al-Mal’ab – Al-Furat – Umm Jalal – Al-Furja – Baldat Kafr Daryan), with an achievement rate of: Al-Furja: 90% – Kafr Daryan: 90% – Al-Mal’ab: 95% – Al-Furat: 95% – Umm Jalal: 98% – Nahnu Umma: 30%
  5. The completion of the distribution of 106 water tanks for the targeted camps
  6. The start of the health awareness project, beginning in the current month of September, in which the number of beneficiaries reached 647 individuals through 56 sessions. The project involved direct communication with the beneficiaries in the camps, focusing on the topics of preventive measures against the Covid 19 virus, strengthening the subject of personal hygiene, the safety and sterilization of water and the safe disposal of solid waste.
  7. Finishing the maintenance work of the bathroom blocks that targeted most of the camps working in them.
  8. Finishing the process of distributing personal hygiene baskets to all camps, at a number of 3591 baskets, to target all families inside the camps.
  9. The implementation of the works of solar energy groups for wells in each of the camps: Al-Nuri, Taiba, Nahnu Umma, Kafr Daryan), and leveling the floors to build the bases of the panels. This comes with the continuation of building blocks of bathrooms within the camps, and it is planned to build 46 regular blocks, and 4 blocks for people with special needs. The percentage of work completion in the camps has reached: Abnaa Hama: 90%- Al-Farja: 80% – Nahnu Umma: 90% – Al-Nuri: 95% – Taiba: 95% – Al-mal’ab: 95% – Al-Furat: 95% – Umm Jalal: 80%.
  10. Continuing the activity of building blocks of bathrooms within the camps

Based on the foregoing, the number of beneficiaries of these services reached: 20,954 individuals- 3593 families.

The project is expected to contribute to the following positive results:

  1. Promote personal hygiene.
  2. Supporting families with limited income, widows and people with special needs.
  3. Educating the beneficiaries of the need to enhance personal hygiene through awareness campaigns.
  4. Reducing the pressures experienced by the displaced and the camp dwellers.
  5. Safe disposal of solid waste in camps.
  6. Supporting the camps’ infrastructure through maintenance, restoration and construction of bathroom blocks.
  7. Establishing a sewage network that can be used in the future.

The burden of the beneficiaries aims to provide a safe, healthy and stable environment.

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