Women leaders and the Gram Panchayat came together to combat Covid-19
“The Rajuri Gram Panchayat is very active & was an excellent partner to the women leaders & SSP in supporting the COVID-19 response efforts”, says Shahida Tai, community leader in Osmanabad.
During the first-wave of COVID-19 in 2020, the community members faced a lot of difficulty as they had to travel all the way to Osmanabad city to isolate themselves at hospitals. Hence, the women leaders, SSP team & Gram Panchayat collaborated to start an isolation center in the village itself. Rooms were provided by the Panchayat on the school premises, while medical supplies like beds & medicines were supplied by SSP. The isolation center started taking patients from August 2021.
Daily check-ups were provided to villagers suspected of being COVID positive. When the government started providing vaccinations, there was a lot of hesitation and many misconceptions amongst the community. Taking a lead in making their village 100 percent vaccinated, women targeted business people and members of the panchayat to get vaccinated first. Using the Gram Panchayat’s voter’s list, they also conducted household visits, addressed village meetings and used a mobile van to spread awareness on the government organized vaccination camps.
As of January 2022, more than 95% of Rajuri village has received their second COVID vaccine. The isolation centre and clinic also continue to run successfully.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
21st January, 2022