Ms Lavanya, an ASHA worker in Bengaluru said, “Government officials have given us basic information, we did not get any masks or gloves but this isn’t going to stop us from pitching in at this hour.” Another worker Hirelal says, “I have been posted to check posts, I go there and tell residents not to step out and tell them the importance of social distancing. There is no question of being scared. It is our duty and I am doing my best.”

The Asha workers are primarily the ones interfacing with the residents. Anganwadi and PHC workers provide them with the necessary support. Together this team gives quarantine data and contact tracing data to the higher health care coordinators. In addition to this, they also provide awareness on COVID-19 to residents and allay their fears apart from also supporting pregnant women and children.

Our foot soldiers get paid meagre wages. What is striking is that we have sent our foot soldiers onto the field with minimal training, no safety equipment and no additional money in such crippling conditions. Some of the situations that these brave ladies are fighting are their own fears, fight to ensure they have properly updated information, resistance from the community, fear and hatred of the community at the very least. 

In spite of all this, they are determined and are doing their task with a lot of motivation. Despite the lack of basic safety equipment they are devising their own ways. They have stitched their own masks or are using their dupattas or handkerchiefs to double up as masks. They are sensitising the community while putting up a brave face for their families. 

Anganwadi workers are urgently urging their higher officials to ensure that vitamins and food essential for children and pregnant women are delivered even under these conditions as they fear long term implications including malnutrition and first 1000 days milestone delays in infants and toddlers. While the Anganwadi centres have been closed since March 13,  they are thus using their supplies to cook and supply meals door to door to thousands of children and pregnant women. Despite the lukewarm reception to this initiative they are marching ahead since this government-sponsored meal is perhaps the only meal for lakhs of impoverished children on a day to day basis.

Anganwadi workers in Gujarat and other states have reported that due to lack of public transport they aren’t able to go to Anganwadi centres every day. There have been instances when their supply of grain has been seized by the police and they themselves have been targeted when they used their relative’s vehicles to reach Anganwadi centres.

Speaking to the Efforts For Good team, Mr Varun Sharma, Secretary to District Level Committee on Transformation of Aspirational Districts Programme posted in Jharkhand, said that, “ While it may seem that we are underprepared, this is an extraordinary situation and we have activated the disaster management task forces within districts to ensure that we can ensure the least bit of inconvenience to the local people. We have restored supply chain disruption and are successfully carrying out awareness and contact tracing programs while ensuring that pregnant women and young children are not forgotten. We have started district level mobilisation of safety gear such as masks on our own to support the workers. We believe that we cannot always expect the state or the centre to give us everything as it’s time taking and limited in nature. We are ready to support the government and the health ministry in any manner that may be required by us.”

Thus, it is time that we give attention to this invisible workforce and make sure they are given safety gear, adequate information and support them in every way possible as these brave souls need us more than ever.