KOCHI: Kudumbashree members have been actively involved in fighting the Covid pandemic. Now, the Kudumbashree Mission has launched Chain Call, a special Covid awareness programme, where members of neighbourhood groups (NHGs) are being called to create awareness on the dos and don’ts regarding the pandemic.
“There are nearly 3 lakh Kudumbashree NHGs in the state. The programme is divided into three categories — education, services and assistance, and psychosocial support,” said Harikishore S, executive director, Kudumbashree.
As part of the programme, each NHG has a president and secretary who will make calls to at least 15 people daily and educate them about home care, how to check oxygen levels and answer any doubts they have.
The second part of the programme aims to provide information on rapid response teams (RRT) at the panchayat level. The third part of the programme involves enquiring about the needs of people. “For instance, in Kochi, in one of the NGHs, the president and secretary found out that people were facing food shortage. Food kits were immediately arranged and distributed,” said a Kudumbashree official. So far, the Chain Call programme has received 17,92,449 calls state-wide.
Other initiatives
One of the biggest contributions of Kudumbashree is its 1,600 Janakeeya Hotels in the state. The members are also involved in arranging treatment centres in association with the local bodies and providing pulse oximeters to those in need. Before the launch of the Chain Call programme, the members underwent online training under KILA and IMA on Covid management. They have also been working with the state in contact tracing and managing panchayat level help desks.