World Vision eases fear of health workers in the village

“If you ask me if I am scared, yes I am. I also have a family to go home to. I have a 7-year old grandchild who might be compromised if I become a carrier of the virus,” 56-year old Marilyn shares when asked about how she feels working as a frontliner.

Marilyn, one of the 60 barangay health workers, serves in one of the urban poor communities of Manila. She works round the clock to ensure the safety of her people. On Fridays, she is in-charge of checking body temperatures of residents entering their village. She also accompanies fellow health workers doing the rounds in the area, monitoring families with possible symptoms of the dreaded COVID-19 disease.

“Everyday, we face hundreds of people. It’s overwhelming, especially at the beginning of the community quarantine. We did not have proper protective equipment. There wasn’t enough alcohol. We were only using cloth face mask even if we were talking to possible COVID-19 patients,” she adds.

Her village chief, Edith, also echoes the same sentiment hinting for more support to frontliners. Prior to the COVID-19, the community used their calamity fund to respond to a fire incident which displaced hundreds of families. With the continuing rise of Covid-19 cases and the strict enforcement of the enhanced community quarantine, many people’s livelihood have also been disrupted. The village official now faces the daunting task of mobilizing support for the welfare of her constituents counting over 60,000 people. “We’re trying our best to also protect our frontliners but we are running out of resources,” says Edith.

In response to most of the frontliners’ urgent call for support, World Vision has immediately provided PPEs for the health workers in Marilyn’s village.

“Thank you for also thinking of us and our welfare,” Marilyn says in gratitude.

Meanwhile, Marilyn carries on her part to promote the necessary preventive measures while faithfully implementing the quarantine. She knows that the safety of her community is also her family’s safety.

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