Social mobilizers combat vaccine hesitancy:
Mobilizing, sensitizing, and educating communities helps end resistance against vaccination
COVID-19 has significantly impacted billions of people worldwide. In the face of these unprecedented challenges, district administrations, municipal corporations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and their dedicated mobilizers have played a pivotal role in combating the coronavirus and addressing its detrimental effects on the most vulnerable segments of society.
One such intervention began with UNICEF’s partnership with the district administration, Ranchi, the health department and KSRA on the 15th of May 2020 in Jharkhand. The intervention aimed to instil COVID-appropriate behaviours, combat vaccine resistance, and promote the inoculation drive among those in slum pockets plagued by misconceptions and superstitions. A group of 12 social mobilizers promoted the immunization drive and dedicated themselves to educating communities about vaccines in Ranchi's urban slums in the central Indian state of Jharkhand.
Risk communication and community engagement activities were carried out in 12 of the 53 urban Ranchi wards, including mobilising, sensitising, and educating communities through media, face-to-face discussions, street announcements, posters, fliers, and banners.
Moulding Minds in the Midst of the Pandemic
"I remember how horrified the residents were when I entered this slum! We were wearing gloves, masks, caps, and face shields, which scared them and convinced them that we were nurses and scientists who would forcefully experiment on them and eventually kill them," said Sarka Naaz, a social mobilizer who has been involved with this intervention since its inception.
Ali Nagar is a settlement of over 1700 people living in an urban slum in the heart of Ranchi. Plagued by dubious news and irrelevant controversies, residents here were not even ready to accept COVID-19 as a pandemic of such stature. Accepting the vaccine was out of the question in that case. "One of the elderly women told me to open my eyes and understand that this is all a conspiracy to erase the communities.
"She emphasised that as a woman, I should not be a part of this sin," Sarka explained.
Ali Nagar is a settlement of over 1700 people living in an urban slum in the heart of Ranchi. Plagued by dubious news and irrelevant controversies, residents here were not even ready to accept COVID-19 as a pandemic of such stature. Accepting the vaccine was out of the question in that case. "One of the elderly women told me to open my eyes and understand that this is all a conspiracy to erase the communities.
"She emphasised that as a woman, I should not be a part of this sin," Sarka explained.
These mobilizers continued to raise awareness about CAB until January 2021, when India launched the world's largest vaccination drive. Once the vaccination began, the struggle was to gain their trust in the process. This exercise of spreading awareness was carried out using a variety of tools, including awareness videos, processions, and street theatres.
To address vaccine hesitancy in the urban slum of Ali Nagar, mobilizers met and consulted with the religious head and local leaders in the area, including the youth committee. "The best way to dispel their myths and instil faith in the drive was to seek the appeal of their guiding head. Meeting Mohammad Shakil, the Sadar, and Nazima Raza, the ward Parshad, was our first step toward victory. We had to persuade them initially, but their appeal to the residents made our interaction easier.
These mobilizers continued to raise awareness about CAB until January 2021, when India launched the world's largest vaccination drive. Once the vaccination began, the struggle was to gain their trust in the process.
The exercise of spreading awareness was carried out using various tools, including awareness videos, processions, and street theatres.
It took us over a month to gain their trust through measures such as ration distribution.
Apart from the general population, we concentrated on the elderly, the disabled, and households without men. This was significant because, more than the pandemic, they were worried about losing their work due to the lockdown," Sarka explained as she walked through the corrugated roofs.
Soaps, sanitisers, masks, and sanitary napkins were distributed so that they could put the lessons learned from the awareness drives into practice. During the distribution of sanitary napkins, it was discovered that women were unaware of the availability of sanitary pads for use during menstruation. "Most of them had seen a pad for the first time in their lives," Sarka says. They approached me and expressed needing clarification about how they should use it. It was disturbing to learn that such ignorance exists even in urban areas. So, we gave them a Menstrual Hygiene Management session and educated them on the subject."
Another social mobilizer, Mohammad Tausif, who diligently kept all the records, explained about the men in the settlement.
They were living under a misbelief that this is some vasectomy drive that has started in the name of Covid vaccine, and they are being targeted for the same. Furthermore, another rumour circulated at the time was death after two years of inoculation. Men and boys who drank alcohol proposed their alcohol addiction as a preventive measure. Pregnant women were concerned because they did not want to endanger their foetus."
Planning a strategy with humanity and putting it into action with steady steps of patience and perseverance
Sarka and Tausif got vaccinated first and used it as a mobilizing channel. Evidence that the jab is safe and has no harmful effect on health, eventually helped them to overcome the community's apprehensions. To relieve their psychological stress, appeal videos from local leaders and experience videos from other slum settlements were disseminated by Sarka and Tausif. Due to these efforts, gradually, all community members came forward for vaccination, and now there is no report of vaccine hesitancy.
Shahnaz Khatun, 45, a mother of five, received both doses of the vaccine along with her eligible children. "Had Sarka beta not guided us through this terrible time, we might have died by now," she says gratefully of Sarka. We were terrified because of rumours and post-vaccination symptoms. She dedicated herself to fighting all odds to enlighten us for the better."
The settlement is 100% vaccinated, including children of eligible age. In difficult times, social mobilizers like Sarka and Tausif are health system pillars. Their dedication and hard work were instrumental in helping their community through this difficult time. So far, UNICEF's intervention has mobilized over 44,000 youth and 23,000 children for CAB and immunization from Ali Nagar locality of Ranchi). Approximately 5000 hand-washing demonstrations have increased people's awareness of hand hygiene. "Now, whenever I enter Ali Nagar, the kids run away screaming, 'wo haath dhulwaane aa gayi' - look, she is here to make us wash our hands again," Sarka says with a laugh.
