Vaccine Maitri

Vaccine Maitri was an initiative by India during the COVID-19 pandemic to share vaccines with other countries as a gesture of friendship and help.

• Meaning of the name: “Vaccine” + “Maitri” (friendship) — it highlights cooperation between countries during a health emergency.
• What India did: India supplied COVID-19 vaccine doses to many countries, especially where vaccines were scarce, to support their vaccination drives.
• Why it mattered: Infectious diseases can spread across borders, so helping other countries get vaccinated also supports global health and reduces the chance of new outbreaks.
• How it was possible: India has a strong vaccine-manufacturing capacity, with companies that can produce vaccines in very large numbers.
• Real-life connection: It’s like a community sharing resources during a crisis—if one neighbourhood is safe, the whole city becomes safer.

Vaccine Maitri showed that vaccines are not only a tool for personal protection, but also a way countries can work together to protect people worldwide.