UN agency in South Sudan welcomes donation of over 400,000 masks by Switzerland

JUBA – The United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has welcomed a donation yesterday of 440,000 face masks by the Switzerland’s Swiss Humanitarian Aid, according to a statement extended to Sudans Post.

“UNHCR South Sudan is grateful for the donation of 440 000 face masks from Switzerland. These personal protective equipment items, part of a larger donation that Switzerland made to the UN Refugee Agency, recently arrived in Juba and will be soon dispatched to refugee hosting areas,” the statement reads in part.

“The lack of personal protective equipment is one of the main challenges in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in remote areas where the majority of refugees are hosted in South Sudan. Protecting frontlines workers and humanitarians is pivotal to ensure there are no disruption of services,” it added.

Felicia Mandy Owusu, UNHCR Assistant Representative for Operations  said: “The use of these PPEs will decrease the risk of exposure to the virus for our staff and community outreach workers. UNHCR would like to thank Switzerland for standing with refugees.”

Switzerland has generously contributed, since 2019, more than 1.5 million USD to UNHCR to protect and assist displaced persons in South Sudan, according to the UN refugee agency.

“The need for protection and humanitarian assistance in South Sudan was already very high even before the current pandemic broke out,” explains Marcel Stoessel, Deputy Head of Mission at the Swiss Cooperation Office and Consular Agency in Juba,

“We are glad to be able to make a contribution with these masks so that services to the forcibly displaced can be maintained at a time when South Sudan is confronted with multiple crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic.”