TACKLING THE VIRUS

The COVID-19 batle has to be fought vigorously in the villages of developing countries like India, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, etc. The difficulty in some regions in these countries is lack of adequate roads to access the villages. For instance, there are few roads connecting all the villages along the Nile river in Egypt. Some of the villages along the Amazona river which flows through Peru, Colombia and Venezuela are completely inaccessible by road. In Kerala state too, many villages can be accessed more easily through boats.

In those regions, which can only be accessed through boats, health authorities can initiate special “Covid-19 Warrior Boats”, which will carry masks and health workers. They will visit five to six villages per day, distribute masks to the villagers, organise demonstrations on how to maintain social distancing and the importance of washing hands and sanitisation. The team can also distribute pictorial pamphlets to educate the villagers.

In a previous assignment with Unilever, an FMCG company, we pioneered the deployment of boats of varying sizes, to propagate the use of soaps and bathing soaps in Brazil and Peru. I travelled to many villages on the banks of the Amazona river in Brazil and Peru, briefing villagers on the value of daily usage of bathing soaps, toothpaste, etc. The response was always enthusiastic. It is time for health authorities to deploy some of the mass marketing techniques used by FMCG companies to educate villagers, who cannot be accessed easily through road networks.

It will also be useful to create songs, based on the local folk music, incorporating the fight COVID-19 messages. The song can be played, during the mask distribution and demonstrations on social distancing. Every country should write songs, incorporating the methods to fight COVID-19. These songs should be sung by lead singers and played in the rural and urban areas to underscore the techniques to fight COVID-19.

Rajendra Aneja Mumbai, India