Rafiullah Mandokhail
QUETTA: It’s the first time since the Second World War that the world is under attack. However, this time the countries are not fighting with each other but have united to fight a singular enemy, no other than COVID-19 that has wreaked havoc across the globe.
Originating in China, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) has shaken the entire world due to its highly contagious nature, spread at a global level and a staggering number of fatalities. Pakistan, unfortunately, has also been affected by this pandemic; this is mainly caused by the Pakistanis entering the country from abroad, including Italy, Spain, Iran, etc. Pilgrims returning from Iran entered the country via Taftan in Balochistan. Taftan is the entry point where people are being quarantined before leaving for their respective hometowns, cities and provinces. The Government of Balochistan together with the help of Federal Government is taking serious steps to ensure the wellbeing of the people being quarantined at these centers and to stop the spread of this pandemic in the province. However, due to poor and neglected health infrastructure, the challenges this contagion poses are overwhelming for an already under-developed province like Balochistan. As of 20th th March 2020, the total number of coronavirus cases in Balochistan are 432 with a total tally of 8310 in the country.
The government is continuously advising the people to practice social distancing and adopt all the recommended hygiene measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. But in a culturally well knitted society like Balochistan, it’s hard to convince the communities of the consequences of non-compliance to precautionary measures. However, the role of organised and well-informed communities to behave responsibly and support the government’s initiatives to combat this emergency in the province becomes paramount. For Balochistan, the fact that nine districts of Balochistan have already been covered under European Union supported Balochistan Rural Development and Community Empowerment (BRACE) Programme for different rural development and community empowerment activities through social organization t is glad tidings, indeed.
BRACE Programme is a five-year community-led development programme that is being implemented in close collaboration with the Government of Balochistan in nine districts. Thus far, 163,892 households have been organised under the BRACE Programme in to 15,683 Community Organizations (CO), 3,088 Village Organizations (VO) and 137 Local Support Organizations (LSO) at the Union Council level in nine districts of Balochistan namely Pishin, Killa Abdullah, Loralai, Dukki, Zhob, Khuzdar, Jhal Magsi, Washuk and Kech. These community institutions are ready to the Government initiatives to combat coronavirus. Soon after the news of the pandemic outbreak of corona virus in Iran was reported in media, the organised communities in these nine districts of Balochistan started taking measures to combat the coronavirus. The representatives of the Community Institutions formed under the European Union funded BRACE Programme urgently conducted community meetings to develop an outline for an awareness raising campaign against the corona virus to inform and orient the communities on the severity of this approaching calamity and how the communities could play their role in combating it at village level.
But soon after learning the influx of reported cases in Pakistan and the raising tally in Balochistan, the communities, with the support of the BRACE teams, have gone a step further to support the Government of Balochistan in combating COVID-19 emergency in the province. The Local Support Organizations (LSOs) urgently organised community meetings in which community awareness sessions were held to inform the people on how to maintain their social/physical distancing and undertake hygiene at household and community level, and to urgently report to the local authorities if anyone around them is found with manifestation of symptoms of coronavirus.
In these awareness sessions, the communities have been informed that the only known cure of COVID-19 is prevention; exercising safety precautions and practicing social distance is the need of the hour. Community members are being oriented by trained Community Resource Persons (CRPs) on COVID-19 awareness and activities. So far, 901 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) have been oriented on COVID-19 including 612 males and 289 females in 10 districts; Duki, Jhal Magsi, Kharan, Khuzdar, Killa Abdullah, Kohlu, Loralai, Pishin, Washuk and Zhob. CRPs have been trained through designed IEC materials that illustrate the symptoms of the corona infections, and the adoption of hygienic practices such as hand washing with soap, wearing a mask, sneezing and coughing not openly and discarding the utilized tissue papers, etc. This IEC Material has also been distributed to 9,417 households in 116 UCs/Wards of 19 districts; Barkhan, Bolan, Chaghi, Duki, Harnai, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi, Kharan, Killa Abdullah, Killa Saifullah, Kohlu, Loralai, Naseerabad, Sherani, Sibi, Sohbat Pur, Washuk, Zhob and Ziarat. Furthermore, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) beneficiaries have been mobilized to make masks; as of 29th March, 1,419 masks have been produced by 70 TVET beneficiaries, trained under EU funded BRACE Programme, in 10 UCs of 5 districts; Barkhan, Jhal Magsi, Khuzdar, Loralai and Pishin.
In addition to corona awareness sessions, CRPs also provide basic information on nutrition, health and hygiene, family planning, HIV-AIDS, gender, human (particularly women’s) rights, Water ,Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), disaster risk reduction, climate change and environment, and natural resource management by using the Community Awareness Toolkit designed under the BRACE Programme.
Noor Alam Magsi is a resident of district Jhal Magsi which lies on the provincial border of Balochistan-Sindh. Sindh has seen an exponential increase in the number of reported cases. Jhal Magsi shares its border with district Qambar Shadadkot in Sindh, which is next to Sukkur. Noor Alam has been attending various community sessions as a member of the Village Organization.
However, he felt his experience of attending this particular community session was different from others. Sharing his experience after attending the awareness session on corona virus, Noor Alam looked at the sky and said, “I did not have as much awareness on the disease and was not very serious towards adopting protective measures previously. But now after attending this community awareness session organised by the BRACE team, I am really concerned and worried about the safety and protection of my family and our communities. We thought it was just a media hoax but after learning about the destruction that corona virus has caused around the world, I am frightened and seriously dedicated in keeping myself and my family safe from it. Being a member of the LSO, it is also my responsibility to acquaint those who were not present in this session, so that they can also start taking protective measures.”
Similarly, the organised communities in district Zhob are also playing a pivotal role to help the Government in combating this COVID-19 emergency. The staff of BRACE Programme is not only organizing community awareness sessions but also providing other necessary support such as spreading standardized messages through mobile units via loudspeakers, distributing information leaflets, setting up mobile hand washing units, distributing soaps, aiding the stitching of masks through local community women, and engaging local community activists, including religious leaders, to spread awareness about corona virus. 343 Mosques in 124 UCs/Wards of 25 districts have been engaged in awareness raising in all 8 of BRACE districts. Furthermore, Awareness campaigns have been held through loudspeakers in 1,146 public places in 228 UCs/Wards of 25 districts.
Recently, the Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP) has also ensured the provision of hand washing facilities at the quarantine centre at Taftan border. The initiative has contributed to improved health and hygiene conditions at the quarantine centre. Furthermore, hand washing facilities have been established in 117 public places along with the distribution of 2,813 soaps in 29 UCs/Wards of 11 districts; Duki, Jhal Magsi, Killa Abdullah, Kohlu, Loralai, Naseerabad, Quetta, Pishin, Sibi, Sohbat Pur and Zhob. The civil and law enforcement authorities have appreciated the role of the European Union supported organised communities in Balochistan in raising awareness at the local level in the fight against coronavirus. Let us all hope, pray and play our collective role to win this race against coronavirus.
