The distinctive roles of women and youth, as well as the various entities which support them, deserve particular attention. Religious actors play especially significant yet often poorly understood roles in responding to the pandemic emergencies. The European Union funded AHA! Project has directly supported 50 small grants in South Asia to groups that aim to address these facets of the COVID-19 crisis.

The case review series draws primarily on this experience, with the goal both to provide narratives to help in understanding diverse situations and to explore the experience, under several programs supported by AHA! Project grants. The current review highlights an integrative approach to raise positive awareness among vulnerable rural women, religious leaders, and youth in Bangladesh through the AHA! grantee Sanjida Haq’s project, called “Shanti Moshal” (trans. Peace Torch). Its goal is to highlight how youth leaders like Sanjida can make meaningful contributions to Bangladesh’s overall efforts to contain the virus by engaging participants from vulnerable groups, utilizing a blended approach of online and offline communication strategies