Aware People about Prevention of COVID-19
Sheikh Anees
Ganderbal:- Amid the growing concern over the shortage of protective gear as Covid-19 cases continue to rise, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district have prepared over 30000 masks and handed over them to respective Officials.
Officials said in Ganderbal district SHGs Members under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) have supplied 30000 masks supplying to the respective officials and local people to free of cost to ensure the valley emerges out of this crisis in quick time.
They said SHGs members are working round the clock and making cotton masks have proved their collective leadership during this trying time.
When this problem started and we heard that there was a shortage of face masks we started to make them from leftover cotton cloth on our own, said Tabasum Jan who heads a 10 Self help groups (SHGs) as community mobiliser in Kangan area.
Tabasum said even before the lockdown was announced as there was a general sense of panic over COVID-19 SHGs turned its attention to making maskes for themselves our families and neighbors.
She said we are working from our house, the work has been distributed to individual members and they are prepared the masks as per the guidelines laid down by Govt and health department.
Tabasum said our SHGs provide food bags and other essential commodities to needy members by donating our Monthly group savings
She said our members also making people aware about sanitation, social distancing, and in simple language we told them it is not impossible to defeat coronavirus if they stay home and break the transmission chain.
NRLM Block Program Manager Kangan Zahoor Ahmed said that SHGs members have emerged as community warriors by contributing in every possible way to contain the spread of COVID-19. He said women are working day and night as the demand for maskes is so high every passing day and the masks would be distributed among the frontline workers including the health and other departments.
He Said SHGs members also creating awareness in the local communities understanding the symptoms and adopting appropriate hygiene and physical distancing practices are the need of the hour.
