I hope that you’re all safe and in good health. I’m writing to you today as the world is going through the biggest global health crisis in modern history, The COVID-19, and there’s no clear end in sight.
One of the mottos we often use at Greenpeace to describe our work protecting the planet is “there are no passengers on spaceship earth, we are all crew.”. By this we mean that we’re not simply passing visitors on this planet but rather part of a team whose aim is to work hand in hand to save it. We understand now, more than ever, the huge responsibility that we carry on our shoulders as citizens of this earth and we fully understand the weight of these words : “We are all in the same boat”.
With that being said, we are all invited to do our part in protecting our collective health, all while pursuing our hard work in protecting the environment.
Our region is going through difficult times and we have to support those who are at the forefront of this crisis, such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, reporters, journalists, food suppliers and so on.
Before writing this letter, we thoroughly thought of ways to help our community and show our solidarity, therefore we will work on the following steps:
– Since the beginning of the crisis, we started posting on our social media health tips that one can follow to fight the Coronavirus, tips that were retrieved from the World Health Organization (WHO) sources and local/ regional health ministries. We will work on providing more helpful tips in the upcoming days.
– We will share amusing activities that you can do while staying home, hoping that it will bring joy to you and your families. We hope that these fun activities will help you in coping with your self-isolation and daily routine.
– Nevertheless, we will keep updating you with our campaign work and the latest environment issues, because we strongly believe that protecting our environment goes hand in hand with protecting our health as well. Therefore, we’ll keep working with the international community to address the environmental crisis as a top priority.
Our local and regional staff in the MENA region are all working from home. As an international organization, we are well equipped to work in such circumstances and since we’re always devoted to our mission, it’s easy for us to replace travelling with online meetings and conferences.
To endure and face what the future might unfold for us in the upcoming days, wisely and efficiently, let us all stay at home. We will stand together, protect ourselves and keep on protecting our mutual home: Planet Earth.
Sending you all warm and safe wishes,
Zeina Khalil Hajj
Executive Director at Greenpeace MENA