Sewing in Solidarity: MOAS volunteers make over 6000 masks for refugees in Malta

Volunteers who responded to MOAS' calls for homemade masks for refugees pose with their creations.

When COVID-19 hit Malta, one of the main risks that immediately became apparent was the potential spread of the virus in accommodation such as reception centres, where refugees and asylum-seekers share facilities, dormitories and common areas. Unfortunately, refugees and asylum-seekers do not always have easy access to the resources needed to protect themselves and those around them from catching the virus.

As a non-governmental, international humanitarian organisation with lots of experience providing aid and assistance to some of the world’s most vulnerable, MOAS are used to acting quickly in response to potential health and humanitarian risks. Set up in 2013 with a pioneering, independent Search and Rescue NGO ship in the Central Mediterranean, MOAS has touched the lives of thousands of displaced people, with various projects both in Malta and beyond.

Despite expanding their operations out of Malta in the past few years, with MOAS operating in Bangladesh, Yemen and Somalia, the organisation still plays an active role on the island. So when refugees and asylum-seekers in open centres were in need of resources to help them protect themselves from the virus, they came up with an ambitious project – #MoasMasksMalta – an initiative that mobilised people in the community to make masks for refugees. Each mask, individually hand-made by locals who wanted to help in any way, was distributed for free to refugees and asylum-seekers over the past months.

To find out more about how this large-scale project came to fruition, UNHCR spoke to MOAS co-founder and director Regina Catrambone. Here she explains to us how the idea was made possible because of the combined effort of volunteers and various organisations to ensure efficient production, delivery and distribution of the masks – demonstrating the power of a ‘whole of society’ approach.

Regina Catrambone, co-founder and director of MOAS

UNHCR: Could you describe the project MOAS Masks Malta?

Regina Catrambone: In March, due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, MOAS launched several COVID-19 humanitarian responses including #MoasMasksMalta. This is a project to encourage home seamstresses to make face masks for vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees in Malta, in response to a call from the national Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) requesting our support to provide masks, to ensure the refugees and asylum-seekers in their care have two each.

The masks serve as a preventative measure to slow the spread of COVID-19 for migrants in the open centres, where social distancing and other recommended precautionary measures against the virus are all the more challenging due to overcrowded conditions and poorer sanitation infrastructure.

How did it work? What was the process for volunteers to make the masks?

Volunteers were given enough material, thread and elastic to make 50 masks each, although many kindly offered to make many more! They were also given clear instructions on the CDC approved pattern and we provided a YouTube tutorial created by fashion designer Luke Azzopardi to make the process easier. Once volunteers had completed their masks they were collected, sterilised and packaged with instructions by the MOAS team for distribution.

What has the response been to this project so far?

In the first round we collected 6610 masks which were delivered to AWAS reception facilities, as well as organisations such as the Emigrants’ Commission and Food Bank, which work with vulnerable groups across the island.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues spreading in Malta, MOAS has launched another round of face mask home production to make sure that everyone, including the most vulnerable, can have a face mask at their disposal to be worn in public areas or on public transport (where face-masks are required by law).

Who are the local stakeholders involved in the project in Malta, and why did you feel it was important to involve Maltese businesses and creatives?

It is important for the project to be a real community effort and to not come just from our organisation.

It is crucial to incorporate local Maltese businesses as this project is not solely about providing face masks but also about showing a message of solidarity with refugees and asylum-seekers on the island to show that we care.

We are so grateful for the support from local donors and supporters who made this project possible. The material that we supplied to our volunteers was sourced from a local store and its distribution was kindly facilitated by the local private transport company, eCabs, who also helped us pick up the masks from our volunteers’ homes during the lockdown. We have also received some donations from people across the island that have felt passionate about donating to our project.

We also wanted to involve a young fashion designer, Luke Azzopardi, to attract the attention of youth and of other fashion designers on the island and we were delighted that once we approached him, he quickly became enthusiastic about the project and offered a tutorial video for our volunteers to follow.

#MOASMasksMalta was made possible with the help of volunteers, as well as businesses who supported with transport and distribution. © MOAS

How many people in Malta responded to the calls to make masks for refugees? What do you think was their main motivation for contributing to the project?

The response to the project blew us away. In under a week over 250 people had generously reached out to us offering to help with the project – proving that there are countless people who do, indeed, care and are desperate to help others.

I think people were keen to do something practical and genuinely helpful in their community by sharing their time and their skills during this challenging time.

Lockdown has been hard for many families but this project has brought some people together for a fun challenge whilst also recognising that for some people in our community there is a wealth of additional challenges that come with this kind of lockdown so doing what we can – no matter how small – is so important to show each other that we are a community and that we care for one another. Such kindness from so many people in Malta, both young and old, was therefore really touching and inspiring.

How did the recipients of the masks (refugees and asylum-seekers in Malta) respond to the initiative?

Refugees and asylum-seekers were all extremely grateful and happy for the mask donations. For MOAS, utilising our resources to address the desperate need for the increased protection for vulnerable groups is our civil responsibility. We all know that in overcrowded areas like the open centres, where social distancing and other recommended precautionary measures are more challenging due to overcrowded conditions and poor sanitation infrastructure, the use of the masks is crucial in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

About MOAS:

MOAS is an international humanitarian organisation founded in 2013 and dedicated to providing humanitarian aid and services to the most vulnerable communities around the world. Since its inception, MOAS has reached hundreds of thousands of people through its activities. After several Search and Rescue missions in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, MOAS moved its operations to Bangladesh, to assist Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar and the local host community. Today MOAS is currently involved in several projects (in Yemen, Bangladesh, Somalia) assisting the most vulnerable communities in the poorest areas of the world, and also in Malta.

In 2019, with the launch of the #SafeAndLegalRoutes campaign, MOAS proposed to national, European and international institutions the importance of striving towards the elimination of human trafficking, by increasing the availability of safe and legal means of migration which exist but fail to be adequately implemented. Indeed, these alternative and regulated routes are essential in ensuring the countless vulnerable people, who make desperate migration journeys everyday do not continue to fall victim to human trafficking and exploitation, as currently these ‘regulated pathways’ are not fully serving their purpose as, indeed, they were intended to do so.

To find out more about MOAS, visit their website.

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