A Kuwaiti woman sews face masks in Kuwait City, Kuwait, July 9, 2020. (Xinhua photo)
Kuwaiti women launch volunteer initiative to sew and provide fabric face masks for workers in need to help curb COVID-19 spread amid price hike and shortage of masks.
KUWAIT CITY, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Due to the high demand of face masks as COVID-19 spreads across the globe, Kuwaiti women started making masks for needy people in this Arab country.
According to a decision of Kuwaiti government, wearing a face mask is obligatory and anyone flouting the mandatory mask law will face three months in jail and a maximum fine of 5,000 Kuwaiti dinars (about 16,240 U.S. dollars).
Although authorities have tried to fix prices for face masks to ensure that businesses do not profit from the public health crisis but the prices went up and increasing people couldn't afford it.
Hessa Al-Rasheed, a Kuwaiti tailor, saw this as an opportunity to launch an initiative through her Instagram account to encourage Kuwaiti women to volunteer in sewing fabric face masks and distribute them for free to those who are in need.
Photo taken on July 7, 2020 shows face masks for kids sewed by Kuwaiti women, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. (Xinhua photo)
Al-Rasheed, a 37-year-old Kuwaiti woman, has been training girls to learn sewing for more than 10 years.
She said that there are about 53 Kuwaiti women aged between 17 and 60 have joined this initiative that was launched in April.
The initiative is called "Kuwaiti Buqsha" which means the sack or bag which was previously used to carry clothes or household items, she said.
Al-Rasheed received many requests about fabric face masks, once she posted the initiative on social media.
"At first, we wanted to provide fabric face masks for the public, with the aim of keeping medical face masks only for medical teams who deal directly with the infected people," she said.
Al-Rasheed explained that the tailors are keen to choose good cotton fabrics, which provide high protection with its three layers.
"We only use high-quality cotton and sew them in three layers," she noted, adding the initiative has expanded to making ear and face protectors.
The ear protectors are made from crochet or cloth and used via buttons behind the head, especially for those who have to wear masks for long hours, she explained.
On her part, Mariam Al-Dallal, another Kuwaiti tailor, told Xinhua that she joined the initiative the moment she saw the post on social media.
Photo taken on July 7, 2020 shows ear protectors sewed by Kuwaiti women, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. (Xinhua photo)
"We tried as a group of Kuwaiti women to support our country's efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus by providing washable masks, especially for workers who cannot afford them," she said.
Mariam Al-Dallal spends three to four hours a day sewing face masks at her home and she is specialized in manufacturing masks that are appropriate for the military attire in beige and green colors.
The process goes through three stages: the first day is to cut and take measurements, then to add the layers of fabric, and on the final third day is to sew the mask, she explained.
Kuwaiti women do not miss any opportunity to support their country and society, Al-Dallal stressed.
Until now, the initiative has managed to distribute more than 3,483 masked made of fabrics in addition to more than 2,777 ear protectors and over 500 face protectors.
According to Al-Rasheed, the initiative intends to continue even after the pandemic in order to promote volunteer values among the new generation and also teach the sewing craft. ■