ACAPS, against the effects of Covid-19 in refugee camps

More than 175,000 people have been living in the Sahrawi refugee camps for over 40 years. The health crisis of Covid-19 has brought many international cooperation projects to a standstill, leading to a double lockdown for the Sahrawi population who are not able to leave their homes and have been abandoned to their fate in these refugee camps.

In these camps, families receive a basic food basket provided by the Sahrawi Red Crescent, an organization that operates thanks to international contributions.

The organization has issued a statement asking for help to continue providing this basic foot basket due to the current situation. For this very reason, the Catalan Association of the Friends of the Sahrawi People (ACAPS) is collaborating with the Red Crescent to make this possible so that no family goes without food.

A 20€ contribution ensures enough food to feed a family of 5 during one week. This summer, Sahrawi children will be in the camps, and it is therefore necessary that there are more resources for food than in previous summers. If 15,000€ could be raised, this would allow to feed 100 families during the summer.

With this project, the organization aims at providing basic food during the summer to all of the Sahrawi families and children. The organization has launched a crowdfunding campaign through goteo.org, so that the money raised is used to buy, ship and distribute food to the Sahrawi families through the Sahrawi Red Crescent. ACAPS also aims to raise awareness among citizens o the conflict in Western Sahara.

“We know that humanitarian aid isn’t the definite solution, and that is why we believe that the more people mobilize in support of the Sahrawi people, the greater the pressure will be for international actors such as the UN and large world powers to resolve a conflict that has been ongoing for over 40 years” says Albert Giralt, the project’s coordinator.

As an ultimate solution, the organization says that it’s important that a self-determination referendum can be held to allow Western Sahara to become a State. “This is the ultimate solution to the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara and for the thousands of families that have been living in exile for over 40 years in refugee camps in the middle of the desert”, says Giralt.