COVID-19: masks, food and supplies for Tunisian hospitals
When COVID-19 reached Tunisia in March 2020, Karim Gharbi said on television that all his means were at the country’s disposal. He then bought thousands of gloves, masks and bottles of hand sanitiser in Austria and had them distributed to hospitals and civil protection units, at a time when protective equipment was scarce everywhere.
Food for families
With the lockdown, many families lost their daily income. According to IIMSAM, K2Rhym distributed 2,000 food bags to families in need, and provided masks and supplies to the children and staff of the cancer unit at the Aziza Othmana hospital in Tunis.
Food baskets, and Tunisians stranded in Dubai
As the lockdown went on, tens of thousands of food baskets were distributed to families who had lost their income, with the help of Red Crescent volunteers. In Dubai, Tunisians stranded by the closure of the borders, without shelter or money, were housed in a five-star hotel until they could return home. Protective supplies also reached regional hospitals, including Ben Gardane, whose staff thanked him on camera.
Solidarity during the lockdown
Food baskets distributed with Red Crescent volunteers, Tunisians stranded in Dubai housed in a hotel, protective supplies for hospitals including Ben Gardane.
Original video on InstagramThen came oxygen
This first wave of aid was the beginning of a longer effort. In December 2020, Kasserine Regional Hospital received intensive care beds and respiratory machines. In I AM K2, health workers from Kasserine, Hfouz and Bir Ali Ben Khalifa describe the oxygen concentrators and equipment they received during the following waves of the pandemic.