New Delhi, January 4, 2021: Amidst rising COVID cases and relief from the virus seeming far away, the residents of GB Road have once again raised the bar of community responsibility by taking COVID awareness straight to its youth in a unique manner.
People’s Own Foundation and Chirag Girls Education Foundation are the local NGOs working in the field of community welfare in GB Road. They organised a competition for the youth of GB Road between 16-25 years called GB Road ke Ubharte Sitare. The competition aimed at raising awareness about best practices during COVID, among the residents and visitors. The competition was digitally organised and saw participants submitting posters, banners, poems, and essays on various topics relating to COVID. The competition was judged by Firoz Bakht Ahmed and Zahid Shaikh who are active and well-known members in Delhi.
Talking more about the concept, Talha Zameer, Founder of People’s Own Foundation said, “In the desperation to attain normalcy, people have started coming out and roaming around as if COVID doesn’t exist at all. Seeing this trend and identifying the danger this sort of behaviour entails especially in a place like GB Road, we thought of creating community awareness but this time through community engagement. We had already done poster and banner campaigns in the past but it was designed by our NGO. We thought it would be interesting to engage the youth of GB Road as they have been the least consulted group during this pandemic, and also through this, we aim to create a sense of ownership and responsibility in them to prevent COVID spread in the neighbourhood.”
The competition met with an overwhelming response from the young boys and girls of the area. 20-year-old Zeba, from the area, was declared the first winner in the poster category for her poster on the importance of social distancing during COVID period. Wajiha, a 19-year-old girl from the area, stood second in the competition for her poster on what affects GB Road the most during COVID. The third place was won by 20-year-old Farmaan.
Having actively participated in the competition as a judge, Zahid Shaikh, stated, “It was amazing to see the thought process of these young boys and girls. They are not scared to speak their mind either. It was an enriching experience for me as well.”
The winners received certificates from none other than Cabinet Minister- Food & Supply, Election and Environment & Forest, MLA, Ballimaran, Imran Hussain. One of the winners expressed his gratitude and said, “I am so happy that I won. I had not expected to win. I joined the competition because I liked the theme. But the icing of the cake was receiving the award from MLA Imran I am also overjoyed that the organizers have put my poster/poem all across GB Road.”
Felicitation of winners by MLA Imran had a very positive impact on residents of GB Road. Fully aware of this situation, Imranji said, “I am always there to promote community engagement in my constituency. I see it as a bridge between governance and community implementation. Such activities help us understand what people in my constituency care about and in what direction I need to work. I congratulate the winners and all the participants and welcome such initiatives from NGOs.”
