The Clock's Ticking: Save 100,000 lives in Kerala

On 22nd August, 2018, Swasti and CMID joined hands on ground in Kerala for a critical 10 day campaign to prevent a deadly cholera and typhoid outbreak after the devastating floods. While our teams on ground put together an extensive rapid need assessment and logistics with odds stacked against them, we turned to you for resource support in dire straits and each and everyone of you stepped up.

Most places where we provided support, we were the ones who responded first on disease prevention and hence contributed significantly in terms of preventing infections. While there were several actors providing food, water and clothing, on prevention of infections we were the forerunners in places where we supported. Although government also provided the supplies, it was in very limited quantities and did not meet the huge demand.

For example, many Panchayats received less than hundred pairs of boots where as we provide 300 to 900 pairs depending on the requirement of the Panchayats. Besides there was shortage of supplies in the Kerala market for boots and gloves given the high demand across the state. Our procurement from outside the state helped timely availability of supplies.

Delivering the supplies to the Panchayat offices ensured that through the members of the Grama Panchayats, the supplies are distributed to different wards in the panchayats. Also it helped the Panchayats to reuse it as everyday there were volunteers coming from outside the panchayats to clean the houses and the public buildings. Hence the boots and gloves were used not just a single time, but multiple times by multiple users at different locations. One of the panchayats has ensured sustained use of the reusable gears by allocating it to the NREGA workers who on a regular basis take up the cleaning jobs within the panchayat.

Two salient features of our response were that we were timely and we plugged an important vacuum. There was no point in delivering the preventive gears once the cleaning was over.

Now as Kerala comes back to its regular bustling life, we are deactivating the campaign and hence this project.

Together, with your support,we have protected 168,000 lives from the possible outbreak of typhoid and cholera that would have wrought further devastation. Here is a message from 2 of the Panchayats we reached:

“We had not received boots, gloves, masks or bleaching powder from anywhere in adequate number although we were desperate. Swasti’s timely intervention in partnership with CMID helped us prevent infections significantly.  With your help, we were able to clean the houses ensuring safety of those who were engaged in cleaning process and also preventing infections for those who returned to their houses. The NREGA workers in the panchayat will continue to use the boots and gloves which you provided for cleaning related work in the locality”: Shibu MK, Secretary, Vadakkekkara Grama Panchayat of Paravur Taluk in Ernakulam district which was severely affected.

”Thank you for pitching in and supporting Karumaloor Panchayat where we were in crisis. Your support was really timely”: G.D. Shiju, President, Karumaloor Panchayat, Ernakulam district where flood water entered in almost all the houses.

To know more about our work in this project, do reach out to Benoy at benoy@cmid.org.in and Loy at julian@swasti.org

Here is to a healthy world.