Before we begin, let's consider the basics ๐งผ
A bar of soap is not enough to keep clean. You could have 1000 bars of soap and still not be in any way clean without running water. Whilst NGOs are (rightly) focused on getting hygiene kits on camps, we must not forget that, with no access to running water, our supplies are not helping to protect people from coronavirus (or anything else).
1. How do I wash my hands properly? ๐งผ๐
UNICEF:
* Step 1: Wet hands with ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ
* Step 2: Apply enough soap to cover ๐ฐ๐๐ญ hands
* Step 3: Scrub all surfaces of the hands for at least 20 seconds.
* Step 4: ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ thoroughly with ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ
* Step 5: Dry hands with a clean cloth or single-use towel
Now for the latest updates and voices from Vial Camp ๐ฃ๏ธ
Duration of running water in Vial Camp on 11th April:
Area A: 20 minutes
Area B: 1 hour (14.00-15.00)
Area C: 2.5 hours (14.00-17.30)
Residents tell us this kind of access is typical most days. We also hear statements from people on camp telling us they are without water for full days. NGOs and volunteers are told not to worry by those on camp because
โthis is not the first time it is happeningโ.
The resilience of residents always shames us ๐:
โPeople have started digging wells due to lack of waterโ
Thanks to Biryani and Bananas NGO, we have picture evidence of these wells. This is the desperation WE have driven people to in a bid to protect themselves:
โWe left our countries trying to survive and be safe, unfortunately, we are dying in Europe in the place that we thought we would find peace and better life [โฆ] We wish we could go back and die in our countries rather than live this miserable lifeโ
Lest we forget, OUR inaction is endangering those at chronic risk of coronavirus if it reaches the camp:
โI was on camp today, the situation is very, very bad and there is no way to protect ourselves against the virus. It is a bad thingโ
Aside from the dignity, we strip people of, and the Rights we remove by staying silent at this time, we are perpetuating the need for unsafe good structures that put children at riskโฆ
One final comment from Vial ๐:
"This is our suffering for days. There is no water and there is a large line if there is water. The problem is we are at the beginning of the coming summer. We wash in drinking water, how do we drink water if we wash with it? There is also a lack of hygroscopes, medication for washing clothes, and general antiseptics."
As we read these facts and hear the experiences of people (like us, just elsewhere), letโs remember that two Universal Human Rights being broken at this moment, on our European continent:
โก๏ธThe Right to water: entitles everyone to have access to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use.
โก๏ธThe Right to sanitation: Entitles everyone to have physical and affordable access to sanitation, in all spheres of life, that is safe, hygienic, secure, and socially and culturally acceptable and that provides privacy and ensures dignity.