We are scared of the coronavirus. But we can’t stop working because we work for humanity On a normal day, Manju Verma (on the left in the picture above) would go around the village, counselling married couples and pregnant women, and bringing food, medicines and smiles to the children.
But these are not normal times, and the 39-year-old is now a soldier in the war against the coronavirus pandemic, as the government races to prevent an outbreak in the hinterland.
Fondly called Asha didi, Verma is one of India’s hundreds of thousands of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). She knows almost every household in Naraini block in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district.