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Journalism of Courage
In Chhattisgarh’s Samoda, 50 km from Raipur, school students play a game of snakes and ladders. This, however, is not a regular game. The board is on the floor, and with the rolling of the dice, children go up and down it.
The board has messages about the Covid-19 vaccine, aimed at educating children above the age of 12 years about its importance and bursting misconceptions around it.
The snakes and ladders game is among the many initiatives to boost vaccine coverage in this small Chhattisgarh village, taken as part of MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity Project.
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.
“If we explain things through games, children learn very fast,” Aruna Makaria, a teacher at Samoda’s Shastripuram Madhyamik Shala, said. “They will then make their family members aware.”
When Makaria was on Covid duty in the village, she saw that many, even those above 60 years of age, were not vaccinated. Fear regarding the vaccine was rife among villagers, who thought the deaths and infections they saw around them were being caused by the Covid shots. Anganwadi workers who went door to door to inform people about vaccination camps were met with resistance, even aggression.
“The Mitanins faced a lot of hardships. Villagers were not ready to understand. They abused the women, saying they did not want the vaccines and should not be forced,” Regional Health Officer Bhupendra Devangan said.
“We heard a lot (of negative things) from people, but we ignored them, went ahead, and are still moving forward. It feels the best when I get through the hardships at my job,” said Draupadi Deslehre, a mitanin.
It was then that Project came up with the snakes and ladders idea. In a team of two, one child rolls the dice and the other walks on the board. If they step upon a yellow box that encourages taking the vaccine dose, the student gets a ladder up. If they step upon a box featuring any misinformation about the vaccine, it brings them down the board.
“This way, students were made aware. Many myths surrounding the vaccine were busted,” Tikaram Sahu, the school principal said.
Transgender community
In Chhattisgarh’s Durg, a transgender activist, Kanchan Sendre, popularly known as Vaccine Didi, led her community to get the doses. Fighting her own fears regarding the vaccine affecting her recent sex reassignment surgery, Sendre spent months educating her fellows and gaining their trust, as part of the Project.
In the beginning, many in her community ignored the seriousness of the virus. “Corona is nothing,” some told Sendre. As time passed, they witnessed deaths and people around them getting infected. The fear of the vaccine was more than the virus.
Several members of the transgender community are on sex change medications or undergoing Antiretroviral therapy (ART)- an HIV treatment regimen, making them a high-risk group. Their hesitancy to the Covid-19 vaccine was due to the side effects potentially meddling with their ongoing medicines. As Project champion, Sendre spoke to ART counselors to learn about the vaccine’s effects.
Documentation was another issue for her group. Sendre said, “Many people had documents as men but were now living as women. They were afraid of going to the vaccination centres out of fears of getting mocked.”
Leprosy patients
Another marginalised group was that of leprosy patients, who lose part of their limbs, experience fatigue and burning on their wounds, and are in a low-income level group because of their inability to do physical work. As they develop deformities, many are subjected to discrimination and ridicule in society.
India houses more than 750 leprosy colonies, with around 34 in Chhattisgarh. To reach them, the Project contacted locals who enjoyed a level of trust within the community.
Ghasiram Bhoi has lived in Raipur’s Indra Kusht Basti, Mowa, also known as Leprosy Colony, since 1986. The area houses 150 people among which 80-85 are leprosy-affected and beg for alms to survive.
Born in Chhattisgarh’s Saraipali, affected with leprosy at the age of seven, Ghasiram Bhoi recovered after his village contributed to his treatment. Bhoi has been advocating for the rights of leprosy patients and during the lockdown, had helped the colony by arranging for groceries. As part of the Project, he then worked to get the residents Covid vaccines.
“They (colony members) were not well-informed and do not trust outside organisations as much as they believe us. We are close to them.” Bhoi said. “We joined our hands and requested them to get vaccinated.”
On the move and missed out
The transport industry is one of the top employment-generating sectors in India. Yet, the truck drivers are a highly unorganised group. High mobility, long working hours, and unplanned trips to any and everywhere in the country made it difficult for them to get timely vaccination for the coronavirus. The Project arranged for vaccination for this group.
Pankaj, a truck driver from Bihar, was stuck in Mumbai for 15 days when the lockdown was announced. He faced difficulties in arranging food and water for himself. His family was worried, called him back, and advised him not to work so that he could be with them. But that would risk the income he earns for his family, driving a 10-wheeler truck across the country.
Pankaj was told by people that many are falling ill or dying after taking the vaccine doses. “But I went and got the dose,” he said.
The elderly
Dr Arvind Neral, founder and chairman of an old-age home in Raipur, was particularly afraid for inmates who are above the age of 60 and prone to co-morbidities. The group of 40 members was at high risk of Covid infections as many members suffer from diabetes, and cardiac and respiratory problems.
“It would have been difficult to manage if even one person was infected, because isolation would be an issue,” Dr Neral said. The home was barricaded for 6-9 months to avoid any outside interaction during the Covid waves. The arrangement of groceries was difficult as the home does not charge money from its members. “The Project helped us with groceries and medicines,” the doctor said.
Krishna Chatterjee, who used to work as a school teacher in Raipur, has been living at the Ashray old-age home for 10 years. “Awareness campaigns helped us know about the vaccines. We were not scared,” Chatterjee said.
The members are now fully vaccinated with the three doses, including the booster dose.
Involving religious leaders
One of the ways the Project reached out to people was with the help of religious leaders.
“’Is it really a vaccine? Or is it only an injection?’” People wondered when the vaccination drive started. Lot of anti-vaccine propaganda was prevalent in the media,” Pastor Sebastian of St. Joseph church said. The pastor sent vaccination awareness circulation to 68 churches in the Raipur diocese to burst vaccine myths and misconceptions.
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: https://usaidmomentum.org/)
