SPO launches project to create COVID-19 awareness in eight UCs

The Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) has initiated a short-term project in Malir and East districts, covering eight union councils (UCs) to create awareness about coronavirus prevention among the residents.

The project, named 'Provision of Hand washing Facilities and Community Awareness on COVID-19', has been launched in the selected union councils of Karachi’s two districts, which are COVID-19 outbreak hotspots, according to a press statement issued on Tuesday.

The UCs are: UC-10, Pehlwan Goth; UC-6, Gillani Railways; UC-8, Jamali Colony; UC-12, Gulzar-e-Hijri; UC-13, Safoora; UC-14, Faisal Cantonment; UC-2, Manzoor Colony; and UC-5, Gadap Town.

The project is designed to facilitate the government-led Panahgahs, Langars, healthcare and quarantine facilities and market places with handwashing facilities and provision of hygiene kits. It also aims to create awareness in diverse communities of prevention and protection from COVID-19 through the distribution of information communication yechnology (ICT) kits and community mobilisation campaigns.

Funded by Water Aid, the project also envisages activities, under the guidance of the NDMA, the PDMA and the Local Government Department, like the installation of nine hand-washing booths at Panahgahs, selected public hospitals, including the Trauma Centre at the Civil Hospital, and other public places/buildings identified by government partners in coordination meetings in Karachi, keeping the WASH guidelines and realising the importance of this component.

Furthermore, the project recognises that the daily wagers suffer the most on account of loss of jobs during any emergency crisis. To this end, the NGO will recruit and train sixteen people for two months for awareness-raising in the eight UCs of the East and Malir districts, which are hotspots of COVID-19 cases and marked as red zones.

While service delivery is an important factor of any project, awareness-raising is also pertinent to address prevention and rehabilitation for those who remain unaware of the dangerously spreading COVID-19 and people who need psycho- social support as the lockdown continues and is expected to continue further.

Hence, the SPO will run an awareness-raising campaign ‘Stay Home -- Stop Spread of COVID-19 -- Return to Normalcy Soon' through cable TV networks in the eight UCs of Karachi's East and Malir districts and installation of streamers and billboards in the area.

The SPO will construct a permanent public toilet at any public space suggested by the district administration or the PDMA.

Meanwhile, Regional Head SPO Pirbhu Satyani held a meeting with Additional Deputy Commissioner District East Arfan Mirwai Baloch, Deputy Director PDMA and Focal Person of NGOs in PDMA Altaf Qureshi and the administration of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Director Dr Ruby Institute of the Skin Diseases, and Incharge of Police surgeon Medico-legal Dr Qarar Abbasi, Trauma Centre Civil Hospital, where they were briefed about project activities and they ensured their support and cooperation for effective implementation of the project.