Mothers of Mercy: Life of ASHA workers during the pandemic
World Health Organisation (WHO) recently honoured ASHA volunteers for their crucial role in the pandemic. Here's a tribute to India's one million, all-women ASHA volunteers who, through the pandemic, knocked on the doors of cramped urban jhuggis and isolated rural villages on foot to educate, vaccinate, and save lives as if they were their own
By: Madhu Kapparath
ASHA workers clean the blue vaccine carriers used for vaccine transport at a primary health centre in Hyderabad on January 29, 2021. As volunteers, their work hours remain flexible and many ASHA workers prefer a part-time job as it lets them take care of their domestic responsibilities. However, in reality, their work hours extend way beyond the daily 2 to 3 hours suggested in the ASHA guidelines.
