Women of Grit in Bihar’s Bakhtiyarpur

The global healthcare crisis has led to the decline of multiple sectors across countries and communities. Stories about families unable to perform last rights, hospitals reaching patient capacity, unavailability of hospital beds, exhausted and overworked healthcare workers, migrants travelling long distances to reach home, among gut wrenching incidents of apathy have made our realities somber.

With the number of covid positive cases on the rise, spreading awareness regarding social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks is crucial. But only having information about this is not enough, what is most important is availability of preventive resources.

Digital Empowerment Foundation’s Ranisarai center in Bakhtiyarpur, Bihar is actively helping the community in their fight against coronavirus. The women are stitching masks amid the lockdown which are then distributed in the village. As of now, more than 2500 masks have been sewn and made available.

With almost all businesses coming to a standstill, a steady source of income became a huge challenge for many families in the community. The women stood up to the situation and turned into entrepreneurs when they decided to stitch more masks and sell them in nearby villages, generating some income.

The team has also been spearheading information as an awareness program and teaching the community about the importance of social distancing, wearing masks, maintaining hygiene, staying at home, following government advisories, precautions while taking care of an infected person, to protect themselves in these uncertain times.