Through Mercy Corps’ Ishrak programme, more than 2,000 families in the Zaatari refugee camp are to receive hygiene kits, with the aim of mitigating the impact of the pandemic among refugee communities, according to a Mercy Corps statement shared with The Jordan Times.

In collaboration with UNICEF, the UNHCR and the NRC, Mercy Corps, is scaling up outbreak readiness among refugees through hygiene kit distribution, remote psychosocial support and parenting skill sessions, the statement said.  

On September 10, the Ministry of Health confirmed the first three COVID-19 cases in the Zaatari refugee camp, some 80km northeast of Amman, two of the cases were of Jordanian service providers and the third was a Syrian refugee woman, according to the statement.

"Ishrak programme aims to build family resilience, in addition to providing social and psychological support for children, youth and families,” Deputy Project Manager Hana Shalouf told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday. 

Shalouf said that distributing hygiene kits in the Zaatari camp helps strengthen pandemic response, in addition to improving hygiene practices in communities that are most susceptible to diseases like COVID-19. 

"The selected recipients of the kits are the most vulnerable, as well as, families that have been affected by the virus,” she further said. 

Mercy Corps joins this round of distribution by providing kits each including hygiene products such as toothpaste, toothbrush, sanitiser, shampoo, nail clipper, soap bars, face towels, sanitary napkins, surface disinfectants and detergent powder.

This activity is funded by the COVID-19 Resilience Fund, according to the statement, adding that the distribution is conducted through door-to-door delivery.