There are certain things
that we associate with the summer season. For people living in colder areas
there is the promise of warm, lazy days; for people who live in a warm climate
it means that their days will only get warmer and longer. In Pakistan we have come to associate
newer and less pleasant things of late: the monsoon rains that will flood
fields of farmers and drive people from their homes, and the return of the
dreaded dengue fever.
Each dengue epidemic in Pakistan has
been worse than the previous one: more than 300 people lost their lives to the
dengue virus and more than 14,000 were affected by it in 2011. A group of young
people fresh out of an Active Citizens training teamed together to launch a
dengue awareness campaign targeted at young people and children in Lahore.
The first part of the
project was rolled out at the Punjab University Laboratory school in April this
year. Group members briefed the students on the dengue virus, its symptoms, how
it can be transmitted, and what precautionary measures to use. The students
were also added to the discussion their knowledge on the subject, and stories
and jokes. At the conclusion of the activity flyers were distributed among the
students who were encouraged to spread the awareness on the deadly disease.
In May the group held an
awareness campaign at the Pakistan Society for the Rehabilitation of the
Disabled (PSRD). Along with information about the virus and precautionary
measures, a drawing competition was also arranged for children at the rehabilitation
centre. Children enrolled in therapy sessions at the centre also participated
with quotes, stories, and songs.
The efforts of the group
did not stop here; they held similar interactive awareness sessions at Nasheman and Dar-ul-Mussarat – both institutes for people living with mental and physical disabilities. At both institutes they were welcomed with enthusiasm. Says one
group member: “we went to make these children aware of how to save a life, but (instead)
we learnt from them that how to live a life”.