Enhanced Government Response
Initiative: Sewage Testing
Domain: Health
As community transmission of the Sars-nCov-2 virus appears in India, new means of detecting its presence in the population and evidence-based local response are required. International and national efforts have indicated that testing sewage can be an effective tool for monitoring the spread of the Sars-nCoV-2 virus. However, an ‘Indian’ protocol is needed that takes into the poor quality of sewage systems, challenges in transportation and testing of samples, and supports city and state governments to effectively test and communicate with the public.
Recognizing this, the COVID Action Collaborative (CAC) developed a protocol to detect COVID-19 from sewage water in India with the help of partners in health (Swasti, CMS), testing (Molecular Solutions and Neshaju Envirotech), research (St John’s Research Institute and Indian Institute of Science) and water and sanitation engineering (STUP Consultants and CDD Society). SARS-CoV-2 sewage surveillance data can serve as an Early Warning System, and inform resource deployment and mitigation measures, thereby helping state and local health departments detect, understand, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative is being piloted in 10 wards and is looking for scaling and endorsement partners.
Increased Testing
Initiative: Community Based Testing
Domain: Health
Marginalized communities in urban slums today face a double burden of disease; the threat of COVID19 and preventable complications from pre-existing chronic conditions. To counter this and prevent COVID outbreaks in the most vulnerable communities, we are taking healthcare to their doorstep. Community based screening will be rolled out in areas where there is high risk of COVID outbreak due to poor sanitation facilities and overcrowding, targeting slum settlements in Mumbai. Screening and primary care for common pre-existing conditions will also be layered onto the COVID screening work to reduce morbidity and mortality from avoidable complications. Those at risk of COVID will receive sample collection at or near point of care and results will be returned with short turn around times. A lab within a community clinic will be refurbished to provide both antigen and PCR tests. A comprehensive package of care including counselling and referral support will be provided to infected individuals and family members. These efforts will lean on engaging trusted community mobilizers to generate demand. Active and persistent screening coupled with compassionate care that meets community needs will ensure early detection, inturn breaking the transmission chain and preventing large outbreaks in these communities. This program is being piloted in Maharashtra and will be looking for partners to scale.
Economic Resilience of Vulnerable Populations
Initiative: Building Economic Resilience of Vulnerable Populations
Domain: Livelihoods
The impact of the pandemic Covid 19 has hit all sections of the society with the vulnerable populations bearing the brunt more than others. There are efforts ongoing for relief and recovery. The next stage is on building the economic resilience of these vulnerable communities so that they can manage future shocks and setbacks. Building resilience is important and difficult in normal circumstances and even more so in the context of Covid 19.
The purpose of this impact canvas is bringing together a group of thought leaders and CAC partners who can help find ways to do it. The approach is through creating solution circles with multiple groups of diverse backgrounds and being open for new approaches. And leveraging existing knowledge and new levers for doing it.
Key outcomes expected are:
- A landscape document with the available resilience building definitions, frameworks, models, ideas is available for use. It will be an inventory of practical approaches and tools.
- Design and implementation of pilots based on the models designed by the IC team which is refined through action reflection on the field action.These pilots will be implemented by the CAC partners in different contexts over a period of 2-3 years.
- Coming up with demonstrated models of building economic based on action on the ground and call for action for scaling it up through key players in the sector – implementers, investors and Public systems
This Impact Canvas is at the early stage of conceptualisation of the work.
Saving Lives & Livelihoods
Initiative: Sanitization and Hygiene Entrepreneurs (SHE)
Domain: Livelihoods, Health
High touch public spaces such as ambulances, police stations, etc. increase risk of transmission of infections and diseases, which poses a serious threat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restricting access to the public is not always feasible. To reduce risk of infection while also creating a cadre of jobs, COVIDActionCollab (CAC) partner, Labournet, created the Sanitization and Hygiene Entrepreneurs (SHE) program. The SHE model seeks to build a tribe of ‘hygiene entrepreneurs’ who conduct on-demand sanitization of public and private spaces in gram panchayats (also known as GPs or village administrations). The program offers credit to sanitization and hygiene entrepreneurs (SHEs) to procure necessary cleaning tools, and connects them to a network of individuals and institutions seeking sanitization services. As of November 2020, there are over 300 SHEs working in 20 clusters, earning over INR 200 (twice the minimum wage of unskilled labour) in average daily income. The program has generated INR 15 lakhs income for SHEs and sanitized over 100 lakh square feet. The SHE program was piloted in Karnataka and is now looking for implementation and funding partners across India.
COVID affected people driven response
Initiative: COVID Positives Coalition
Domain: Health
To ensure people-centric services for those infected or affected by COVID-19, especially marginalized communities, the COVID Action Collaborative (CAC) created the COVID Positives Coalition. Led by COVID-19 affected individuals and supported by local NGOs, the COVID Positives Coalition aims to:
- Reduce stigma around COVID-19
- Ensure better quality of care for COVID-19 affected
- Improve response and recovery policies, shaped by COVID-19 affected individuals
The Coalition is being piloted in two locations in India, Karnataka and Hyderabad, and aims to scale nationally by creating local champions and leveraging learnings from the pilot.
Protecting environment as part of COVID Response
Initiative: Pandemic Plastic
Domain: Environment, Waste Management
PPE-related plastics have wreaked havoc in our under prepared ecosystems. A concentrated recycling and value addition process is key to ensuring that our world is not choked by irresponsible disposal of these essential products. The Pandemic Plastic impact canvas is engaging a diverse range of stakeholders- hospitals, medical centers, testing facilities, public utility areas, clinical experts, bio-waste aggregators, academia, design thinkers, etc. – to (a) comprehensively understand the problem using the “Solution Circle” approach, and (b) create sustainable solutions that work at scale and have buy-in from all key stakeholders.
Digital divide bridged in Education
Initiative: Tabs for 1 million children
Domain: Education, Livelihoods
Children from lower socio-economic strata do not have access to the devices necessary to enable their education in COVID times. In response, Team Darshak for Tablets, led by impact investor Darshak Vasavada, has launched the Tabs for 1 million children initiative, which aims to provide custom-made, affordable and durable tablets to digitally-excluded, low income families. They will come pre-loaded with classroom curricula to enable children’s learning, thanks to partners such as Mission Vishwas. The tablets are being designed as comprehensive, highly functional, recyclable and easily repairable devices, and will be manufactured in India. Hence, in addition to improving learning outcomes for children, this initiative will lead to job creation for youth in manufacturing and maintaining devices. The vision of the initiative is to reach 1 million children, pan India (including rural, urban, semi-urban areas), across different contexts and vulnerabilities.
Access to Primary Care Improved
Initiative: Integrated Telecare
Domain: Health, Social Protection
Most initiatives addressing the health and wellbeing of vulnerable communities during the pandemic, such as helplines and platforms, are designed top-down, do not integrate with existing public health infrastructure, and are therefore inaccessible. Recognizing this gap in localized and customized solutions to address the needs of marginalized populations, Swasti designed Telecare, an IVR based telephonic platform to provide Covid-19 and non-COVID primary care, counselling, and social protection support.
The purpose is to demystify Covid-19, curb misinformation, provide empathetic and timely care for chronic medical and wellbeing issues with immediate needs of basic essentials, social protection and support from violence.
Key outcomes we want to achieve:
- Increase the number of vulnerable populations (e.g elderly, disabled, daily wage earners, transgenders) accessing primary care services
- Reduce the time needed to provide first level support for health conditions.
- Reduce out of pocket expenditure on primary health care
- Integrate telecare with existing health infrastructure to improve treatment adherence and ensure long term commitment to a health goal (TB elimination).
The Telecare solution has been piloted in 8 locations across India and reached 35,000 individuals in 6 months, demonstrating how technology can be leveraged to reach the unreached. We are now scaling up the solution and excited to have like-minded partners to embark on this journey with us.
