Sultana Khatun from Rajshahi
Awareness can make a people strong and active. Pandemic Corona has plagued human life for 18 long months. This epidemic has taught people of all ages and professions to keep pace with life and time.
However, during this catastrophe, the rural people were not afraid of Corona. They thought that nothing will happen to them, they will not be affected and Covid-19 will affect only the rich people who live in the cities. This thinking leads them to walk and move with following health guideline and wearing masks. They would wear masks when they only go to hospitals. During the lockdown many of the rural people were found move here and there in the villages and losing works also made them exhausted.
However, BARCIK through its different activities has been making efforts to aware the rural people about Covid-19 and distributed leaflets, distributing masks and taught people how to wash their hands including giving them some health materials. The organization also helped change their perception of Corona. As a result, the rural people have become more aware than before. They have realized that corona can infect anyone-so it is important to be careful and follow the rules of hygiene and health guidelines of the government.
Although the level of awareness about corona increased, the people in rural areas initially were reluctant in getting the vaccine. They thought that taking the vaccine would be a big problem for them. So many did not register for the vaccine in the initial stage! However, BARCIK has also tried to make the people of the village aware about this. The organization has tried to convey the message that vaccination will not be a problem but a benefit. Today, the people of the village in Rajshahi are realizing that they will be fine and able to fight with Covid-19 if they are vaccinated.
Nonetheless, the villagers in Rajshahi are making effort to register for the vaccine. A few days ago, the corona vaccine program was launched at the union level, where long lines of people were seen taking the vaccine. The people of the village are much more aware now. So they are registering for the vaccine and after receiving the message, they go to the Upazila Health Center and get vaccinated which is a sign of increased awareness among them.
The initiative taken by BARCIK to raise awareness has worked and rural people now are following health guidelines and wear masks when they go outside which were not seen before. In fact, awareness can make people improving their life and level of perception.
Translated by Silvanus Lamin