The Safire programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by 14 NGOs, including GRET and Caritas, aims to respond to multisectoral issues such as youth employment, entrepreneurship and food security in Mauritania.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Mauritanian Ministry of Employment, Youth and Sports asked the Safire programme members to contribute to the fight against the virus by supporting the production of hygiene items, while involving vulnerable urban populations who are particularly affected by the inactivity generated by containment measures.
To respond to this request, the programme members contributed to the manufacture of several thousands of masks and handwashing kits. This was made possible thanks to the Caritas Vocational training and professional integration centre (CFIP) in Mauritania, which mobilised and trained vulnerable young people to manufacture this material, thereby enabling them to re-access work and income. This activity was made known to the programme’s various technical and financial partners and to its other members, who in turn began ordering items from CFIP. An awareness-raising operation will be held shortly in Nouakchott and in the other wilayas where the programme is operating. These masks and hygiene kits will be distributed to vulnerable populations and public services during the operation.
* The Safire project is being implemented thanks to financial support from the European Union (EU). The content of this article is the sole responsibility of GRET and does not necessarily reflect the views of the EU.
