COVID-19 Prevention in Nepal

Location: Nepal

Project Background

On March 24th 2020, the Government of Nepal imposed a national lockdown, after the identification of the second positive case of COVID-19 on March 23, 2020. The lockdown has been extended a number of times over the last four months. During the initial relaxation period, the local administrations began to impose shut downs and curfew measures on August 1, 2020. Unfortunately, information on how to prepare for the virus are not reaching rural populations and women and girls in particular are being left behind.

JWAS has developed a pilot project to reach out to women and girls in need of information about COVID-19 prevention, preparation, protection and accessing health services during the pandemic. Additionally, these women and girls are at high risk of child marriage, lack of access to maternal and reproductive health and gender-based violence.

Approach

Activity 1: Design and develop distance/virtual (listening) as well as pictorial learning materials.

  • Design course materials for the delivery through distance learning approach. The content of the course materials would include information on COVID-19 prevention, preparedness and protection, maternal and reproductive health (including child marriage), gender based violence and information about how to access health services during this pandemic.

  • The distance learning will prioritize how to eductate girls and women on the most urgent subjects, such as COVID-19 transmission, gender-sexual violence in quarantine/isolation centers and how to seek support in confinement.

  • A pictorial book will also be developed which will conceptualize the virtual sessions into a pictorial form.

  • The audio recording will be recorded and uploaded into a pen drive. The pen drive will be used in the field to deliver the information through further listening sessions.

Activity 2. Creating community listener groups

  • Community listener groups will be created in the most marginalized communities engaging girls and women.

  • The existing group of women and girls in the JWAS working communities will be divided into small sub groups, ensuring that safety measures and social distancing can be maintained. Each group will be restricted to 10 to 15 people only.

  • Existing JWAS local staff will be mobilized for creating these groups. JWAS staff will also select one group facilitator in each group. The group facilitator will have a brief orientation to conduct the weekly listening sessions.

  • The required materials for the listening sessions i.e. radio, speaker, pen drive, pictorial book, face masks and sanitizer will be given to the group facilitator. JWAS local staff will continue to monitor the activities of the group facilitator on a weekly basis.

Activity 3. Procurement of materials for information dissemination

  • Radio devices, speakers, pen drives, face masks and sanitizers will be purchased and pictorial books will be printed. These will then be provided to the community listener group.

  • The group members will use the masks and sanitizer during the listening sessions. They will also learn about the right use of masks and sanitizer in their daily life.

  • Contract with the F.M. radio station to deliver the learning session through radio.

Activity 4. Deliver the listening packages to girls, women and their families

  • The group facilitator will schedule a weekly gathering of the listening group. She will use the speaker and pen drive to conduct the listening session. They will also refer to the pictorial book for better understanding of the information from the sessions.

  • JWAS will contract one F.M. radio station to air the same program through radio. The airing time and schedule of the radio program will be at time with the greatest potential for dissemination to the wider communities. The radio program will reach to the families of girls and women of the listening sessions as well. When the program is aired, the group leader will facilitate for the people to listen in on their mobile, radios and speakers. The group leader will also play the program on the radio set in a loud voice so that it can reach the largest number of people.

  • After five listening sessions, a discussion will be organized to capture the knowledge and effectiveness of the program. Local staff of JWAS will be mobilized for this. Then the further sessions would continue for other sessions.

Project Impact

This project aims to strengthen girls, women and their families’ abilities to cope with potential threats of COVID-19, information on sexual and reproductive health including child marriage, gender-based violence and accessing health services during this pandemic.

Direct Beneficiaries:

  • 200 marginalized women and girls, who are in great need of information about COVID-19 prevention, preparedness and protection and accessing health services during this pandemic. These girls and young women are also at high risk of child marriage, issues related to maternal and reproductive health and gender based violence.

Indirect Beneficiaries:

  • Approximately 700 family members of these women and girls and 900 other people living the communities

  • Reach through the radio program: Approximately 22,400 people

Project Partner:

Janaki Women Awareness Society

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