The pandemic made us face challenges like never. But some communities like the ones mentioned below, served as brilliant examples of how the show must go on. Not only did they absolutely nail all aspects of COVID management, but they also did not lose sight of vital Community Management essentials. With note-worthy inter-community teamwork and united efforts like never seen before, we bring you today’s collection of Rise High stories!
Mr Aditya’s contribution to the community during the pandemic was twofold. Firstly, he led the initiative of getting the entire community together to clean up the compound wall. Since there were no proper municipal employees or staff cleaning up the roads, they did it themselves along with the painting of the compound wall. Mr. Aditya worked with a resident who owns a sewage treatment plant company in ensuring that they got a tertiary water treatment plant installed in the premises. Additionally, he also spearheaded an initiative taken up by a nearby gated community to distribute food packets to the needy. Mr. Aditya arranged for a proper distribution channel and distributed 100-150 food packets to the families of the security and housekeeping staff. It is admirable to note here that he successfully managed multiple projects such as these, despite the lack of adequate workforce.
The sheer concern shown towards the environment by the community even during such a crisis gives us so much hope. A Waste Segregation Seminar conducted in the community witnessed a participation of 70 domestic staff, in-house staff and residents. They were educated on the importance of segregation of dry & wet waste. A PCB (Pollution Control Board) approved recycle company was introduced and affiliated with, to recycle dry waste generated from the society, reducing the pollution in the landfill. The society tied up with an NGO named Green Sole to collect unused, discarded shoes separately. This was refurbished and given to needy people and children.
The community collaborated with “Sampurna Earth” to recycle the dry waste and earn green points to exchange with stationery. A total of 14984 kgs of solid waste and 10,000 Tetra Packs was recycled till October 2020 with MPCB registered vendors, for which the community received a certificate. A Total of 24,752 kgs of dry waste has been segregated and 20,980 kg Organic compost has been generated from wet waste in the entire year. The community must be lauded for not losing sight of community management necessities during the crisis.
From the perspective of infrastructure and management of people’s movement, Goodwill Paradise aced their COVID management. Vegetable and non-veg vendors were arranged, a D-Mart facility was brought in and an ATM van was installed to deal with cash shortage. Almost every facility under the sky was arranged inside the community to prevent people from going outside the society during lockdown. WhatsApp groups were created for every aspect of COVID management and people were encouraged to share their concerns and problems in these groups. Mrs. Safia Jabir took excellent care of housekeeping and security staff by providing meals and other essential commodities. She was also extremely particular about not allowing people inside. One would find Mrs. Jabir at the forefront of any event in the society.
The housekeeping and security staff too went the extra mile with their efforts. The staff would regularly follow up with people if they did not collect their parcels. They even delivered heavy items to doorsteps of people who could not step out. The team channelised all resources through the security department and even motivated the security team with equal vigour. All kinds of situations were handled with remarkable flow and smoothness. The teams distributed immunity medicines among residents in consultation with government and local doctors. Due to these zealous management efforts, the number of COVID patients stayed relatively low.
It is truly commendable that being a senior citizen and hence, naturally vulnerable to the virus, Mr. Rajagopal, the property manager of the community managed things single handedly on the ground. Knowing that the community received equal support from within the community as well as from the neighbouring societies teaches us a crucial lesson – communities are not meant to be pitted against each other. When they work together, its outcome is not only beneficial to their residents, but also helps unite all communities under a locality.
Words would fall short to convey our respect to frontline COVID warriors, who dedicated their cause and their mission for the betterment of their communities. During the lockdown, there was a shortage of beds in many hospitals. Dr. Gomathi Karmegam, who works at a government hospital was adamant about getting sufficient beds for COVID positive patients in the community to be admitted in the hospital. However, her service did not end there. She took special care of the patients till the time they were discharged and sent home. From providing the necessary medical treatment to reassuring and motivating patients for their recovery, Dr. Gomathi stood as a beacon of light during times of darkness.
Click here to read the throwback of Rise High Stories: A Sustainable Response to COVID-19 : The Rise High Awards Lookback Collection