UN Community Volunteers in action: "My contribution to the collective effort against COVID-19"

UNV has deployed 60 UN Community Volunteers in Bamako, the capital of Mali, and in Mopti, in the centre of the country.

Amadou Ongoiba and Rokia Samaké are such volunteers, as are Djeneba Soumaré and Bamba Ibrahim.

They roam the streets and markets in order to inform people about the COVID-19 pandemic and the preventive measures they should adopt to protect themselves from disease.

I feel useful ... being a volunteer allows me to make my contribution to the collective effort to fight COVID-19. --Djeneba Soumaré, UN Community Volunteer

Djeneba Soumaré holds a degree in agricultural machinery and equipment. He shares,

Our mission is to raise awareness, assist healthcare staff in targeted communities to facilitate patient access to care, limit contamination in communities, contribute to the collection of data related to confirmed cases and report them to concerned local authorities. 

This activity, which is the result of collaboration between UNDP, UNV and CNIEC, is part of the UNDP response in support of the efforts of the Government of Mali in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is implemented by community volunteers, young men and women between the ages of 18 and 35, engaged in their own communities. 

There is still some reluctance; some do not even believe in the existence of the disease. Some refuse to speak to us and we are sometimes asked to leave the premises. Discussions are not easy, but necessary. We explain the mode of transmission of the disease and the need to adopt preventive behaviour such as hand washing and social distancing to people who sometimes become advocates for awareness raising themselves. --Rokia Samaké, UN Community Volunteer

It is important to disseminate the right information to stop the spread of the disease. 

Health centres, mosques, markets, police stations, youth centres ... are all places where we go to raise awareness and provide guidance on the management of potential cases. You have to be a good listener, be patient and persuasive. Even in health centres, sometimes the disease is not understood. it is important to disseminate the right information to stop the spread of the disease. --Bamba Ibrahim, UN Community Volunteer

The COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by a deluge of information on social media, much of which is proving to be false and even malicious.

In response to what they call an "infodemic" phenomenon, the United Nations is stepping up its fight against various forms of disinformation, while combating the exploitation of the crisis by cybercriminals.

This photo story was first published by UNDP Mali.