Skip to main content

As corona virus 'travels' to rural areas, NGO begins training tribals, marginalised women

Making tribals aware of precautions during corona virus 
By Souparno Chatterjee*
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared corona virus a pandemic. Originating from Wuhan in China, it has traversed the entire globe, almost, and claimed more than 16,000 lives already. That’s largely the urban population. In India, despite all the preparedness and war-like promptness to safeguard against the pandemic, several lives have been lost , and hundreds of individuals have tested positive.
While lockdown continues to keep everyone inside their homes, apprehension is on the rise as in how many are still there with the deadly infection who yet to be detected. India has a larger concern to worry about. Its population size and density vis-a-vis the level of general awareness, preparedness and facilities available to treat an ailing section just does not matchup. There are only 40,000 ventilators for a 1.3 billion population!
Rural India is thankfully still not much affected by this outbreak. But that is no reason to relax. We are at a crucial juncture to organise millions of villagers of the subcontinent. One of the biggest challenges in remote rural areas, apart from inadequate corona virus healthcare facilities at their doorsteps, is their lack of awareness about the pandemic and what all measures are essential to keep one safe and secure in this situation.
At the same time, it is from the rural areas that most of India’s daily wage earners and labours migrate to urban areas. At this time of crisis, when these labourers will start moving back to their own villages, it might so happen that some of them will carry the virulent disease in their bodies.
A huge population that had hitherto remained unaffected by the virus will soon start falling ill, taking the number of infected individuals to several thousands in India and COVID19 will become a ‘community threat’. Death toll may rise in geometric progression despite the best of efforts from all sections of the society. So their vulnerability is bigger than any time in the past.
COVID19 is an uncertain and seemingly long-drawn battle with an enemy unseen. And the challenges increase manifold when it comes to rural communities. Some of the glaring challenges that can be perceived at the communities’ level are as per the following:
  • In most of the villages water resource is rarely available in abundance. And in most of the cases, people use the same well or tube well or small pond. Ponds and wells mean stagnant water. Situation may worsen further if contaminated water is consumed, and not used without adequate purification.
  • Now when the emigrants are coming back to their own villages from COVID19 affected urban bases, they will also use the same water bodies, touch the same tube-well handle! How does one stop the pandemic assume a community threat? 
  • Social distancing is an alien concept: If there is an illness in the vicinity, everyone flocks around and takes responsibility of treatment, carrying the patient to the health centres etc. 
  • Providing for basic ration and other consumables at their doorstep during a long lockdown phase that may continue for an indefinite period for the daily wage earning ultra-poor section of the society. 
Various state governments along with the Central government are taking measures to improve the block and district level health centres and reduce financial woes of the MGNREGA job-card holders.
But, it is time for the civil society organisations, working in some of the most remote and poor areas of the country, to adopt a larger role at this critical moment and provide the required support to the communities, and the government, to combat the pandemic. They have the expertise and experience to help design practical and contextual solutions for most of the problems in rural areas.
Panchayat quarantine in Basia block, Gumla district, Jharkhand
PRADAN, a national NGO, working in about 9,000 villages of 37 of the poorest districts across seven states in India has an outreach of 850,000 families through 71,000 self help groups (SHGs), has employed a whole pool of educated professionals at the community levels since the past 37 years. Almost 70% of its community members belong to Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste categories.
Since times immemorial, they have been suffering from abject poverty, illiteracy, ill-health and exclusion since generations. PRADAN professionals have developed deep rapport with these disadvantaged communities and have facilitated transformation of millions of lives through promotion of livelihoods, natural resource management, entrepreneurship promotion, improving local governance, gender equality and various other well-being initiatives.
However, needless to say, the same population is now extremely vulnerable to suffer from COVID19 as they lack the required awareness, resources and all sorts of support mechanisms to combat the disease. In fact, with whatever sources of information they have, the possibilities of getting affected by rumours and fake news on the disease are extremely high.
Therefore, the PRADAN staff, working directly with these marginalised small-farm holders, have assumed the responsibility to spread awareness among the communities and provide them the much required handholding support on certain major aspects of hygiene and safe practices. It is worth mentioning here that this engagement is beyond their committed project deliverables.
Women leaders learned how to prepare and use masks made with tissue papers and rubber-bands, and making of sanitizers with fermented Mahuwa flowers
Our teams in Jharkhand started an awareness drive on March 16, in collaboration with the SHG led federation of women in Pathargama block. The awareness camp focussed on specifics of maintaining hygiene in their everyday lives, mainly highlighting the need for frequent hand-wash and avoiding touching nose or mouth unnecessarily.
In fact, their unanimous decision to postpone their annual congregation called Mahadhiveshan, scheduled for March 17, for an indefinite period is appreciable in the light of the community practicing social distancing.
A rural workshop in Bihar by Chakai team
Likewise, an awareness generation and preventive measures programme was organised by our Chakai team in Bihar, where the members from Jeevan Marshal Mahila Sangh, a block level federation in Chakai block geared-up to fight against COVID19.
Women’s federation leaders learned how to prepare and use masks made with tissue papers and rubber-bands, and making of sanitizers with fermented Mahuwa flowers – a resource available in abundance in their villages. Its high alcohol content is being capitalised for making sanitizer. Akasia fruits are being used for cleaning hands – as a natural alternative to soap/hand-wash.
In fact, the initiative of making washable and reusable masks, with specific quality checks and supplying them to government departments is one step beyond just keeping the communities abreast of best practices for a safe and healthy living.
Through this initiative, we are trying to create a parallel line of supply of this crucial safety equipment. Apart from Bihar, the teams in Nagri of Chhattisgarh have also arranged similar programmes for the SHG members. Women are making the masks and supplying them to the local banks, panchayat offices and several other government offices.
PRADAN teams have also created IEC materials for disseminating correct information among the communities, so that the spectre does not acquire a more horrifying magnitude by rumors and fake news. Our team of development professionals in Gumla, Palkot, and Mayurbhanj have joined hands with local health departments to co-create Information, Education and Communication materials.
In fact, every Panchayat Hall is being converted into a quarantine facility at Basia block in Gumla district of Jharkhand. If the need arises, school halls will be also used for this purpose. Khichdi will be made available to the patients. In fact this is now becoming the model for many remote rural areas in other states too.
Along with panchayat and block administration, PRADAN is preparing the status of ration distribution in Basia. A WhatsApp group, including all the administrative bodies and PRADAN professionals, has been created for a seamless coordination of the entire task.
PRADAN partners communities in good and bad times both. And communities see PRADAN as partners in both good times and bad. And like PRADAN, there are many other grassroots NGOs who are well placed to play a role in managing such crises given their long-standing, deep rooted relationship with the communities.
Most of the PRADAN staff and the community based local service providers have been advised to work from home, but spreading the right messages using the latest information and communication technology is always key in controlling the spread of COVID19 in remote rural pockets. If being together is no more encouraged during the COVID19 times, it’s only together, with our collective zeal, that we can counter the threat. Because #TogetherWeCan!
---
*PRADAN, New Delhi

Comments

Anonymous said…
The worst is that we are not using high dose Vitamin C which has long history of being amazing.


RIGHT NOW IN SHANGHAI Regional govt has officially authorised Vit C for use. They have used what I think from reading below is a lowsih, 10-20gr/day if IV Vit C. No one in the Vit C group died and they were out of hospital in 3-5 days instead of 30 days without. Covid and much more solved. lets get back to normal. But we




They should keep on using it for ever thing.




The RDA of 45-100 mg /day useless and maybe criminal. I have taken 30 grams of time release vit c for a flue and it flattened it. Vit C is non toxic, listen to the doctors below not me




See orthomolecular dot org and their news tab.

orthomolecular.org


Book mark this as they have lots of study info on Vit c there.




Look up




Dr Frederick Klenner ( reversed polio in 60 patients in 1949),plus much more

Dr Thomas Levy USA cardiologist, amazing books plus 20+ talks on youtube. site is peakenergy

Dr Robert Cathcart treated 30000 patients with does sometimes over 200 grams a day. There are two playlists with 870+ talks by him on youtube




Dr Suzanne Humpries on Youtube search Vitamin C basics




The university of Otago Dr Margaret Visser did a fantastic talk on Vit C in 2014, but I don't think they accessed the above, but the findings are wow.




Look at Andrews Sauls "that vitamin movie" and his web page doctoryourself




Look up studies Zabet 2016 and sepsis and Fowler 2014 with sepsis in the search. Fowler Slide 5 show sick people are all low in vit C so why don't they give you a drip when you go in for all things




sepsis liked 8 million, imagine when you see these studies with lowish amount cutting that maybe in 1/2




Klenner used to have his nurse give you a vit IV before he saw you, as maybe the problem went with that.




Dr Cathcart said if I ran hospital I would give people Vit C first and work on the rest.

Covid and the Chinese use , plus these people with 80 years of info show we can take our health back and at far lower the cost .




This is very important for self determination of developing countries. You could be much healthier and not could save heaps on health import costs. The doctor in Shanghai has used vit C for over 10 years.




If you think there is merit in your searches and the links you find please send them far and wide
Mr Frudo said…
kn95 mask exporter shall help these countries
james john said…
Thanks for a wonderful share.Your article has proved your hard work and experience you have got in this field.Brilliant.
deep cleaning coronavirus
Gane said…
Yes, well said. Sanitizers are the real way to get protected by deadly viruses. Thanks for sharing this valuable content in here.

TRENDING

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Central pollution watchdog sees red in Union ministry labelling waste to energy green

By Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran*  “Destructors”, “incinerators” and “waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration” all mean the same thing – indiscriminate burning of garbage! Having a history of about one and a half centuries, WTE incinerators have seen several reboots over the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. 

First-of-its-kind? 'Eco-friendly, low cost' sewage treatment system installed in Gujarat

Counterview Desk Following the installation of the Unconventional Decentralized Multi-Stage Reactor (UDMSR) for sewage treatment, a note on what is claimed to be the  first-of-its-kind technology said, the treated sewage from this system “can be directly utilized for agricultural purposes”, even as proving to be a “saviour in the times of water crisis.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Indo-Bangla border: Farmers facing 'illegal obstacles' in harvesting, transporting yields

  Counterview Desk  In a representation to the chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, human rights defender Kirity Roy, who is secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has said that Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are creating "illegal obstacles" for farmers seeking to harvest their ripened yields and transport them to the market in village Jhaukuthi of Cooch Behar district.

Wasteland, a colonial legacy, being used to 'give away' vast tracts to Ratnagiri refinery

By Fouziya Tehzeeb* William D’Souza, a 55-year old farmer from Kuthethur, Mangalore, was busy mixing cattle feed when we arrived at his doorsteps. Around 25 km from the bustling city of Mangalore, Kuthethur is a lush green village with thick vegetation. On the way to William’s house the idyllic view gets blocked by the flares and smoke arising from the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

CAA disregards India's inclusive plural ethos, 'betrays' ideals of freedom struggle: PUCL

Counterview Desk    "Outraged" at the move of the Central government to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA 2019) weeks before the election, the top rights group, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has demanded that the law be repealed. 

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Sections of BSF, BGB personnel 'directly or indirectly' involved in cross border smuggling

By Kirity Roy*  The Border Security Force (BSF) of India and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) of Bangladesh met for 54th Director General level meeting at Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 5th to 9th March, 2024 to discuss on minimizing killings at border area, illegal intrusion, trafficking of drugs and other narcotics, smuggling of arms and ammunitions and other crimes at bordering areas. Further, the summit had an agenda to discuss on overall development in 150 yards area at both sides of the border and design an activity plan for the same.