One brave woman with sewing machines saves lives in Yemen!

In light of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in Yemen, with a very fragile healthcare system in place, it was necessary to think of alternative solutions to the more conventional forms of healthcare delivery.

Yemen, like other fragile and conflict-affected states, was ill-prepared to face the pandemic, especially since the public health system has nearly collapsed and swift, appropriate measures were not in place to protect medical personnel from the novel virus.

Such personnel are often considered the country’s first line of defence in combatting any epidemic. Therefore, Yemeni hospitals witnessed a significant increase in the deaths of medical doctors throughout the governorates of the Republic. One critical factor which contributed to this situation was the dire shortage of the most basic protection tools for medical teams to ward off the virus, including masks, suits, and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

It took a businesswoman named Nadia with a humble medical clothing sewing workshop to come up with a viable solution to support Yemen’s Covid-19 response efforts.