A NATIONWIDE campaign to improve living standards at Bahrain's labour camps has stalled because of their owners' reluctance to co-operate, it has emerged.

The Migrant Workers Protection Society's (MWPS) safety and welfare committee project was launched last August.

The society ploughed BD5,000 of its money into the scheme, which involves re-fitting kitchens to improve safety and replacing kerosene stoves with gas to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The project aimed to benefit workers and also their employers through improving productivity.

But MWPS safety and welfare committee head Sathis Kumar said yesterday that only one labour camp, in Barbar, had been renovated.

"We have approached many labour camp owners, but they do not want to give us permission," he said.

"We are visiting camps regularly and talking to them.

"We have to approach the sponsors and the camps because as a society we need written permission from the owners to do it."

However, despite the lack of enthusiasm towards the project, Mr Kumar said officials would not give up.

"People don't accept new ideas readily," he told the GDN.

Mr Kumar also rejected suggestions that the campaign had failed. "Our main objective is to create awareness," he said.

"We have visited 15 camps and we have given lectures on how to keep their living environment in a good condition and how to react in an emergency.

"These were done in five languages - Hindi, Bangla, Tamil, Malayalam and English.

"We are teaching the workers how to keep their properties tidy and how to maintain good health and the environment of their camp.

"We have also provided air conditioning units and refrigerators."

Mr Kumar said the MWPS was in the process of finalising the paperwork for the re-fitting of kitchens in another two labour camps, but said it could take up to two months.

"Our objective is to reach the poorest of the poor and we want to do something for the small companies," he said.

geoff@gdn.com.bh