“Ensuring Polio Vaccination for Every Child in My Area is my Sole Responsibility”
Hosai Ahmadzai
Kabul, Afghanistan – Abdul Karim, a 30-year-old resident of Kabul’s 9th district, is a dedicated volunteer for the polio vaccination campaign, committed to ensuring that every last child in his designated area receives the polio vaccine.
He has a bachelor’s degree and works as a school teacher in his locality. Despite this, he has been serving as a vaccinator in the polio vaccination campaign for the past five years.
He states that he derives great joy from both teaching children and battling against polio to safeguard their health and future.
Abdul Karim, who had a vaccine carrier box on his shoulder, going from house to house to vaccinate the children in his area, expressed: “As a father of three and a teacher to dozens, I view all the children of this country as my own. My wish is for every child to be healthy and have a promising future.”
He shared that it was this sentiment that led him to volunteer for the polio eradication program. He is driven by the desire to protect the children of his country from the crippling disease of polio, ensuring they do not become a burden to their families and society in the future.
Abdul Karim knocking on a door during a polio vaccination campaign to administer polio vaccines to children © Polio free Afghanistan/2024/ Hosai Ahmadzai
He emphasizes that during each polio campaign, he makes multiple visits to every household in his area. His mission is to ensure that no child is left unvaccinated.
“If a family is unable to vaccinate their children on the first day, I ensure to revisit them on the second and even third day to guarantee their children receive the vaccine. This is because I consider it both my moral and religious duty,” he asserted.
Abdul Karim mentioned that many families have recently become aware of the dangers of polio and the importance of vaccinating their children. These informed families willingly bring their children for vaccination. However, there are still families who lack awareness about the disease and do not vaccinate their children.
According to him, he actively engages in conversation with the elders of such families, showing them the harms of polio and emphasizing that polio has no cure and can only be prevented through vaccination.
Abdul Karim administering the vaccine to a child in the 9th district of Kabul © Polio free Afghanistan/2024/ Hosai Ahmadzai
He proudly shares that, through his efforts, he has successfully persuaded six such families in the region to vaccinate their children.
He emphasizes that, to make his efforts to eradicate polio more effective, he has established good relations with the residents of the area. Additionally, he has created a WhatsApp group where he regularly shares awareness messages and other relevant information about polio with them.
Abdul Karim expresses his profound hope that his efforts will ultimately bear fruit, leading to a polio-free Afghanistan.
As of now, Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where children still face the risk of polio.
