When I found out that the Punjabi community was considered a high risk population for Covid-19 due to the growing number of cases, I knew I had to do something about it. My mind flashed to my grandma and grandpa and many of the elders in our community who could be seriously affected, and how the dissemination of health information and supplies were not culturally tailored to our community. I realized that masks and health orders needed to be spread through social ties and places of congregation. So I mobilized a team of community elders to sew and distribute masks using social distancing through their networks and through the temples. They worked tirelessly to create masks that worked with people with and without turbans, were educated on safety plans, and became part of the education regarding Covid 19 by relaying linguistically reflective information they received. Having elders be a part of the team was vital to reach the most amount of people, as they had the longest lasting ties to the community and were highly respected. I supplied the materials, fabric and the designs for the masks and set up drop off points at the temple, however it was their work that changed the most minds and had the biggest impact. Through their work creating the PPE material we were able to create 400 masks, reach out to 400 plus people and give them translated health orders and safety guidelines. But by having such an amazing team of people working on the project the impact is ever increasing, with elders continuing to sew masks in their spare time and being an active participator in following Covid-19 guidelines.
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