The Coca-Cola Foundation provides funding to United Way Mumbai to augment community participation in country’s vaccination drive

Hyderabad: To accelerate nationwide efforts in combating the humanitarian crisis unleashed by the second wave of the pandemic, The Coca-Cola Foundation has provided funding to United Way Mumbai to support its efforts to spread awareness, facilitate community participation in vaccination, and provide safety kits in 25 districts across 10 states of India. As the vaccination drive across the country and the world progresses, this project helps to #StopTheSpread by encouraging and sensitizing over 4 million people in 4400+ communities and villages. Additionally, it also aims to strengthen close to 440 vaccination centres in rural and urban India, supporting the Government of India mission of vaccination for all. This initiative is a part of The Coca-Cola Foundation’s “Stop the Spread” worldwide fund that is being channelized towards facilitating vaccine distribution, COVID safety kits (PPE – masks, gloves, sanitizers) and creating awareness around vaccination and sanitary practices to contain the spread of the pandemic.

The initial phase of the #StopTheSpread project is being rolled out across the states, namely Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi and Haryana. To support the ongoing vaccination drive, United Way of Mumbai is mobilizing civilians in the remotest areas of the country for vaccination through mass awareness programs, one-on-one health enquiries, transportation to vaccination camps for rural communities, and augmenting safety support at the camps through provision of PPE kits to ensure safe and hygienic inoculations. Additionally, it is also helping communities connect with existing government authorized vaccination centres, facilitating registration and strengthening existing government vaccination centres with safety equipment.

In Andhra Pradesh, United Way Mumbai commenced the awareness drive in four districts including Guntur, Chittoor, East Godavari and Vishakhapatnam, with an aim to positively impact close to 3.9 Lakh people across the state. About 60 vaccination centres and 600 villages/communities in rural and urban regions of the state will be covered, successfully facilitating registrations to approx. 65,000 civilians. This also includes spreading mass awareness to 3.5 Lakh+, one-on-one health enquiries for 80,000 people, and transportation assistance for 30,000+ members from rural communities across the state.

Commenting on the initiative and the need for each one of us to step forward, Saadia Madsbjerg, President of TCCF, said, “We are proud to use our resources to fund initiatives to help curb the spread of COVID-19 around the world, including this grant to support the important work of the United Way Mumbai in India. We are hopeful that with collective effort and resilience by all, we will be able to steer ourselves out of these difficult times.”

Adding further, George Aikara, Chief Executive Officer, United Way Mumbai, said “In order to support the nation in combating this unprecedented health crisis, it is imperative to create awareness, bust myths around vaccination and strengthen infection prevention role practices especially at vaccination camps. Lack of awareness and consultation around vaccination is one of the reasons for lower vaccination turnout especially in rural areas. This financial support from The Coca-Cola Foundation helps us identify, plan and support interventions and encourage more people to get vaccinated and contain further spread.”