Sewing machines provided to Kilis Municipality community centres to provide handicraft and employment opportunities for women are now being put to use to fight the spread of COVID-19. Local women are producing masks for their communities, increasing the resilience and social cohesion during the crisis.

Qudra 2 will build on this successful partnership and will continue to support Kilis Municipality with new projects. This is part of its new focus on supporting municipalities in Turkey to meet the challenges of the refugee crisis, implemented in partnership with the Union of Municipalities in Turkey (UMT). Local governments are leading the COVID-19 responses around the world as they are in the frontline of citizen engagement, service delivery and the management of public space. The Turkish Pandemic Influenza National Preparedness Plan, published in 2019, also underlines that municipalities bear a major part of the responsibilities during a pandemic - such as ensuring that the necessary information is disseminated and that public spaces are clean to prevent transmission.

After a rapid needs assessment and careful planning, Qudra 2 also supports its implementing partner, UMT in providing fast and comprehensive support to selected municipalities in southeast Turkey. In line with the recommendations from Turkey’s Ministry of Health (MoH) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the support will reach a total of more than 89,000 beneficiaries through: 

• 1,000 items of personal protective equipment provided for municipal workers
• 25,500 hygiene kits provided to the members of vulnerable households including refugees and host community members
• 62,000 community members and more than 800 municipal workers who benefit from awareness-raising activities 

Through these and other measures, Qudra 2 will support municipalities during COVID-19 and assists the communities on the path to a “new normal” after the pandemic.