Masooma Qurban, Communication Officer
How Community Health Worker Bibi Marjana Crosses Mountains to Deliver Polio Vaccines
As snow covered the mountains of Pishin, 26-year-old Community Health Worker (CHW) Bibi Marjana set out to vaccinate children in the small, remote villages. Despite the freezing weather, she was determined to reach every child. Together with her mother-in-law, Noor Nama, she works to ensure no child under five is left without polio vaccination.
Marjana is a mother of five. Her husband works in a hotel. She has worked with the Polio Programme in Pishin for the past three years. Pishin is one of the high-risk districts in Balochistan. Her mother-in-law recently joined the programme to help support the family as living costs continue to rise.
The two women work in Tehsil Barshore, a remote area with scattered villages. Some communities cannot be reached by car or motorcycle.
“During the campaign, I have to walk two to five kilometres on foot from one house to another in some of the villages,” said Marjana.
Marjana's target is to vaccinate 84 children during the campaign, fewer than the targets of other CHWs.
“My target is less, but my work area is challenging, requiring me to climb mountains to reach children. The snowfall made travelling through these areas even more difficult, resulting in delays in completing the target,” she continued.
Despite the challenges, Marjana and Noor Nama are committed to reaching every child. “My daughter-in-law is working for a noble cause. I joined her to play my part for the welfare of my people. In this way, I am also able to support my family,” said Noor Nama.
Marjana's father-in-law, Hidayatullah, often helps them reach remote areas using his tractor. However, because many villages can only be reached on foot, the scattered settlements and mountainous terrain mean they still have to walk miles to reach some children.
Pishin is a high-risk district for polio. Although Balochistan has not reported a polio case for almost two years, the district remains at risk due to frequent population movement.
“Thanks to the community health workers, we have not had any polio cases in recent years. Female Community Health Workers (CHWs) are recruited from the community. They earned the community’s trust and access to cover newborns in the house,” said Kaleemullah, the District Communication Officer.
Around 70 per cent of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Pishin are women. However, the proportion is much lower in rural areas such as Tehsil Barshore. Female CHWs from these communities are therefore an important asset as they raise awareness about the importance of vaccination, ensuring children are protected against polio while also supporting their families.
“It was challenging to have females as CHWs in these districts, but with continuous efforts, we motivated many families in the community to support and join the Polio Programme,” explained Mubeen, the Tehsil Communication Officer. “We now have 50 female frontline CHWs out of 96 in Tehsil Barshore, Pishin.”
“I applaud the efforts of female workers, and they are true heroes of the Polio Programme. Despite facing cultural, societal, security, and environmental hardships, these female workers are dedicated to wiping out polio from the country and saving hundreds and thousands of children from lifelong disability,” said Syed Zahid Shah, Coordinator of the Provincial Emergency Operations Center, Balochistan Polio Programme.
