The Refugees Making PPE: A Sustainable Public Health Initiative

Just off the crowded main street in Shatila refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon, something extraordinary is happening.  A Palestinian NGO, Ahlam Laje’a, has partnered with the local volunteer Palestinian Civil Defence (PCD) teams to create a workshop that produces three ply face masks that conform to WHO standards.  Using an initial grant from the UK Embassy in Lebanon the team imported the machinery from Germany and the material from Saudi Arabia and are turning out 70,000 masks a day, working around the clock to contribute to addressing the public health emergency in Lebanon.  

The delivery approach ensures that masks are given away free to vulnerable Syrian, Iraqi and Palestinian refugees living in the camps, as well as near-camp Lebanese communities unable to afford this basic item of personal protection equipment (PPE). The remainder are sold at highly competitive prices on to the market, generating revenue that can then be reinvested in new materials, as well as contribute to the operational costs of the PCD teams, whose rescue activities with their Lebanese colleagues following the 4th August explosion garnered international media attention. 

 At ARK we are proud to partner with Ahlam Laje’a and grateful that they have kindly accommodated our team in Beirut given the damage to our office after the blast.  They and our PCD partners and friends continue to provide an excellent example of innovative and sustainable approaches to combatting Covid-19 and what, with opportunity and agency, refugees are able to contribute to our collective wellbeing.