With the Coronavirus pandemic spreading around the globe, the Arab world was lucky enough to feel the danger and learn from other countries’ experiences before it’s too late. Safety and emergency precautions are being implemented all over the Middle East, and the Arab governments are on the highest alert.
Despite implementing quarantines, curfews, and anti-gathering regulations, medical staff are facing some of the biggest challenges of their careers. They can’t just follow the safety precautions and care for their families, like anybody else, because they have to be fully committed to doing their jobs, risking their own health in the process.
They are more likely to catch the virus since they are exposed more than the average person, and cases from China and other European countries showed that the disease even hits them harder than anyone else.
Unfortunately, a lot of people in the Arab world aren’t abiding by the new precautions and staying at home, either as an act of recklessness or lack of awareness, which puts their lives in serious danger, as well as the lives of others. This will surely reflect on the numbers of infected cases, and that’s the reason why social initiatives are being launched to support and help our medical workers in their heroic role.
Giving away healthcare products
In Egypt, a non-governmental organization working in the field of healthcare called Mesal launched an initiative to give 3000 healthcare packages to poor patients, their families, and people who were affected by the Dragon floods in Egypt last week.
After using all of the given products, the families can ask for a refill, and Mersal is attaching a sanitation and cleaning guide to their packages.
Being there for people in need
Since every activity or business is put on hold, some of the wage earners now have no source of income to feed their families. Fundraising campaigns are taking place in Lebanon to address this issue and maintain the safety of the Lebanese community.
The youth is also raising money to provide for families who are in need of help with essential food supplies such as rice, pasta, and oil. They are also including cleaning products in their packages to help support the success of the quarantine.
Sponsoring poor families
The Moroccan footballer, Walid Azaro announced on his Instagram account that he will sponsor four of the poor families in his country to encourage them to stay safely at home during this critical time.
He encouraged celebrities to join him in his initiative, and the two Moroccan footballers Hamid Ahaddad and Achraf Bencharki followed his lead. They announced that they will dedicate part of their salary to families in need.
Donating to the government
After the Kuwaiti businessman, Fawaz Khalid Al Amarzouq, announced he would be donating 10 million Dollars to the Kuwaiti government in support of their fight against the coronavirus outbreak, his initiative became a trending hashtag on Twitter in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti community is now following in his steps and celebrating the unsung heroes in the Coronavirus battle.
Other businessmen are donating money in Kuwait, and some property owners postponed asking for their rental fees until this all ends.