This is a story of bravery, a story of women leadership and change agents.
MPSM with the financial support of Kimplas Piping Systms PVT. Ltd. and Norma Gropu Products India Ltd. and cooperation of the villagers pioneered and executed one of its kind, natural-energy and advanced -techo-based Project of Piped Water Distribution for Drinking and other Household Purposes in the village of Vadmal-Biwal, Tal.Surgana, Dist. Nashik, Maharashtra, India.
On July 5, Father Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old Jesuit and defender of the rights of the Adivasis, died in judicial custody after nine months of arrest on false charges of terrorism. He was the oldest political prisoner and was on remand under a draconian anti-terrorism law promoted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Swamy suffered from Parkinson's disease and had requested bail on medical grounds that the judges repeatedly rejected even after his health deteriorated, and India entered a fierce second wave of COVID-19. Stan died due to complications from COVID 19.
It is just three weeks ago that we started the campaign to support Maharashtra Prabodhan Seva Mandal (MPSM) Covid Mobile Unit in Nashik and since then things have changed a lot.
The pandemic in India appears to have reached its peak, but experts predict that this peak will continue for some time. The confinement decreed by each of the Indian states has had its effect. However, the cases of mucormycosis - a rare fungal disease with a high mortality rate that is affecting Covid patients in the weeks after their recovery, are growing.
The tv news showed us corpses in the Ganges, since many humble families cannot afford the wood to incinerate their loved ones.
Meanwhile, international support campaigns have sent medicines, oxygen and reaggents for vaccines, mainly to the big cities.. Once again rural India lags behind.
Hence, in the last week a third Covid Mobile Unit has been launched in Trimbakeshwar, about 30 km from Nashik; area well known for its important temple that venerates Lord Shiva. This rural area seems to have been very affected by the Covid and for this reason MPSM decided to get down to work with a mobile unit there.
In the last 20 days, the Nashik and Ambatha Mobile Units have treated more than 1,100 people of which 23.7% have presented symptoms highly suggestive of Covid. Since, as we explained previously, the MPSM does not have access to diagnostic tests, any person with a high suspicion of having Covid (fever, loss of taste, smell) is provided with a medicine kit and is recommended to go into isolation.
Meanwhile your donations and your support continues and as of May 20 we have 19,209 Euros.
Therefore, from Nashik, Ambatha, Trimbakeshwat and also from ADA-Mòn Adivasi we want to thank you again.
Last week we started fundraising for the COVID mobile unit of MPSM and the response from you has been amazing. This morning, 3rd of May, your donations reached 14.470 Euro. We would like to thank you all for your generosity.
Today we joined an online meeting with Fr. Joel de Bashik, MPSM director, to update us on recent events in Maharashtra and Nashik. Three weeks ago, Nashik was one of the areas in India with the fastest increase of COVID infections. This was the trigger for MPSM to set up the COVID Mobile Unit. First meetings with some government agencies took place on the 19th of April and on the 24th of April the mobile unit was already going to the villages.
Vaccination programmes in India started on the 1st of January for those older than 60 years old. Since the 1st of April, this was expanded to the population aged between 45 and 60 years old. At this moment in time, the programme stopped due to a lack of primary reagent supply for the vaccine manufacture. In rural areas, the government set up ?vaccination teams? comprised of 2 teachers and a social worker. They go to the villages to inform about the nature and purpose of the vaccine. However, Adivasis have been very reluctant to get the jab as there is widespread fear from everything coming from the government. Besides, even when they have COVID suggested symptoms they do not attend the Primary Health Centers (PHC).
The COVID mobile unit starts its journey every evening at around 4.15 pm visiting different villages (typically there are 35 families to a village). They set up their ?clinic? in the Gram Panchayat (?house of the village?), where everyone can come along and be assessed by the team. There has been a significant change in the number of people attending the clinic. On the first day they only assessed 54 people and on the last day of the first week almost 120 people. This change of attitude in the Adivasis population is very positive and, hopefully, numbers will increase in the following days. Adivasis are afraid of contracting COVID and be sent into quarantine centers.
There are 6 members in the COVID mobile unit: 3 nuns (two of them are also nurses and one is a social worker), 2 people are in charge of administrative duties, and Fr. Joel is in charge of the ?pharmacy?. Doctor Patil is the medical consultant supervising the day-to-day running of the unit. Even though this is a high-risk job, none of them got the jab yet. However, they will try to reason with the health authorities to receive the jab in Ambatha in the next few weeks.
To date they have visited 5 different villages assessing 419 Adivasis. 133 (30%) individuals are highly suspicious of COVID (lack of smell, taste, headache?). 4 people have died of COVID in the villages in the last few days. Those whose symptoms are suggestive of COVID will get the medication kit for free (doxycycline, paracetamol, diclofenac, multivitamins, and zinc). They are advised to self-isolate for 10 days. Adivasis families usually own a rice field where they have a small hamlet for agricultural tools. As a result, small hamlets have become the new isolation spaces. During this week all people suspected of having COVID and who are in isolation will be reassessed by the COVID mobile unit.
The COVID mobile unit does not have access to PCR or antigen tests, and the recommendations are to attend the nearest PHC. However Adivasis prefer to stay at home. The turnover for COVID results is typically 7 days since clinical laboratories have collapsed in India.
Fr. Joel told us that the Mobile unit has been very well accepted and a second mobile unit could be created in Surgana. It is getting late and it has been a long day, we wish Fr.Joel well and to keep safe as the situation in India gets worst by the day and so far the pandemic peak has not been reached.
We would like to thank all of you for your generous support. Since we have received more donations than expected we agreed to set up a new COVID fund to cater for possible future emergencies. We are all aware of the widespread devastating effects of this pandemic. Consequently, we decided to get in touch with our partner NGOs and indicated that already committed funds can be reallocated for COVID relief purposes.
We will keep you up to date. ADA-Món Adivasi and the Indian NGO wish you good health for you, your friends and family.