Anchalik Jana Kalyan Anusthan

AJKA’S IMMEDIATE RESPONSE IN RECOGNITION OF THE EMERGING THREAT OF COVID-19

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The novel corona virus or COVID-19, Pandemic has spread all over the world. There is currently no vaccine to prevent corona virus disease; it remains invincible in a sense. It runs its course in an infected person and then leaves the body like other viruses. Since the virus travels fast from one human body to another through cough and sneeze, helped by its ability to stay alive on all kinds of surfaces that we touch. Hence the India’sgovernment ordered a nationwide lockdown period to break the transmission.

The Jharsuguda district of Odisha may be considered to be the volnurable part for the spread and risk of COVID-19 infections, though the district is a highly industrialized one and a very large numbers of migrants from different parts of the country are here for their livelihood, faster means of transport like airways and railways exist here which has been connected to all the major cities of the country. Therefore during this alarming period AJKA initiated a sensitisation programme (campaign) to make aware to the people on ‘COVID-19 ’.

Moreover as per the suggestion of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) the district administration involved AJKA to take-up various activity including the few indicated below to support the efforts of Govt. To help the people in need of assistance:-

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a. Public awareness generation on social distancing, personal hygiene and other preventive measures.

b. Assisting in management of quarantine facilities/GP level medical centers through supply of volunteers and other supports.

c. Tracking migrant workers coming from outside state or district and working with such people for registration with GPs, self quarantine, social distancing and removal of stigma/ ostracisation if any.

d. Providing psycho social counselling to the distressed people and geriatric people.

e. providing food, material assistance as well as financial assistance to the people in need.

f. Assisting GPs in identifying sick, indigent and PWDs etc who have no one to fall back upon and facilitation of home delivery of food to such people in association with women SHGs.

g. Helping elderly, physically and mentally challenged persons with disability, women and others.

h. Also preparing a strategy to support the poor and marginalized in livelihood activities and income generation through short, medium and long term activities.

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Area of operation:

As per the planning and strategy of District Administration, Jharsuguda the area of operation for our organisation was 11 Gram Panchayats under Lakhanpur Block of Jharsuguda District.( Kanaktora, Badimal, Bhikampali, Attabira, Katarbaga, Machida, Jamgaon, Bandhbahal, Telenpali, Tilia and Kadamdihi)

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Activities Details:

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 Door to door awareness generation.

The volunteers of AJKA visited door to door of the Gram Panchayats and sensitized the people about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. They aware them that the best way to prevent the disease is to maintain social distance, personal hygiene and use of mask. The people were also sensitised to avoid touching their face, eyes and nose with unwashed hands.

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Mask distribution:

Lack of protective equipment is hampering local police officials to deal with the curfew movement, it may lead to sick themselves, and so our volunteers distributed masks among the police staffs and community people as to take the fight against corona virus.

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Hand-wash demonstration:

The washing of hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or cleaning hands with alcohol-based solutions, gels or tissues is a preventive way to avoid COVID-19 infections. So during the visit, the volunteers demonstrated the safest hand washing process.

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Migrant workers tracking:

The volunteers of AJKA visited village to village of the operation areas and prepared a data of the migrant workers as well as facilitated them for registration with the gram panchayat.

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Management of quarantine centre:

Under the guidance of the District Collector the quarantine centers have been established in all gram panchayat level. AJKA volunteers visited the entire quarantine center and observed the arrangements, functions and facilities of these centers. The volunteers worked with joint efforts of panchayat staffs to identify the sick’s and admit them in quarantine center.

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AJKA, Jharsuguda has carried out the following activities on humanitarian perspectives