{"id":1937,"date":"2020-08-07T11:30:20","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T11:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/2020\/12\/23\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T08:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T02:41:08","slug":"engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/","title":{"rendered":"Engaging communities is critical to the COVID-19 response"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge in India, the disease has&nbsp;<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.outlookindia.com\/website\/story\/opinion-covid-19-outbreak-in-indias-slums-will-be-disastrous-for-the-urban-poor\/350335\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">disproportionately spread<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;through the urban slums, where&nbsp;<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/censusindia.gov.in\/2011census\/hlo\/Slum_table\/Slum_table.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">one in four urban Indians<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> live. Indeed, by late June, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/mumbai-news\/96-of-containment-zones-in-mumbai-are-in-slums-chawls\/story-K82DeK0wjnTJV7VjWdpQGP.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">96 percent<\/a> of Mumbai&rsquo;s COVID-19 containment zones were in slums<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, home to more than 12 million people. Thus, controlling the spread of the disease in slums is critical to the nation&rsquo;s pandemic response. And to do that, communities need to be actively engaged. The government&mdash;which is leading India&rsquo;s COVID-19 efforts&mdash;acknowledges this in its policies, including the <\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhp.gov.in\/nhpfiles\/national_health_policy_2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">National Health Policy 2017<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ndmindia.nic.in\/images\/The%20Disaster%20Management%20Act,%202005.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Disaster Management Act 2005<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In a&nbsp;<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgespan.org\/insights\/library\/global-development\/community-engagement-tackle-covid-19-india-slums\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">new study from The Bridgespan Group<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, we explore how the pandemic response strategy has unfolded through different community engagement models in Mumbai&rsquo;s major slums, where densely populated settlements suffer from poor living conditions, including inconsistent access to water and sanitation. Our research included nearly 50 interviews with community leaders, nonprofits, government officials, philanthropic organisations, and other experts involved in India&rsquo;s pandemic response in slums, focusing on Dharavi, Govandi, Shivaji Nagar, Malvani, and the Kurla belt, as well as other non-notified slums in Mumbai such as Ambujwadi, Ambedkar Nagar, and Appa Pada.<\/span><\/p><p><a class=\"sidebar-related-article\" href=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/website-admin\/fighting-covid-19-in-cities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Related article: Fighting COVID-19 in cities<\/strong><\/a><\/p><div id=\"idron-4107345748\" class=\"idron-article-in-content idron-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/idranswers.idronline.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"What is IDR Answers Page Banner\"><img src=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1.png\" alt=\"What is IDR Answers Page Banner\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1.png 1250w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1-300x60.png 300w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1-1024x205.png 1024w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1-150x30.png 150w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1-768x154.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px\" width=\"1250\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div><h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Three community engagement models best describe how communities are participating in the response<\/span><\/h3><ul>\n<li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Communities as recipients: <\/span><\/strong>In this model&mdash;which was the most common across slums as COVID-19 took hold in India&mdash;communities receive food, healthcare, and other essential services from the government and nonprofits. It falls primarily upon external stakeholders to assess community needs, design and implement solutions, and account for results. This model was effective for delivering immediate aid, but is disempowering and less sustainable over time.<\/li>\n<li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Communities as partners: <\/span><\/strong>Under this approach, community members actively participate with governments and nonprofits in prioritising their needs, developing solutions, and supporting implementation. Implementing this model has been challenging during the lockdown because of restrictions on community interactions and on movement of external supplies.<\/li>\n<li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Communities as owners: <\/span><\/strong>Here, communities identify their own needs, design and implement solutions largely independently, and seek external support only to cover gaps in local resources or expertise. This is the most likely model to build lasting community resilience&mdash;the capacity to withstand and recover from external shocks and stresses. However, it is uncommon even in normal times, and was present only in a few slum communities, such as Dharavi, Govandi, and Malvani.<\/li>\n<\/ul><p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22009\" style=\"width: 796px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22009\" class=\"wp-image-22009 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Annotation-2020-08-06-145008.jpg\" alt=\"community participation annotation 2020-08-06_Bridgespan\" width=\"786\" height=\"439\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-22009\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: The Bridgespan Group<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Lessons on community engagement<\/span><\/h3><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Our research revealed several lessons that could inform policy and action for crisis response in resource-poor settings, strengthen primary health systems in urban slums, and more generally, build local slum communities&rsquo; resilience to shocks such as the pandemic.<\/span><\/p><div class=\"second-level-subheading\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A slum&rsquo;s socioeconomic characteristics influence its community engagement<\/span><\/strong><\/div><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The legal, political, and physical qualities of a slum, as well as the social capital of its residents, determine a community&rsquo;s vulnerability to the pandemic and the extent of its engagement. Notified slums such as Dharavi house largely permanent settlements, where many residents own their homes and have strong formal and informal networks within the community. The&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/portal.mcgm.gov.in\/irj\/portal\/anonymous\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) <\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and nonprofits such as the&nbsp;<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/snehamumbai.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Society for Nutrition, Health, and Education Action (SNEHA)<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;are partnering with community volunteers and leaders in Dharavi to assist residents with essential public services, financial support, and COVID-19 health services. Also, Dharavi&rsquo;s relatively better infrastructure&mdash;in terms of water and health facilities&mdash;and its political capital enabled its communities to collectively tackle the pandemic.<\/span><\/p><div class=\"second-level-subheading\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Community roles often shift during shocks such as pandemics<\/span><\/strong><\/div><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">During the COVID-19 pandemic, economically thriving and engaged slum communities, such as parts of Dharavi, have become recipients of food, basic services, and psycho-social support. On the other hand, some slum leaders and residents in Dharavi also took proactive and lead roles in supporting the BMC with health screenings, contact tracing, and sharing COVID-19 prevention measures in communities. We found a high degree of flux in community roles and engagement models; strong communities may slip into becoming recipients, or alternatively step up to innovate and lead local response initiatives. For example, slum residents in Khairani Road rely on <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aajeevika.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Aajeevika Bureau <\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/yuvaindia.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA)<\/span><\/a> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">for food relief, but in Tilak Nagar, community volunteers collaborate directly with local grocery stores to distribute food in nearby slums.<\/span><\/p><p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22020\" style=\"width: 1042px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22020\" class=\"size-full wp-image-22020\" src=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Feature-image_Photo-courtesy-SNEHA.jpg\" alt=\"community leader interacting with slum dwellers_SNEHA\" width=\"1032\" height=\"774\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-22020\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nonprofits mentioned that partnering with communities has enabled more effective relief, response, and recovery. | Picture courtesy: SNEHA<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><div class=\"second-level-subheading\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stakeholder&rsquo;s roles adapt as community needs evolve<\/span><\/strong><\/div><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Depending on factors such as slum characteristics, the COVID-19 response activity, and support from external stakeholders, different models can coexist within and across slums, and different external actors serve, partner with, or enable communities, as appropriate. In the M East ward slums of Mumbai, for instance, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiss.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Tata Institute of Social Sciences<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> (TISS) is both partnering with local slum communities for better sanitation facilities and supporting community leaders who are operating their own food supply response. TISS is also serving slum communities in Govandi and Shivaji Nagar with telemedicine and mental health helplines.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><div class=\"second-level-subheading\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Communities are keen to script and own their development<\/span><\/strong><\/div><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Our interviews with community volunteers and leaders, and nonprofit leaders working in the Mumbai slums, showed unequivocally that communities wish to retain or regain their autonomy, and most importantly, their dignity, and self-reliance for survival and development.<\/span><\/p><div id=\"idron-426018826\" class=\"idron-content idron-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/donate\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"donate banner\"><img src=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1.jpg\" alt=\"donate banner\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-1024x205.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-150x30.jpg 150w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-768x154.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px\" width=\"1250\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div><blockquote><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Communities wish to retain or regain their autonomy, dignity, and self-reliance for survival and development.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Community coordinators said that they were &lsquo;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">proud&rsquo; of their ability to address the needs of their fellow residents. &ldquo;Food is, of course, a problem, but residents with savings have stepped forward to feed their neighbours,&rdquo;&nbsp; said a community volunteer in Shivaji Nagar. In the &lsquo;partners&rsquo; and &lsquo;owners&rsquo; models, we also see some slum leaders and community collectives take proactive and lead roles in advocating with local government for essential amenities, COVID-19 awareness and behaviour change activities, and delivering some basic services. Nonprofits also mentioned that while the government is the central agency in the COVID-19 health response, partnering with communities has enabled more effective relief, response, and recovery.<\/span><\/p><div><a class=\"sidebar-related-article\" href=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/website-admin\/why-isnt-philanthropy-investing-in-urban-slums\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Related article: Why isn&rsquo;t philanthropy investing in urban slums?<\/strong><\/a><\/div><div><\/div><div class=\"second-level-subheading\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Social capital and cohesiveness enable greater community engagement<\/span><\/strong><\/div><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We found the &lsquo;owners&rsquo; and &lsquo;partners&rsquo; models primarily in slums with strong peer-to-peer bonds, community cohesiveness, and social ties&mdash;underscoring the importance of social capital for community engagement. SNEHA, YUVA, and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sparcindia.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> (SPARC) have historically focused on forming community collectives, and building their skills and capabilities by training them on such topics as community mobilisation and citizens&rsquo; rights. These collectives emerged as strong change-makers during the pandemic, when it became challenging for external parties to enter slums because of mobility restrictions and other lockdown measures.<\/span><\/p><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We hope that these lessons will be instructive to policy and social-sector actors working&mdash;or aspiring to work&mdash;with slum communities. Empowering and enabling community engagement as the pandemic eases will allow slums to bounce back stronger&mdash;and likely lead to more inclusive development centered on communities&rsquo; dignity and self-reliance.<\/span><\/p><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&mdash;<\/span><\/p><h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Know more<\/span><\/h3><ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Follow trends and updates on the COVID-19 response in Mumbai on the <\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"http:\/\/stopcoronavirus.mcgm.gov.in\/key-updates-trends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">BMC&rsquo;s website<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Explore the&nbsp;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">World Health Organisation&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/handle\/10665\/259280\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">community engagement framework<\/a><\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, as well as its COVID<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">-19 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afro.who.int\/publications\/covid-19-strategic-response-plan-who-african-region\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Strategic Response Plan<\/a> for the African region, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and&nbsp;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/feature-stories\/detail\/who-showcases-leading-african-innovations-in-covid-19-response\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">leading African innovations<\/a> in the response<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Learn about&nbsp;<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/ssir.org\/articles\/entry\/when_peers_work_together_to_drive_social_change\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">peer-driven change<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;(when constituents identify their own goals and lead their own change) and&nbsp;<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgespan.org\/insights\/library\/children-youth-and-families\/from-input-to-ownership-how-nonprofits-can-engage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">constituent engagement<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Learn about behaviour change measures and recommendations from&nbsp;<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"http:\/\/www.covidthenewnormal.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">NITI Aayog<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<\/span><a class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mygov.in\/covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Government of India<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Do more<\/span><\/h3><ul>\n<li>Connect with the authors, <a href=\"mailto:Pritha.Venkatachalam@bridgespan.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pritha Venkatachalam<\/a> and <a href=\"mailto:Niloufer.Memon@bridgespan.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Niloufer Memon<\/a> if you&rsquo;d like to learn more about their work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"idron-892057449\" class=\"idron-troublemakers-placement idron-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/donate\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"donate banner\"><img src=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1.jpg\" alt=\"donate banner\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-1024x205.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-150x30.jpg 150w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-768x154.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px\" width=\"1250\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge in India, the disease has&nbsp;disproportionately spread&nbsp;through the urban slums, where&nbsp;one in four urban Indians live. Indeed, by late June, 96 percent of Mumbai&rsquo;s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":6307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,582,32],"tags":[3605,3652],"series":[],"meta-filter":[],"schema-filter":[743],"no-display":[],"class_list":["post-1937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid-19","category-instagram","category-urban","tag-coronavirus","tag-indian-ngos","contributor-niloufer-memon","contributor-pritha-venkatachalam","states-maharashtra","schema-filter-article"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Engaging communities is critical to the COVID-19 response | IDR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lessons from community engagement to tackle the disproportionate spread of coronavirus in India\u2019s urban slums.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"kn_IN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Engaging communities is critical to the COVID-19 response\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lessons from community engagement to tackle the disproportionate spread of coronavirus in India\u2019s urban slums.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"India Development Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-08-07T11:30:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-10T02:41:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Feature-image_Photo-courtesy-SNEHA.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1032\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"774\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Devanshi Vaid\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Engaging communities is critical to the COVID-19 response | IDR","description":"Lessons from community engagement to tackle the disproportionate spread of coronavirus in India\u2019s urban slums.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/","og_locale":"kn_IN","og_type":"article","og_title":"Engaging communities is critical to the COVID-19 response","og_description":"Lessons from community engagement to tackle the disproportionate spread of coronavirus in India\u2019s urban slums.","og_url":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/","og_site_name":"India Development Review","article_published_time":"2020-08-07T11:30:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-10T02:41:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1032,"height":774,"url":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Feature-image_Photo-courtesy-SNEHA.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Devanshi Vaid","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/"},"author":{"name":"Devanshi Vaid","@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9ccd8ace9f05f5fc9085ec2e5bfae451"},"headline":"Engaging communities is critical to the COVID-19 response","datePublished":"2020-08-07T11:30:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-10T02:41:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/"},"wordCount":1297,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Feature-image_Photo-courtesy-SNEHA.jpg","keywords":["coronavirus","indian ngos"],"articleSection":["COVID-19","Instagram","Urban"],"inLanguage":"kn-IN","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/","url":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/","name":"Engaging communities is critical to the COVID-19 response | IDR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Feature-image_Photo-courtesy-SNEHA.jpg","datePublished":"2020-08-07T11:30:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-10T02:41:08+00:00","description":"Lessons from community engagement to tackle the disproportionate spread of coronavirus in India\u2019s urban slums.","inLanguage":"kn-IN","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"kn-IN","@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/engaging-communities-is-critical-to-the-covid-19-response\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Feature-image_Photo-courtesy-SNEHA.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Feature-image_Photo-courtesy-SNEHA.jpg","width":1032,"height":774,"caption":"Nonprofits mentioned that partnering with communities has enabled more effective relief, response, and recovery."},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/","name":"India Development Review","description":"India&#039;s first and largest online journal for leaders in the development community","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"kn-IN"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/#organization","name":"India Development Review","url":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"kn-IN","@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/idr-logo-without-tagline-sm.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/idr-logo-without-tagline-sm.webp","width":1,"height":1,"caption":"India Development Review"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9ccd8ace9f05f5fc9085ec2e5bfae451","name":"Devanshi Vaid","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"kn-IN","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2ff7c808d3539c16c67949df0296e034b2baeb599fa173f683398d23fe4e3690?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2ff7c808d3539c16c67949df0296e034b2baeb599fa173f683398d23fe4e3690?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2ff7c808d3539c16c67949df0296e034b2baeb599fa173f683398d23fe4e3690?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Devanshi Vaid"},"url":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/author\/dvaid\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1937"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17803,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1937\/revisions\/17803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1937"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=1937"},{"taxonomy":"meta-filter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/meta-filter?post=1937"},{"taxonomy":"schema-filter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/schema-filter?post=1937"},{"taxonomy":"no-display","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/no-display?post=1937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}