The Efforts of Ayesha Who Brightens Children’s Futures Through Vaccination
Raqiba Hamidi
Badakhshan, Afghanistan – Twenty-five-year-old Ayesha Yaqoobi is one of the veteran volunteers working in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province.
She graduated from Shorabak Girls’ High School and later studied midwifery at Shafa Private Institute. For the past 11 years, she has been working as a volunteer in the polio vaccination campaign.
On campaign days, she leaves home at 8:00 a.m. and goes door-to-door in her designated area until 4:00 p.m. administering polio vaccination to children
Her designated area is Shahr-e Naw located in Faqir Abad Guzar, where she vaccinates up to 120 children a day.
Ayesha says that along the way, children shout at her from behind, saying ‘Vaccinator aunt, come give us the vaccine!’
Ayesha Yaqoobi vaccinating a baby in a cradle © Polio Free Afghanistan/2024/Raqiba Hamidi
Married and a mother of two, Ayesha leaves her children with her sister Hadiya during campaign days, setting out with the intention of saving children from polio.
She added that the most important achievement of her eleven years of volunteer service is convincing about 15 misinformed, vaccine refusing families to vaccinate their children.
She says, “When I encounter families who refuse vaccination, I kindly tell them, dear sister and brother, society needs your children. By vaccinating them, you not only protect them from polio but also ensure a brighter future for them.”
Ayesha says that along the way, children shout to her from behind, saying ‘Vaccinator aunt, come give us the vaccine!’ © Polio Free Afghanistan/2024/Raqiba Hamidi
While vaccinating a child, she stated that her and her colleagues’ efforts have resulted in no cases of polio being recorded in Badakhshan since 2020.
She expresses, “My greatest wish is the eradication of the poliovirus from my beloved country. I am committed to fighting against polio for the rest of my life.”
Ayesha asserts that vaccination has successfully eradicated the poliovirus in all countries worldwide. She emphasizes that it is the religious duty of all families to support volunteers in their efforts to eradicate polio in Afghanistan through the administration of vaccines.
Fifty-five-year-old Agha Gul, a resident of the fourth district of Faizabad city, recalls that in the past, when there were no polio vaccination facilities, many children either lost their lives to this disease or were left permanently disabled. However, today’s children are fortunate to have access to a vaccine that protects them from this dangerous disease before they can become infected.
He urges families to vaccinate their children under five years of age against polio. This not only protects them from the disease but also contributes to the eradication of this dangerous illness from the country.
Ayesha Yaqoobi added states that the most important achievement of her eleven years of volunteer service is convincing about 15 misinformed, vaccine-denying families to vaccinate their children © Polio Free Afghanistan/2024/Raqiba Hamidi
Alia, a 30-year-old mother, has a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter and a ten-month-old son. Her husband, Mirwais, strongly opposes vaccination and instructs her to lie to vaccinators, and tell them they have no children. Despite this, Alia secretly vaccinates their children with the help of volunteers when he is not present.
With a smile, she remarked that it has been years since Badakhshan recorded a positive case of polio, indicating significant progress in Afghanistan’s efforts to eradicate the disease.
She added that this achievement is due to the dedicated efforts of female volunteer teams and the cooperation of families.
Alia asks families, especially fathers, to cooperate with the volunteers in vaccinating their innocent children.
