Table 3 A summary of factors which led to the disruption of BFCI activities

Fear of contracting COVID-19

“We have been called here to bring children, there is fear because I don’t know if the one I am going to meet is sick or not then if they call for a meeting here it is a problem because someone has that fear, you see maybe I am going to take my child there and get Corona. So, people have fear, we have had a lot of fear, where people are crowded when you hear they are calling for a meeting you get scared, should I go with the child and if the child gets Corona, what will I do”IDI mother, BFCI implementing urban site

“In fact, in March there was little work being done by CHVs, because, of that fear, people did not want visitors in their compound”KII Community health strategy representative, BFCI implementing rural site

Movement Restrictions

“… In fact, some (mothers) disappear, they just come once and they disappear completely. So, tracing them, like I told you, you call and find that the number is not in service, or you are told it’s a wrong number. So, some go…maybe they come after a month or two months and when you ask them, they will tell you they went back to their rural homes. And that time of lockdown, some of them were locked. So, when they came, their children had deteriorated.”KII with a nutritionist, BFCI non-implementing urban site

"“… the moment COVID came, people went to different places, some returned to their rural homes when they lost money immediately movement restrictions were opened, many people went back to the village. Right now, we are trying to regroup and see if they may be found and we are trying to recruit new membership.”IDI with a lactating mother, BFCI implementing urban site.

Lack of PPEs

“Things are tough because me as a CHV I cannot visit that house since we were not supplied with personal protective equipment’s, so it became a challenge”FGD, community health volunteers, BFCI non-implementing rural site

“Home visits were also affected because we wouldn’t give the CHVs protective gears, maybe if they were given by some organization then it would work but most of them were not provided with protective gears.”KII with a non-governmental organization representative