Youth volunteers in Madhya Pradesh encourage reluctant residents of rural areas to get vaccinated

To overcome vaccine hesitancy among the rural population, a non-government organisation Youth For Children has launched a door-to-door campaign across all villages in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. This youth group has been spreading awareness among the common people encouraging them to get themselves vaccinated as it is the only potent weapon to combat the Coronavirus. Nalchha village in Dhar district is a tribal dominated area and the people living here fear the infection but are still not ready for vaccination.

There are various misconceptions among people here. To prepare the tribal population for vaccination, the volunteers of 'Youth for Children' have been visiting the village. The volunteers are going door-to-door in every village to check the oxygen level of the people, distributing face masks as well as spreading awareness to frequently wash their hands. They have been encouraging people to get vaccinated and their efforts are yielding positive results as people are now getting vaccinated.

The villagers are being advised not to panic in case of a fever, cough or common cold and must consult an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) or a doctor. They must take the medicine at the right time, receive two vaccination doses and take special care of their children along with their eating habits. The 'Youth for Children' team visited the fields in Malipura, Kirnapura and Bhilbarkheda as well as chaupals to spread awareness among people about following COVID-19 protocols and discussed the benefits of vaccination with them.

Gayatri Parmar of Youth for Children said she is engaged in the vaccination campaign with the cooperation of Dhar Collector Alok Singh, Anil Gulati of UNICEF and Dr Arora of Nalchha Health Department. Along with the team of Seva Bharati and state Health Department, the volunteers are trying to change the outlook of the people towards vaccination. A doctor Mahesh Yadav says that people are now coming forward for vaccination.