Pearls of sweat roll down Shiv Kumari’s forehead as she navigates the narrow alleys of her community. Her face is covered with a mask. The temperature reads 40°C. Summers in Delhi can be extremely harsh. “It’s so hot I don’t want to wear a mask, but my work requires me to wear one all day,” she says. This is the reality she must live with during the pandemic, the new normal. 

Shiv Kumari, 42, is an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), a community health worker appointed under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s National Rural Health Mission. As an ASHA worker, her role involves educating and sensitising the community about safe childbirth, timely immunisation of children, caring for pregnant women, and raising awareness about general health. She has also been a dedicated World Vision (WV) India volunteer for the past eight years. 

Shiv Kumari’s neighbourhood is a disadvantaged slum in North Delhi. Homes are stacked closely together, resembling shipping containers, most no larger than 8x8 ft. These dwellings lack courtyards, and the front doors open directly into narrow lanes just wide enough for one person to pass at a time. 

When the nationwide lockdown was imposed on 25th March 2020, Shiv Kumari’s responsibilities as a community health worker and WV India volunteer shifted dramatically. Life in Delhi came to a standstill, and WV India staff were no longer allowed to enter the communities we serve. That’s when Shiv Kumari stepped up and went beyond the call of duty. As a government-appointed community health caregiver, she was permitted to continue visiting and engaging with the community even during the lockdown. She carried out surveys on behalf of WV India and served as our eyes and ears on the ground. Through Shiv Kumari and other volunteers, WV India was able to continue distributing relief in the community. 

“Families of four to five live in small, single-room houses. Since space inside the home is limited, they spend much of their time outside in the narrow lanes. This makes social distancing nearly impossible in the community. People don’t listen easily, so I have to make frequent house visits to raise awareness about safe practices,” says Shiv Kumari. 

Residents in the area work as labourers on construction sites, in low-paying factory jobs, as domestic workers, vegetable vendors, and other informal occupations. The lockdown stripped them of their livelihoods. Food supplies ran out within a few days, and so did their savings. Rent still had to be paid. Amidst all of this, Shiv Kumari stood at the forefront. She became a beacon of hope during this dark period, the vital link between the community, the government, and World Vision India. She ensured that families had access to available government services, from cooked meals to free COVID-19 testing. 

“My workload has definitely increased because of COVID-19. I go from house to house, conducting surveys and raising awareness about the virus. We check body temperatures and refer people for COVID-19 testing if their readings are high. We also make sure that no one in the community is starving,” says Shiv Kumari. 

In Delhi, COVID-19 cases continued to rise, yet most people in Shiv Kumari’s community have returned to work, they simply could not afford to stay at home. However, the idea of ‘normal’ life remained distant. Schools had been closed since the beginning of the lockdown, and there was no indication of them reopening any time soon. 

COVID-19 hit the community hard when members of four families tested positive. When Shabnam, 35, tested positive for COVID-19, she had to leave her home and move into a government quarantine centre. Her greatest concern was leaving behind her two-and-a-half-year-old son. The separation was difficult not only for her, but also for the family members who remained at home. The label ‘COVID-19 positive’ carries a stigma, and it was a particularly challenging time for these families. Shiv Kumari, along with other World Vision India volunteers and members of the Child Protection Unit, set up by WV India, stepped in to support the affected families while observing all necessary precautions. Youth members Rohit, Neetu, and Niyaz, who were also part of the Civil Defence force (volunteers trained to maintain order and assist in containment efforts during lockdown), were also actively involved. 

“We faced discrimination even from our relatives and the community. Shiv Kumari and World Vision India’s volunteers took care of us during that time. They delivered food to our doorstep,” says a grateful Shabnam, who has now fully recovered and returned home. 

The community lacked proper drainage, and therefore, had no household toilets. All residents, including COVID-positive families, were dependent on public toilets. This made the responsibility of maintaining hygiene and enforcing social distancing even more critical. Shiv Kumari and the volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure safety was upheld in these challenging circumstances. Thankfully, all the families who tested positive have now recovered. 

“Now people clean their vegetables properly before cooking. They wash their hands and bathe regularly. General hygiene has improved because of COVID-19,” observes Shiv Kumari. Washing hands has become a matter of life and death. 

Shiv Kumari is a mother of three adult children. She has responsibilities at home as well, yet she embraces the extra workload. Her spirit remains high, even after four months of relentless service energy she draws from deep within. “God sent me here to serve. My destiny is to be of service to others,” she says with conviction. 

Shiv Kumari winds her way through the narrow lanes and into the bustling community market. Walking down the same streets she has walked a thousand times before, she now finds herself in what feels like a battlefield, where every step carries the weight of life and death. 

“I know my job is risky, but I do my best, and I have faith that God will protect me,” she says calmly. 

In the community, World Vision India has carried out cash transfers of ₹1,000 to 600 families and plans to reach another 600 families soon. Additionally, ₹5,000 was provided to families who tested positive for COVID-19. 

- Jim Kasom 

Labels: #covid #covid19 #communityhealth #health #safety #childhealth #childsafety #children #worldvision #worldvisionindia