Maheshwori – the team leader

I needed my phone fixed, and suddenly my contact person and two volunteers are at my gate to help - one of them is the First Aid team leader in our district, and has the main coordinating responsibility for the Red Cross activities these bandh days. I invite for tea and we talk about the last five days.

- As a First Aid team leader and a focal person in Lalitupur DC I have experiences from before, says Maheshwori. In 2006 we also provided first aid. Then I was leader for one group only, now I am leader for the whole district. She is an efficient woman; member of executive committee, coordinator of Women development committee and First Aid Team coordinator. She continues: - According to the situation the first day, we mobilized six teams, including the logistic team. As the days have gone by, we have been scaling down the teams, one day at the time. Today we had only one mobile team in the streets. The last days we felt that we have too many volunteers in the streets. We don’t go to the places people sleep, we stay in the streets.

What do you do in the streets?
- We bandage wounds, sprains and strains. The wounds are caused by all the walking. They have also cramps in their feet, and for that we give them cream and massage. Some have stomach problems, we advise them to drink lot of water and distribute ORS (anti dehydration powder for mixing with water), Maheshwori explains. The strike is a peace full strike. We don't need so many volunteers in the streets.

I ask her how it is to be a Red Cross volunteer these days. She and my two other visitors laugh, take another sip of the tea and sit up straight. - As Red Cross personnel, we feel very proud to be out in the streets. People know us and they have a lot of respect for Red Cross. Whenever they need us, we are there, and this they know.

So, what will the next day’s bring, you think?

- Tomorrow?! We will have to see the situation. Red Cross Action Team will be alert and first aid volunteers. They are informed and ready to join if needed within 15-20 min. We will always have one mobile team in the streets in Patan and the other five teams are on alert.

I want to say another thing, Maheshwori says, as the tea is finished, phone is fixed and the mosquitoes are getting more annoying: In 2006 we did not have a mobile team at our district. The volunteers had to walk for 5-6 hours every day and it was not always that they reached the places they were needed. Now we have a mobile team with a car and this is great progress. This means that we can reach the places we are needed in few minutes. We don’t have a Red Cross car, we are renting one. This also gives the volunteers a big relief, to know that they don't have to walk for a loooong time.