Mouth and nose protection production in Harman

The team

The women workers at Harman have been through severely traumatizing life events and continue to suffer from the poor conditions in the camp. The team that produces the mouth-to-nose coverings is made up of women with a diversity of tragic biographies. They are women who were enslaved in IS captivity and freed; women who witnessed the deaths of husbands, children, family members and friends. They are women who are single and living at subsistence level. Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, these women have been working for fixed wages and regular hours at the Harman Education Center, producing mouth-nose coverings for the refugee camps in Khanke.

The sanitary protection measures to protect the women workers at Harman.

**Women worked to protect their fellow women. Our Bridge e.V. took the following measures to protect the women at work:**

\- Explain hygiene rules verbally and hand out a pictorial summary. \- Provide soap, mouth-nose protection, disinfection and paper towels \- Create and implement cleaning and disinfection plan \- Check implementation \- Ensure and maintain a safe distance \- Provide protective clothing \- Exemption of risk groups \- Regular checks by testing and, if necessary, doctors

[](https://www.facebook.com/OurBridge1/videos/1008643996217276/?vh=e&extid=BbI9W4fOt3iynGJz)

Scan the QR code or click it now and you will get to the video, which gives an insight into the production. Here you can see the team that carried out the production independently. The women are an integral part of the Our Bridge Xhankê team.

The production Step:

1\. Two-ply cotton fabric was washed with sanitizer and dried. 2\. The fabric was ironed. The working material was thus prepared for further processing. 3\. The cotton fabric was cut according to DinA4 pattern. 4\. The pre-cuts were sewn to specified size at the ends. 5\. To prevent droplet ejection, folds were ironed in. 6\. The preliminary mask was sewn in place with the folds. 7\. The holder for the ears was cut. 8\. The ear holder was sewn to the mask.

The distribution key 1\. all registered sponsored children in the educational center Harman of Our Bridge e.V. (there are about 330 children) and their relatives

2\. owners of grocery stores, pharmacies and similar system-relevant institutions.

3\. the residents in the outdoor camps, so called unofficial camps

4\. the residents in the official refugee camps

5\. the villagers in Xhanke

6\. the refugees and the police union in the refugee camp, as well as system-relevant facilities such as pharmacies and grocery stores in the refugee camp in Zakho

The guidelines

The coverings are made of dense 2-ply cotton fabric. Following the recommendation of the Robert Koch Institute, they are washed after production ideally at 95 degrees, but at least at 60 degrees, and then completely dried. Guidelines for strength and functionality of the Robert Koch Institute were taken into account during production, as of April 2020.'[\[1\]](#_ftn1)

The correct use of the mouth-nose protection Wearing mouth-nose coverings is only advisable if the following measures are taken. Maintain a minimum distance of 1.50 meters from others even when wearing protection. Wash hands before putting on and do not touch the inside of the mask. The mask should fit snugly and cover the mouth and nose throughout. Do not pull it tight while wearing or wear it around the neck. If the mask is soaked, it must be changed. To remove, grasp the side tabs and do not touch the front. Always wash hands thoroughly after removing. Wash the covering immediately or store in the airtight bag until washing.

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[\[1\]](#_ftnref1) https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Ressourcen_schonen_Masken.pdf?__blob=publicationFile, Juni 2020.