The National Public Radio or NPR, an American news company, recently featured Bataan 1st District Representative Geraldine B. Roman as one of the 7 Covid-19 Pandemic Changemakers from all over the world.
Written by Aurora Almendral with photos from Hannah Reyes Morales, the story focused on Congresswoman Roman’s “Oh My Gulay” gardening program and how the 2nd-termer lawmaker helped her constituents cope with hunger and uncertainty that have come in the wake of the pandemic.
“Ang Oh My Gulay (OMG) ay isang programa na naglalayong bigyang kabuhayan ang mga kababaihan ng Bataan at siguruhin na walang magugutom ngayong panahon ng pandemya,” Roman said. (“Oh my Gulay {vegetables} is a program that aims to give alternative livelihood to the women of Bataan and make sure that no one will go hungry during this time of the pandemic.)
The NPR feature story tackled hardships during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and how these seven women have found time to play a vital role in helping others cope with it.
From September to October of this year covering a span of three weeks, NPR photographed and interviewed these women around the world on how they survived challenges and fears, how they overcome it and still managed to help others as well.
The 7 women profiled by NPR, aside from Rep. Roman were: Iceland’s director of health Dr. Alma D. Möller. She used to be lowered on a wire out of rescue helicopters. Now she runs her country’s COVID response and they’re doing well; Rap music mogul (and single mom) Deng Ge, in Wuhan, China. She formed the “Angel Squad” — women volunteers who got donations to local hospitals.
Community health worker Ranjana Dwivedi, who lives in an Indian village. Even falling into a river won’t keep her from her door-to-door info sessions; teacher Angel Marie Miles in suburban Maryland.
She worries about students in Washington, D.C., learning at home — some are crammed into closets to block out noise — and shares daily affirmations like “I am enough; Nigerian activist Osas Egbon in Palermo, Italy.
The pandemic has brought more urgency to her volunteer work helping women who’ve been sex trafficked; and Mexican artist Eva Vale. She’s set up “bartender hours” on her Instagram — time for interested folks to talk about whatever they’d like.