COVID-19 Task Force Chizami has named their quarantine center as 'COVID-19 Creativity Hub Chizami'.
The Convenor of the COVID-19 Task Force Chizami, Wetshete Thopi stated that during one of their trips to the centre an idea struck seeing the negativity that has engulfed everyone with the virus including stigmatization, discrimination and the unspoken fear of the returnees by the local folks. Months of lockdown and further quarantine at various facilities within the state must have taken a huge toll on their mental health and so to create something positive they decided to name the facility as ‘COVID-19 CREATIVITY HUB’ instead of ‘COVID-19 QUARINTINE CENTRE’.
As the name suggests, it is a place for creativity, positivity and productivity and not a place to be abhorred and looked with disdain. They wanted the returnees to stay positive and make the best use of their stay at the facility, using their creative talents and abilities to create and make positive stuffs so as to spread positivity in the midst of a global gloom that has surrounded us.
North East Network (NEN) therefore provided the necessary tools and kits to the returnees like diary/notebook, drawing book, poster, pencil, colors and brush so that they can make use of their time writing stories, poems, do the drawings and paintings, and crafts as they spent time at the centre. Their works will be collected and will be published by NEN at a later time.
Some of the returnees have successfully completed their stay and has created positive impacts in their own ways during their stay at the facility.
The Convenor appealed to all to continue to spread positivity, not negativity and rumours. During setting up the creative hub, Chizami followed the principles of ‘Care for the people’ and ‘care for the Earth’.
Huts were constructed with bamboo, no plastics or little plastic were used for bathroom. Segregation of biodegradable and non- biodegradable waste is being done. Each hut is connected with a rain water harvesting facility. All tiffin packing are non plastic. Packing of food is also done in tekruyenyi (organic green leaves) which is environmentally sound and healthy.
(AvikaAwomi, IA Pfutsero
