Community member tracks immunisation drop outs in nearby Brick kiln

[Raju Roy]

We are aiming to improve immunization coverage in Assam through community ownership using SALT and CLCP since March 2019

Today follow up visit to Satgaon village of Kamrup district in Assam discuss with community regarding 2nd self assessment.  During the discussion Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) shared a incident.  To know about the reality of incident I rush to Brick kiln beside the village.It is a surprising incident for me.

Mr Tubur Ali the man in the photograph is young boy from Satgaon village . He had come in a community meeting  in the Satgaon village 4 months ago and listened silently about SALT and CLCP process  and finally he told this is useless process and never participated in any community activity.

Recently he joined as a field supervisor of a brick kiln next to his village. Brick kiln is where bricks are made and baked. Workers from nearby areas and outside come during certain months to work here.

During his routine work as supervisor in the brick kiln he found many children of labour are not immunised. Then he started to ask every labour about their children immunisation status. Finally he found 15 children were unimmunised in the brick kiln.  The people who work in brick kilns are seasonal migrants. They are from West Bengal state. They had got their children immunised in their state but when they came to work in Assam in the bricklin, they did not get their children immunised. Then he discussed this with ASHA Madina Begum regarding the immunisatin of these children. ASHA and Tubur went to Sub center of the village and consulted with Medical officer.

Regarding the immunisation of these left out children due to the initiative of Tubur Ali and ASHA a special immunisation    camp is organised for these children and now ASHA regularly visits this brick fild and and organised Routine immunisation session for them. Finally Tubur Ali realise and accept SALT process.

[Marie Lamboray]

Great step, Raju! Could next step be school education?

[Marlou]

Beautiful. May be his initial resistance actually triggered him to reflect and then check on the reality in his community. Many thanks to our SALT facilitators in Assam for all their efforts to leave no-one behind.