Shahjahan (SHAH-zjah-hahn) is only a teenager, but that doesn’t stop her from holding a crucial role in her village in northern India.

Shahjahan is accompanied by her friend and co-worker Zeemat (zee-MOT). They’re visiting a mother who just gave birth to a baby boy.

Shahjahan’s work is much more than it seems. She’s not just pouring two glasses of water; she’s saving a life.

She pours a few more ounces into both cups, representing the first of three immunizations in a local vaccination plan. The plan immunizes against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, and influenza.

Shahjahan and other women like her are Community Mobilization Coordinators, known as CMCs. They work with the government of India and with humanitarian agencies like the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, or ADRA. Their goal is to keep women and children protected against diseases common during pregnancy and infancy. CMCs use posters, demonstrations, one-on-one conversations, and women-only group meetings to ensure that all mothers have free and easy access to lifesaving information and medical care.

The water glass demonstration, for example, conveys the importance of vaccines to mothers who are skeptical, often because they’re afraid of the fever that commonly accompanies vaccination. Such demonstrations are almost always successful at convincing the mothers.

This grassroots approach to national health is the main reason India was declared polio free in 2014.

It was our CMCs continuous effort. They mobilized the community, particularly by talking to the mothers and telling them about the importance of polio immunization. Also, we involved the whole community, working closely with the local influencers.

In a country of more than one billion people, fighting a contagious disease takes education, dedicated health workers, and concerned citizens, like Shahjahan and the men and women of ADRA.

Your support of ADRA helps women and children around the world live healthier, happier lives.

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