Sushmita is a 19 year old EMG who has been married for 6 years with two children less than 2 years of age.

She has been a movement leader for IMAGE for nearly 2 years now and is seen conducting meetings every 15 days with the other EMGs and their families. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country hard and everything was closed due to a lockdown, Sushmita displayed real leadership by moulding according to the situation and helping fulfill the objectives of the movement.

As a part of the regional WhatsApp group, Sushmita received some awareness videos from IMAGE on Covid appropriate behaviours and protocols. Being a keen observer Sushmita had been noticing her fellow villagers not following mask-wearing and social distancing which bothered Sushmita. So when she saw the interactive and fun way of the videos explaining Covid appropriate behaviours, Sushmita decided to take the responsibility of spreading Covid-19 awareness further.

When asked what she liked the most about the videos, Sushmita exclaims with excitement, “The characters in the animated videos were very attractive. I showed it to my family members and they immediately liked it which made me want to share it further with other EMG’s in our villages and friends and relatives.”

Sushmita acknowledges that the interactive nature of the videos makes them more appealing to the viewers as compared to giving instructions verbally. Sushmita continues to encourage COVID appropriate behaviours in her surroundings and is confident that people are following the protocols.

She is delighted that she is able to contribute towards stopping the spread of COVID-19.

“It is because of the movement training that I have learnt to be a leader and initiate action”, she said.