13 Jan 

Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement held an online training programme for Community COVID Volunteers (CCVs) to be involved in the community-based COVID-19 Prevention and Control activities in Mandalay Region yesterday morning through videoconferencing in Nay Pyi Taw.

Union Minister Dr Win Myat Aye, in his capacity as the Secretary of the National Volunteer Leading Body, said Myanmar is still facing the second wave of COVID-19 and is focusing on preventing the spread of the disease and it still needs to put into practice although the public is familiar with the COVID-19 method of transmission and prevention.

He added the need to widely cooperate with the people including charitable organizations and civil society organizations such as youth committee members in the village/ward, women committee members and the members of the Red Cross in raising awareness in villages and wards. The training programme aims to accelerate the COVID-19 control activities with the participation of the people in each community/village. The role of the Community COVID Volunteer-CVV plays an important role in not only preventing the spread of the disease by the effective awareness-raising activities but also in the cooperation with the responsibilities assigned by the Ministry of Health and Sports when COVID-19 vaccine is available.

He said the volunteer programme also aims the village or community volunteers will able to cooperate in the development activities in the post-COVID-19 period, and he urged them to connect and cooperate with health departments, village or ward administration offices and civil society organization in their regions in implementing the project at the end of the training.

A total of 139 village/community volunteers from Mandalay Region participated in the first batch of the Community COVID Volunteer-CCV online training programme. The second batch will be held on 14 January 2021 in Yangon Region.

Afterwards, Professor Dr Mya Thida, Vice-Chair of Myanmar Medical Association explained the training programme and the experts from the Ministry of Health and Sports and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement gave lectures respectively and discussed interactively with the volunteers.

MNA (Translated by Ei Phyu Phyu Aung)