Uttarakhand – Youngsters Trek to Remote Villages to Provide Help

    23-Jun-2021   
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A team of 10 men went through the mountains to reach the remote villages & provide any Covid-related assistance they might need. Here’s a little about their work –
  
As the Covid surge put Uttarakhand under lockdown, it was a difficult situation both in cities, states as well as in the remote hilly areas. Nonetheless, a team of 10 men braved the situation to help those who were in the need in these remote regions. These men trekked through the tricky roads to reach these distant villages. This team went for more than a 100 kms in the past few weeks to distribute the relief material along with drinks to boost the immunity to those in urgent need of it.

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One of the members of the group, Sushil Dimri, 25, said, “It doesn't matter how far we have to travel. Even if we have to travel 18 to 22km, our aim is to reach those people for whom getting basic Covid things is a challenge.” To do the same, the team followed a routine every day – wake up, pack the vehicles up with the relief material to be distributed and travel to the remote places on the agenda that day.
  
This group has now successfully crossed the 100 km marks and have given out medicines, sanitisers, masks and the immunity boosting drinks to those who don’t have the access to these. Also, the group also arranges vehicles to take the villagers to the hospitals whenever they need it. What sets this group apart from the rest is that these men possess the risk-taking attitude and are going out of their way to great lengths to ensure the well-being of those who aren’t able to fend for themselves.
 

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All the team members’ mobile numbers have been shared with the residents; people give them a call if they face difficulties to get to a hospital. Hence, if they do receive a call, they make sure to go to them to provide help, no matter how far they might be. These young men also help the locals comprehend the importance of using masks, sanitizers and social distancing on the regular.
  
The leader of the group, Madhav Joshi, said, “The difference between a village in the plains and the ones in the hills is connectivity. It becomes a little difficult for authorities to reach remote villages and it also becomes difficult for the villagers to get in touch with authorities and doctors. This is why the infection rate in villages is high.”
The reason why Covid cases figures rose exponentially here was mainly superstition, and the wrong belief that villagers in the hilly regions have better immunity.
 
Madhav added, “Initially, the villagers were very proud of their immune system. Most of them believed Covid won't be able to touch them because of which when migrants and relatives came from other states to attend marriages, they were welcomed with open arms, triggering the rise in the no. of cases. They got scared only when people started losing their lives.”

According to the group, the initial surge was due to weddings & natives taking Covid lightly. But they now think the mindset here has now finally changed.

The team members also checked the villagers’ temperatures and oxygen-levels. More attention was given to kids as there was a surge in their number. The group members went from door-to-door to provide people with essentials.

The efforts of this hard-working group have helped the reduce the spread of the virus in the state a lot. Their commendable efforts have helped these villagers beyond measure. If you know of any similar groups working towards the well-being of people in these times, tell us in the comments below. We love bringing you such inspiring stories, so if you enjoy these, do visit the space for more! Stay Safe!

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