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15 Jul 20
"My name is Ibrahim. I am 60 years old and am living with a disability. I’m from the town of Abbasi in Hawija but have been displaced since the Islamic State group attacked the town in 2017. I moved first to Haj Ali camp and then later to Laylan camp.
I’ve been living in Laylan camp for about a year. I have several children, some of them are married. There are five of us living in one tent. There is one shared bathroom for every four tents.
I’m suffering from high blood pressure and my current wife has kidney disease. Last year our family lost a five-month-old baby because of the cold. After that, blankets and kerosene for heating were distributed.
Two of my sons work so we can eat. They work outside of the camp as daily workers. One of them is married and has children of his own. With the curfew (imposed for the COVID-19 pandemic), my sons are not able to find work. But we manage, we get some onions and tomatoes from here and there.
Cleanliness in the camp depends on each families’ cleaning habits. A month ago, we were given bars of soap but they’re not for cleaning toilets. For that we get no cleaning liquids. The amount of soap is not enough for my big family, so I cannot bathe.
We don’t fear coronavirus. If it happens, it’s our fate and everybody has his own time. We know there are ways for protection, like wearing masks and staying away from crowds. We got a donation of one mask for each person a month ago. We wore for half a day and then tossed it.
If one of us gets COVID-19, we will call the hospital. I hear that symptoms include fever and body shaking.
We got a two-month supply of medications for our chronic diseases from MSF, so we’re ok on this side.
Our main problem is food. We feel forgotten. The water available for drinking here is contains salts, and we have to boil it and then cool it and drink it.”
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