COVID-19 pandemic that swept across our country wave after wave resulting in loss of health, life, and livelihoods, led to a deep crisis, particularly among the marginalised and poor families. In response, HMF, in its field areas, courageously reached out and conducted activities to prevent its spread, offered support for the mental and physical well-being of villagers, provided financial aid (both in cash and kind) to those in need, and bolstered the village-level mechanisms and government health initiatives to mitigate the crisis and much more.
About
The COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the world to a grinding halt, witnessed swarms of families who had moved to towns and cities for decades in search of livelihoods, migrating back to their villages and hamlets out of compulsion. This resulted in an increase of five to ten percent in the rural population in the field areas of HMF. Many who returned, distraught by the threat of Covid and loss of employment, undertook long journeys on foot due to the sudden lockdown and unavailability of transport facilities. This mass return brought with it a myriad of problems and issues.
Rising to the Challenge: HMF's Champions battle COVID-19, Protecting Lives, Renewing Hope, Rebuilding Futures
Issues that needed to be tackled
In the its field areas, HMF observed:
Deep fear prevailed regarding COVID-19, perceived as a fatal disease where hospitalization equated to death
Non-adherence to safety norms to contain the spread like using masks, sanitizers, and social/physical distancing
COVID-positive individuals faced stigma and sometimes ostracism, affecting entire families
People exhibiting symptoms hesitated to get tested
Those testing positive often hid their condition or denied it
Vaccine hesitancy was common, exacerbating community health risks
Families lost their primary breadwinners (mostly fathers and husbands) and caregivers (mothers and wives)
Children were orphaned
Lockdown-induced loss of livelihoods and high medical expenses deepened poverty
There was an increase in domestic violence incidents and child marriages
Insufficient government resources – personnel and equipment
Project-based Intervention
In order to address the above issues, HMF pursued a systematic approach through a well-structured project called as – “Aarogya Swaraajya prakalp” in Marathi, translating to “Project for Self-governance in Healthcare.”
Duration
June 2021 to September 2021. The project commenced after the second wave of COVID 19 hit the nation.
Coverage
79 villages – 43 from Tulajapur and 36 from Dharashiv (previously known as Osmanabad) blocks
Situation before the project took off
Total population: 163393
Patients infected with Corona virus: nearly 4000
Individuals who lost their lives: nearly 200
Activities
1. Established a cadre of trained ‘COVID warriors’
They consisted of:
- 90 community-based volunteers of HMF,
- 12 staff members of HMF and 98 ASHA workers
Ninety Community-based volunteers known as Prerak and Prerika in Marathi (meaning male and female ‘inspirers’) who were working on the ‘Gender Equality Project’ of HMF in 100 villages, courageously undertook the task of addressing issues arising out of the pandemic along with the 12 staff members on HMF’s rolls. Training them was imperative and challenging amidst the lockdown situation.Experts from various fields, including healthcare professionals, mental health specialists, prominent social workers, and government officials in health and environmental sectors, conducted both theoretical and hands-on training sessions at the ground level. Among them, 40 individuals received specialized training and were designated as “Manas-mitra” – a term denoting companions offering psychological support.
They collaborated with 98 ‘ASHA’ (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers who are honorary women workers employed by the Government under the NRHM (National Rural Health Mission)
2. Measures taken to contain the spread and bust prevalent myths
They consisted of:
- Awareness creation
- Vaccination
- Traning, and providing safety equipment and other supplies for ASHA workers
- Grocery packets to the needy
- Reviatalizing Village COVID Committees
- Conducted awareness campaign through wall paintings, handbills and booklets, as well as door-to-door visits by COVID warriors to promote Covid-appropriate behaviour
- Facilitated vaccination collaboration with District Health Department of nearly 4384 individuals from 79 villages, despite people’s hesitancy.
- Provided 2 well-equipped vehicles that were dedicated for each of the two blocks – for awareness, vaccination and other emergency medical needs.
- Distributed masks and sanitisers
- Supplied food grains, and grocery kits to the most needy/poor families
- Facilitated strengthening of 98 ASHAs with training, and providing PPE kits, equipment, and medicine kits, which immensely enhanced their confidence to manage the coronavirus outbreak.
- Revitalised ‘Village Covid Committees’ from all the project villages to take measures to contain the pandemic at the village level.
3. Provided Relief to the most vulnerable
This included:
- Psychological and counselling support
- Aid in cash and kind
- e-learning facility for school-going children and more
- Supported ……. patients for post-Covid recovery.
- Trained 40 Manas-mitra (in Marathi) who provided psychological support and counselling to families.
- Provided counselling in cases of domestic violence.
- COVID warriors solicitated donations in the form of essential groceries:
- 50 quintals of food grains from philanthropists in 15 villages were obtained,
- 860 families, including single women, small business owners, and landless individuals, were given packets of groceries that would suffice for two months.
- Provided aid in the form of cash to:
- 604 families of single women and the needy with Rs.5000/- aid per family.
- 252 families among these who still needed more aid were given Rs.3000/- per family as aid.
- Extended financial and other assistance to families severely affected by Covid deaths:
- @Rs.10,000 per family, particularly of women who had lost their husbands to COVID-19.
- @Rs.3,000 per family for the upcoming Diwali festival
- Arranged e-learning facility to 8th, 9th and 10th grade students of the severely affected families through the installation and use of a Television unit in each village.
4. Measures taken to rebuild the lives of women who lost their husbands to COVID. Duration: 01.07.2022- 31.12.2022
Asha (name disguised) a 25-year-old single woman from the Dhangar community, lost her husband in the second wave of the pandemic. Driven by the fear of the disease that had inflicted him, he had committed suicide. This rendered her ineligible for the government compensation.
Due to her husband’s alcoholism and the violence that she endured in the past, the family lacks financial stability and owns no property or land in her name. Despite being entitled to a share of 2 acres of land under her late father-in-law’s name, currently claimed by her brothers-in-law, she hesitates to pursue legal action due to limited time and resources.She has a 16-year-old son studying in 9th grade who dropped out after his father’s death to earn for the family, and a 13-year-old daughter studying in the 8th grade. Asha unaware of the available government schemes such as widow’s pension or child support for education, and therefore has not applied for either.
(source: Research report “Understanding the situation and needs of Women Who Lost Husbands to COVID-19” by SWISSAID – Dr. Ajit Kanitkar, Gopal Kulkarni, Gargie Mangulkar published on October 2, 2022 in Pune)
Even before these women like Asha could recover from their grief, they encountered challenges such as shelter, food security, livelihoods, financial obligations including debts and children’s education, family stigma, loss of dwelling house or property, and even sexual abuse from close relatives. Addressing such a crisis necessitated well-planned intervention programs and long-term impactful strategies.
Considering the seriousness of the issues the international NGO SWISSAID collaborated with HMF to undertake a research to:
- to understand the spectrum of needs and risks adversely impacting the lives of the women widowed due to Covid
- to pinpoint and prioritise the short- and long-term assistance/interventions required to improve their living conditions,
- to subsequently inform the design of future development programmes aimed at supporting women.
A survey of 903 women who had lost their husband to COVID was conducted in five talukas of Osmanabad (now known as Dharashiv) district – Tuljapur, Lohara, Umerga, Kalamb and Osmanabad.
Subsequent to the survey the following types of interventions were planned and implemented (diagrammatic presentation – in circles/ waves)
Health check-ups in camps and door-to-door
All 903 women surveyed and their family members 2266 individuals from 182 villages
Five Mental health camps
1. 441 PHQ (Patient Health Questionnaire) forms filled.
2. Identified 126 women with poor mental health indicators .
3. Provided medication to 120-women .
4. Advised follow-up for 25-30 women were for 3-4 months.
Funds for women in extreme poverty to start their small businesses and to cover costs for necessary training (dairy, goat rearing, cloth shops, groceries, vegetable shops/stalls, flour mills, tailoring, ANM course .)
Provided funds to 211 familes – ranging from Rs. 9800/- to Rs. 41,000/- per family; Total disbursed: Rs.51,79,350/- .
Created Awareness and facilitated access to Government aid schemes
1. 29 out of 61 got Rs.50,000/- each
2. 35 out of 45 women received widow pension
3. 3 out of 31 of the women’s children received benefits under the Child welfare scheme.
Helped women (who had lost their husbands to COVID) access district-level income-generation schemes and motivated them to start their own small businesses
Employment in the mask manufacturing unit established by HMF with help of funds from Cipla Foundation and several individuals.
50 women. 60,000 – 35,000 in one year for mask making purchased by individuals and Companies