Refugees living in camps are among the most vulnerable populations to the threat of COVID-19 - which has, by now, proven to extend far beyond health, affecting everything from the economy to the fabric of social life in most of the world. 

Palestinian refugees in Jerash camp in Jordan - where there has been an indefinite curfew for over two weeks now - are particularly affected by the lockdown, which keeps them confined to the camps, without access to food and sanitation supplies. Socially conscious Toronto-based fashion brand KUVRD, founded by Palestinian-Canadian Seevana Hawari, has thus stepped in to provide relief kits to the refugees in the camps. 

The kits include food supplies, detergent, disinfectants, bleach, and most important of all, soap, in collaboration with olive oil soap brand and social enterprise Sitti, which helps and employs women in Jerash in the making of their soap.

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

As the world 🌎 is working together to battle and flatten the curve of COVID19 virus 🦠 , Refugees living in Jerash are struggling to provide supplies to there families. Jordan has recently entered an indefinite curfew introduced on March 21st that bans people from leaving their homes even to purchase food unless obtaining a permit. With these rules enforced most refugees working are forced to stay at home, with many not able to secure food and sanitation supplies for their families.  In collaboration with @sittisoap our goal is to be able to provide food and sanitation supplies to families. Each family will receive: Food supplies + Sanitary Products (Detergent, Sitti Soap Bars, Disinfectants, Bleach) +  Fresh bread will be delivered every 2 days for the month. 〰️ Link in bio

A post shared by KUVRD ® (@kuvrd) on

 KUVRD will also be delivering fresh bread to the camp every two days throughout April. 

According to data procured by KUVRD, 1800 refugees of the 29,000 who live in the camp have lost their jobs and income due to the COVID-19 crisis. 

The camp is already known to be one of the poorest among the refugee camps in Jordan, with 52.7 percent of Palestine refugees having an income below the national poverty line of JD 814, and 88 percent of refugees not covered by any health insurance - another reason that there is now an urgent need to prevent the virus from spreading to the camp, and one of the most essential needs is access to sanitation.

Jerash refugee camp under lockdown. Photo courtesy of KUVRD.

Hawari founded KUVRD in 2017, with the desire to fuse Middle Eastern aesthetics and influences with Western fashion trends, and to use only ethically and locally sourced material, which include the Palestinian keffiyeh patterns and Palestinian textiles.

KUVRD has already raised over $10,000 in donation in order to secure material for the camp, and is continuing to receive donations through their GoFundMe.

Main image courtesy of KUVRD and Sitti.