Local group awarded $25,000 by Ottawa to boost vaccine uptake in Calgary’s South Asian community
The Indian Society of Calgary is taking it on itself to ensure all members of Alberta’s South Asian community are getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The local organization received $25,000 in funding from the federal government to spread the word about the importance of getting immunized against COVID-19.
The society says computer literacy is one of the challenges members face as many of their elders do not have social media or access to online information about the importance of vaccines or where to get them.
An even bigger challenge is language, especially for those who do not speak English. The society will be using all six major languages from South East Asia to guarantee maximum reach out to the diaspora in Calgary.
That’s why the society is using the federal funding to help reach people in all possible ways.
Twenty finalists were selected by the federal government through the Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge. The Calgary organization was the only grant recipient in Alberta.
The Indian Society of Calgary will undertake a 12-week project of creating a series of educational videos to be used as resources among community members as well as galvanizing community leaders and media personalities to help push the message of getting immunized.
The challenge encouraged groups and individuals to find innovative ways to promote vaccine confidence in different communities.
The Indian Society of Calgary has 14,000 members.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.