How far would you go for a vaccine?

 
 

Members and government health officials use boats to reach villages deep in the rainforest

by Ryan Hyland

Members of the Rotary Club of Demerara, Guyana, are using their decades of experience in fighting disease while delivering COVID-19 vaccines and aid to a remote region of the South American country. The Indigenous communities there would not otherwise have access to the vaccine and would remain vulnerable to the virus.

The club’s members have conducted crucial medical expeditions that penetrate the densely forested interior of Guyana for nearly 30 years. In doing so, they’ve developed detailed knowledge of the area and the particular needs of the villages in it. The treks have earned the Demerara club a nickname among nearby Rotary clubs: “the bush club.”

When COVID-19 vaccines became available early this year, the club quickly took action, relying on members’ familiarity with the region to plan logistics and coordinate delivery efforts. Focusing on the primarily Indigenous villages of Muritaro and Malali, the club collaborated with the local Ministry of Health and the Civil Defence Commission to immunize villagers. The vaccination teams — made up of club members, doctors, and local nurses — reached the villages by boat, tracing an 8 km (5-mile) stretch of the Demerara River.

Bhageshwar Murli, 2020-21 president of the Demerara club, says that supporting the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to underserved communities was a natural fit for the club.

“Our club was highly motivated and excited to be involved in the particular effort, since it coincided with what we frequently do as a club,” Murli says.

Members of the Rotary Club of Demerara, Guyana, and government health officials use boats to vaccinate villagers deep in the country’s rainforests.

Photo by Indira Mattai

Because of pandemic travel restrictions, villagers couldn’t go to nearby towns to buy food, clothing, medicine, and other basic necessities. So the club collected and distributed these items as part of the initiative.