The efforts of a mother in safeguarding children from polio
Raqiba Hamidi
Badakhshan, Afghanistan – Shakiba Hakimi, 26, lives in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province. She is a devoted volunteer for polio vaccination campaigns. On those days, she entrusts her children to her mother and goes out to immunize other children against polio.
She completed her studies at No. 2 Girls’ High School and successfully graduated from the midwifery program at Pamir Badakhshan Institute. And she has worked diligently for the past ten years as a polio vaccination volunteer.
Every day at 7:30 a.m., she wears her black hijab and shoulders the blue vaccine carrier box before leaving her home. Her destination: the designated areas of “Shang Ghani”, “Kharqa Jan”, and “Alcha Bafi Gozar”. From there, she goes house-to-house in the villages, tirelessly administering polio vaccines to children until late in the afternoon.
I work as a polio vaccination volunteer to safeguard the future makers of our country (children), and my husband Inamullah and my family are proud of me and encourage me to do so,” Shakiba expressed.
Every day at 7:30 a.m., Shakiba wears her black hijab and shoulders the green vaccine box before leaving her home. Her destination: the designated areas of “Shang Ghani,” “Kharqa Jan,” and “Alcha Bafi Ghazar.” From there, she goes door-to-door in the villages, tirelessly administering polio vaccines to children until evening falls. © Polio free Afghanistan/ 1402/ Raqiba Hamidi
As a mother of three children herself—7-year-old Ahmad Shiva, 4-year-old Saleha, and 2-and-a-half-year-old Ahmed Shoaib—Shakiba takes immense pride in not only vaccinating her own children but also in vaccinating other children, safeguarding them from the deadly disease of polio.
She added, “Due to my enthusiasm and commitment to my job, I often leave home without having breakfast on many days, prioritizing the vaccination of children.”
She expressed that she loves the children of the country as much as she loves her own children because their health is paramount to her. She strives to perform her job diligently without getting tired.
She states that due to her work, she has become well-known among the children, often hearing them call out to her from behind, saying, “Aunty, come and give us the polio vaccine!”
She explains that this behavior from the children brings her immense joy, but she gets deeply saddened when she sees parents and elders not vaccinating their children.
Shakiba giving a new born child the polio vaccine. © Polio free Afghanistan/ 1402/ Raqiba Hamidi
She stated, “I try to convince such families to vaccinate their children by explaining the benefits of vaccination to them, thus safeguarding their children from the life-threatening disease of polio.”
A pediatrician in Badakhshan, Dr. Zarghuna Sapay Anwari, praises the efforts of polio vaccination volunteers in the fight against polio and encourages families to cooperate with them in ensuring their children receive the polio vaccine.
She emphasizes that the polio virus is dangerous and can result in death or paralysis in children under the age of five.
She stated that administering two drops of the polio vaccine to children, whether at home or at health centers, is the only way to prevent this life-threatening disease.
