With face masks and soap emerging as some of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has taken the step of handing out 218,000 reusable cloth masks and 75,000 soaps among the residents of Machhar Colony.
The door-to-door distribution, taking place in collaboration with the Sindh Health Department, will take place over five days, aiming to provide the largely impoverished community with tools to help curb the spread of Covid-19. A team of over 100 community healthcare workers are taking part in the initiative.
During the drive, every individual above 12 years of age will receive two masks while three bars of soap will be provided to every household in the colony.
In June, after Eidul Fitr, the country saw a spike in Covid-19 cases and with Eidul Azha around the corner now, MSF's campaign aims to reduce a similar extent of virus transmission.
"The use of masks and regular handwashing with soap and water are proven measures to reduce the transmission of the novel coronavirus," said Anna Cilliers, MSF's medical coordinator in Pakistan. "In an informal urban community like Machhar Colony where social distancing is hard to maintain due to crowded housing and high-density population, the availability of tools to implement face covering and hand hygiene is important for every household."
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2020.
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