SURE reaching out to rural areas in response to COVID -19

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 21, 2020

North East Slow Food Association NESFAS along with Society for Urban and Rural Empowerment SURE and other partner NGOs were part of the REC funded project title no one shall be left behind which include Water Sanitation and Hygiene WASH and 1000 days campaign as one of the component of the project. The project was started in September 2018 and when Community Facilitators visit the 28 project villages and engage with them to make people aware of the important of maintaining hygiene and demonstrated the many steps of hand washing. Very few people take the WASH program especially the hand washing steps seriously.

Pasqualina Lamare Project Coordinator said that they have to innovate and even use some familiar nursery rhymes to try inculcating the habit of washing hands especially amongst the students in schools in the project area. Then COVID-19 happened NESFAS and its partner NGOs have to change their strategy because visiting the communities is almost impossible. Young men and women from the community were appointed as community facilitators and the activities of the project resume with almost every trainings and demonstration done online or via mobile phones.

Somja Phawa Field Coordinator said since the mid 2018 and the whole of last year field coordinators went all out to teach the community about hygiene and hand washing which is part of the WASH campaign. It was only when the corona virus pandemic hit the state that people begin to realise the important of WASH campaign and the different steps of hand washing. She also said that now in every visit the CF made, member of the community would recall the demonstration of hand washing that they were taught in the last one year which they of course took no interest at that point of time. WASH and the different steps of hand wash was an idea the time of which has only arrived with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daka Bareh Field Coordinator said that the name of the villages which the COVID-19 response was organised are Mukhap, Mynso both A and B, Mulum, Iooksi, Mukhap, and Musiaw under Laskein Development block. Ksehrynchang, Nongrimbamthong, Nongkhroh, Tyrchang, and Mookjat under Thadlaskein development block. Mupyut, Skhenpyrsit, Nongtalang Mission, Amkhloo, Ammutong, Thangbuli, Umsalang, Nongbareh, Pynthor Langtein, Muphlang, Mustem, Samanong and Moosakhia under Amlarem civil sub division bad ka Cham cham, ha East Jaintia Hills district.

Demonstration of different steps of hand washing is one of the most important activities that the 26 community facilitators demonstrated in the villages said Coriniki Sloang another FC of the project. During every home visit made by the CF, the communities were also taught the important of social or physical distancing. Coriniki also said that the other part of COVID-19 response of the organisation is also to engage SHGs and PGS in making masks and the same were distributed to the community. H.H.Mohrmen head of SURE said that the pandemic has help people understand the need of maintaining cleanliness and the important of washing one’s hand frequently.