Social Distancing, Mask and Sanitizer (SMS)
May 2, 2022

SMS Campaign has been conducted to enhance the community to combat against COVID-19, from 25th November 2020 with the project entitled “COVID-19 community engagement and behavior reinforcement by Nepal Scouts through Nepal scouts volunteered”. The program was implemented in collaboration of Nepal Scouts, Ministry of Health and Population and with the technical support of UNICEF Nepal. The second phase of the project has highlighted and focused on risk communication and community engagement from scout volunteers along with the child protection and monitoring. The project has been carried out across 7 provinces and their major cities.
SMS Campaign has been conducted to enhance the community to combat against COVID-19, from 25th November 2020 with the project entitled “COVID-19 community engagement and behavior reinforcement by Nepal Scouts through Nepal scouts volunteered”. The program was implemented in collaboration of Nepal Scouts, Ministry of Health and Population and with the technical support of UNICEF Nepal. The second phase of the project has highlighted and focused on risk communication and community engagement from scout volunteers along with child protection and monitoring. The project has been carried out across 7 provinces and their major cities.
Background:
The main objective of the project is:
- To reinforce 3 major steps SMS (Maintaining proper social distancing, Proper use of mask, Proper sanitization) to prevent oneself from COVID 19.
- To focus vulnerable groups and people at risk by tailoring preventive, protective measures and other social aspects of COVID-19.
- To analyze the effect of COVID – 19 different segments of the community with the help of predefined questionnaire.
Activities conducted during this reporting period are:
- Pamphlets / Leaflets/Sticker Distribution:
– Pamphlets / Leaflets/Sticker containing information about symptoms of COVID-19 and proper use of mask was distributed in the major crowded places of all provincial levels.
- Similarly, No Mask No Entry, No Mask No Service and No Mask No Talk were particularly pasted at key junctions.
- Information Desk Center:
Volunteers initiated an information desk center at major junctions. This tries to incorporate the people who avoid the fundamentals of SMS and also deliver the message to community people.
- Involving local government bodies to ensure the message is receive proper at community level
Key achievements:
The SMS behavior reinforcement campaign is currently implemented in 20 districts of 7 provinces across Nepal. These active district and clusters are:
1, Province 1: Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari
2, Province 2: Dhanusha, Mahottari and Sarlahi
3, Bagmati Province: Makwanpur, Kavrepalanchowk, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Kathmandu
4, Gandaki Province: Kaski
5, Lumbini Province: Rupandehi, Kapilbastu Nawalparasi and Banke
6, Karnali Province: Dailekh and Surkhet
7, Sudur-Paschim Province: Kailali and Kanchanpur.
Before spreading of COVID-19 second wave and lockdown enforcement, Scouts, volunteers were continuing SMS campaign in the community. With the spread of the second wave, they started to focus their services on schools and colleges.
After the spreading of COVID 19 second wave, along with the SMS campaign, Nepal Scouts, volunteers are providing following services as well:
1) Manage and systematize vaccination booths,
2) Building test booth for COVID 19 in the community,
3) Help desk and information centers,
4) Food to hungers (distribution of cooked food, drinking water and relief materials to needy people.
5) Compulsory Mask Campaign in the designated cluster area.
However, with the ease of COVID-19 threat and an individual behavior the fear regarding COVID-19 slowly died down. Hence, to create awareness, marketplace, bus stations were chosen as a prime location.
Similarly, the
Service wise scouts volunteered mobilization number:
- SMS campaign – 58644
- Vaccination both management – 4385
- Covid Isolation Ward – 5134
- Local Festivals – 4385
The number of scout volunteers was mobilized in above mention clusters during the reporting periods.
- 35113 people are directly reached by scout volunteers to disseminate and enforce SMS key messages
- Overall, more than 175932 population in general directly benefitted from this campaign.
With this program, Nepal Scouts was able to reach to 536248 individuals.
Duration of the Program
The program was run from 25th November till 31st of December, 2022.