COVID Awareness: UNICEF Donates Equipment For Odisha’s Tribal & Aspirational Districts

Bhubaneswar: The State Institute of Health and Family Welfare (SIHFW) and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (Trifed) received three sets of communication equipment — megaphones, jukeboxes and pico projectors — for creating awareness on COVID-appropriate behaviour, COVID vaccination and other child health-related issues in the tribal and aspirational districts of Odisha.

These critical communication equipment were provided by UNICEF through the generous support from USAID.

“These communication kits would be used by ASHAs, Anganwadi Workers and ANMs during their community engagement with adolescent girls and mothers and during the mass event organized in the community. It will amplify the messages of our frontline workers among bigger audience in the communities,” Sourav Bhattacharjee, Officer in Charge (OIC), UNICEF State Office for Odisha, said in a press release.

Megaphone is a portable, hand-held communication device for mass communication, while jukebox can be used for playing recorded messages during community dialogue or interaction. Pico projectors are portable projectors which can be used for screening short films with key messages on COVID and COVID-plus behaviours.

UNICEF has been supporting the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the national and state communication campaigns to promote behaviours which help in preventing spread of coronavirus infection and further accelerating India’s vaccination drive.

UNICEF’s simplified scientific messages and compelling audio-visual materials have helped disseminate accurate information and support the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination.

“Reaching out to tribal community with accurate and detailed information is essential for promoting Covid appropriate healthy behaviours. The communication aids will help our team to disseminate information widely and frequently and do so when there is a large group gathering at the weekly haats (markets) or events in the community,” opined Rahul Kumar, Regional Director, Trifed, Regional Office, Odisha.

The donation includes 600 megaphones, 60 pico projectors and 150 jukeboxes.

Civil society organizations working in Odisha’s tribal areas will also receive these equipment in amplifying accurate COVID-related information in the community.