…Takes awareness campaign to the rural areas
An anti COVID-19 advocacy group, the South-East Coronavirus Intervention Network (SCIN) has taken the awareness campaign of the pandemic to rural areas in the South-East.
This is also as the group expressed shock that in spite of the ravaging impact of the disease, that many persons in rural communities across South-Eastern Nigeria still believe that COVID-19 is a convenient fable.
Addressing newsmen in Owerri, the Imo State capital, during the launch of its action plan for sustained awareness and advocacy campaign in the South-East, Coordinator of SCIN, Nze Meekam Mgbenwelu said the group is committed to ensuring that citizens across the South-East particularly in the rural areas, are adequately equipped with the right information to stay COVID-19 free, healthy and alive.
While noting that SCIN comprises two technology and innovation driven organizations – Nzukolabs and LearnFactory – Mgbenwelu observed that COVID-19 pandemic is much more than a health crisis.
He said: “By stressing everyone of the countries it touches, it has the potential to create devastating social, economic and political crises that will leave deep scars. In other words, the COVID-19 pandemic is a social issue that threatens the world’s population both in terms of health and economic welfare.”
While acknowledging support from the Ford Foundation and access to communication protocol of the NCDC, Mgbenwelu noted that as disruptive as the pandemic has become, there is a huge potential of vast opportunities that would emerge following the outbreak.
He noted that the group has already created and adapted jingles and other awareness and advocacy materials in local dialects and user-friendly formats, to achieve the desired impact on the target audience.
