“Registan ka jahaj hai ye” (This is the ship of the desert) says Islam Khan of Kantalkapar, walking with his camel in the desert region of Ramsar – 30 km from the India-Pakistan border – in Rajasthan. The only way for the COVID-19 vaccines to reach the people residing in the dunes of Ramsar block was on camel carts. Khan carries Chandravati, a public health worker designated as an ANM (Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife), in the camel cart to the Saurupani village, also called Bhilo ki basti, of Ramsar. The village has a population of around 500 people living in 70 houses, according to locals. The vaccine mission Khan and Chandravati are on is part of Project MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity. Supported by USAID, the Project is being implemented by John Snow India Pvt Ltd in collaboration with the government and works with local NGOs to increase Covid-19 vaccination coverage, particularly for vulnerable and marginalised populations, in 18 states across India. The Rajasthan government has been strengthening efforts to reach each person, and these interventions were carried out under the state government's guidance. “The people feared that the vaccine would make men impotent and harm the foetus in pregnant women," says Chandravati after vaccinating some children of Saurupani. These were some of the rumours men talked about when they gathered at the tented shop in the village. Five troops of camel carts with ANMs and a camel driver were deployed in the dunes of Siyai, Nai siyai, Bhilo ka par, Saurupani and Sangrani villages of Ramsar for COVID-19 vaccination. The men of Saurupani work in the fields for four months to grow crops, and work as labourers in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka for the remaining year. Women operate stitching machines and engage in animal husbandry in the village. Hema Ram, 30, says that no deaths occurred in the village due to the coronavirus and people who returned from other states were the only ones who were infected. “Villagers were afraid when they saw videos of dead bodies on TV news channels," he added. “In the beginning, we had the misconception that we may die if we take the vaccine,” said Baju Devi, 45. “The elders of the village were more afraid.” Educated youth speaking to their families, awareness campaigns with the Project, and connecting with people on WhatsApp were the initial steps the gram panchayat took to convince the people to vaccinate. Jeet Parmar, 23, the youngest Sarpanch in the state of Rajasthan said, “It was very difficult (to convince people). Villagers used to run away as soon as they heard the word ‘vaccine’.” Currently, children between the age of 12 and 18 are being administered the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Saurupani. Raatri Chaupal In Babuguleriya village of Ramsar, misconceptions and myths about vaccines were as prevalent. The Project collaborated with folk singers and performers to raise awareness about the COVID vaccines among people. Bauju Pradhan, chief of the village, was the first person to get vaccinated in Babuguleriya. “I got the vaccine first when people were scared of it,” she says as she waits for the raatri chaupal to begin. “If even one person was missed, the whole village could be at risk,” says Sarita, 31, a Project official, adding that they went to each and every house in the village to inform them about the vaccine. Jamal Khan, 47, is a manganiyar – a traditional folk singer – who sings at various events in the state usually about rain, trees, and nature. Since March 2022, Khan along with his troop has performed vaccine awareness songs in the folk style in about 250-300 raatri chaupals (nightly village gatherings). “We faced many many many difficulties. Some villages were so scared of the vaccine, they did not let us enter,” Khan says before preparing for a performance in Babuguleriya village. Apart from singing the songs they composed, the troop also held discussions with people to clear their misconceptions regarding the vaccine. Some elders were worried that they might get paralysed after taking the vaccine shot, he said. Jamal Khan and his troop have performed in Ramsar, Gadhra, Barmer, Baitu, Jaisalmer, Fatehgarh, and several other blocks. “Where we faced most challenges were the places we achieved the most vaccination,” Khan said with a proud smile. The raatri chaupal is joined by Gyaani Baba, a puppet, and Dr. Popat, a character performed by Lal Puri Goswami, a theatre artist from Bikaner. Goswami says that his characters connect with the audience because of his knowledge of their culture and language. Goswami performs interactive improv stand-up to highlight misconceptions about the coronavirus vaccine. “Once we went to a village in our car, stones were hurled at us,” he said. He says the ‘best thing’ is that people get vaccinated on the side while he performs at gatherings. Convincing the villagers in areas that had an uneducated population was particularly challenging for public health workers. Saroj, an ANM for 2.5 years from Tambaliyar, took her son to a village and administered him the second dose there to make people believe that the vaccine was not harmful. “I would not kill my child with my own hands, right?” she asked, to encourage the gathering for vaccination. Baal Mela Another vaccination awareness campaign by the Project in Rajasthan schools is Baal Mela (Children’s Fare), where various inter-class competitions are organised to create coronavirus awareness. On the side, COVID vaccinations are carried out in schools. Disclaimer: MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity Project, supported by USAID is implemented in India by John Snow India Pvt Ltd in close collaboration with the Government of India to strengthen their outreach and delivery efforts with communities for vaccination; and through partnerships with local NGOs to increase demand, distribution and uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized populations across selected 18 states of India. (Visit: )
