Villagers with their vaccine cards
We see the devastation caused by the Covid19 virus all over the world. No nation is safe from this virus. People are dying everywhere. The most pathetic thing is that no one can tell when this will be over. Bangladesh is also not out of the attack of this devil virus. Around 200 people dying here every day for the last 15 days.
The excel sheet of Covid19 daily data in Bangladesh that I keep for myself
In this catastrophic situation, only the vaccine is showing us some light at the end of the tunnel. Bangladesh started the vaccination program in February of this year. But due to the shortage of vaccines and for the negligence of the people to the vaccine, the vaccination program did not get enough speed as it was expected. Though the present situation is different. We do not have any shortage of vaccines and the interest of people for getting jabs has increased but the situation in the village is still different.
Waiting for registration.
Villagers are not that much aware of the virus and vaccination program. They do not bother to wear a mask and to maintain health instructions to avoid the virus. Bangladesh government has launched an app and a website to register to get the vaccine but the villagers do not know how to register online for vaccination. As result, fewer villagers are getting the vaccine than the townsmen.
Entering information into the register book
During this pandemic, a habit grew in me to see the data and graphs of the Covid19 in the worldometers But when the situation started getting worse in Bangladesh, I made an excel sheet and started keeping daily information of the virus in Bangladesh. This chart helped me to get an up-to-date idea and data of the virus situation in Bangladesh. See my chart above.
We maintain a register book with serial number, name, and phone number (top). PDF copies of the final vaccine card downloaded from the website to gove printout to the villagers (bottom).
I took my first dose vaccine in February 2021 and the second dose in April 2021. I register myself online and after taking my jabs I helped some of my neighbors and relatives to register them online in the government database for the vaccination. For a familial purpose, I went to my village Chapri for several days and saw the negligence of the villagers to the virus. My excel data and graph also started moving upward during this time. In this situation, I started to think about how to help them during this pandemic.
Entering data into the website run by the Ministry of Health
In my village I saw that villagers are not wearing masks, they make gossip in the tea stall without maintaining any social distance and do not use soap after returning home from outside, though they know all of these health measures from the television. So, I decided to help them in another way that is also helpful to save them from the pandemic. I took my laptop to my village with me. On 15th July I decided to open a vaccine registration center where I will register a villager for the vaccine without any fee. I continued my campaign for five days (16-20 July).
Checking the verification code sent by the Ministry of Health
We offered tea to our 100th registered villager. We also clapped to honor her.
I designed and made a banner for my campaign. I made a post on Facebook. The next morning, I talked to the Chairman of the local government (Union). He praised my initiative hugely. He registered his name first and then his wife. He offered to talk about this in the weekly Friday Prayer. I went to the mosque and told the villagers about the importance of taking the vaccine. I also told them that they just need to go to me with their NID card and a mobile phone, other things I will do myself. I will give them the printout of the vaccine card free of cost that they will need to carry while they go for the jab. The chairman, elderly people, religious leaders, and other people were convinced by my speech. The head of the mosque (Imam) also talked after me about the importance of vaccination. I saw the light of the success of my campaign in the eyes of the villagers.
A villager is checking his vaccine card before leaving our registration point.
In the afternoon, people started to come with their NID cards. The next day I was really surprised as women were coming in groups. They come with their own NID card along with the NID card of the male members of their family. The news of my campaign went from house to house through the villagers. They started come gradually I did the registration for them. People from the nearby villages also start to come from 17th July. They were very happy to get this service near to their village and free cost. As people were busy with their Eid-al-Adha animals. Villagers go to the bazaars with cattle to sell or buy. A group of women came every day and registered their names for the vaccine. Finally, I closed my campaign on 20th July.
I am handing over the first vaccine card to the Local Government (Union) Chairman
Two villagers got the mobile SMS from the Ministry of Health to get their jabs on 29th July (photo date 27th July)
Villagers are going to the Health Complex (hospital) to take their first dose of vaccine. Photo date: 29-07-2021
I did register for 206 people in total out of which 85 of them are women. Though 206 is not a big number but it is bigger and larger than a Zero. If I did not start this campaign these 206 people did not do the registration and were out of vaccine. Moreover, my campaign became popular in a very short time some people from different villages are planning to open a vaccine registration center in their village. I have given the full in-hand training to some young people of my village who are now registering villagers voluntarily and I am happy about that. Though some villagers criticized me at the beginning of the campaign, later they also registered and praised me.
I utilized my free time by drawing roads for the Google Roadmapper program.
From my campaign I found below things that government should take care of:
- Villagers do not like to go to the town to take the vaccine even if it is free. My suggestion is: health workers should come to the village and give jabs to the villagers.
- Registration should be as simple as possible. Maximum 2-3 steps.
- Villagers do not read SMS, health officers should call them for the vaccine.
- Government must include all local government leaders, village heads, religious heads, school teachers, and elderly people for the success of this mass vaccination program to get a big success.
