Gavi, Rwandan Govt, Girl Effect Launch Partnership for Sustained Immunisation
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Government of Rwanda and Girl Effect have launched a 13-month partnership that will use innovative behavioural change communications to address gender related barriers to vaccine uptake.
According the trio, the partnership will create widespread and sustained demand for immunisation and other health services among girls and women in Rwanda. Gavi – an international public-private partnership focused on increasing access to immunisation in the world’s poorest countries – and Girl Effect – an international non-profit using digital media to inspire and equip girls to make positive choices – have partnered to collaborate with the Government of Rwanda to sustain and improve immunisation coverage in the country. “For the last three years, we have partnered Girl Effect to increase awareness about the benefits of HPV vaccination, enhance agency of young girls, empower communities to take the right decisions to promote good health and generate evidence on attitudes to immunisation,” said Anuradha Gupta, Deputy CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
“This new phase of our partnership will build on these initiatives, bring more intensive focus on gendered barriers to immunisation and ensure that no child is deprived of life-saving vaccines.”
In collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, Gavi and Girl Effect will conduct research to understand persistent gender barriers to accessing health services and vaccination uptake while developing tailored communication strategies to overcome them. This partnership will leverage Ni Nyampinga, Rwanda’s first multi-platform youth brand launched by Girl Effect in 2011 which now translates to mass engagement amongst girls, parents and communities across Rwanda. “Girl Effect is thrilled to embark on this innovative work to drive demand for vaccine uptake with Gavi and the Government of Rwanda, taking the success of our current partnership one step further,” said Jessica Posner Odede,
CEO of Girl Effect. “We will build on our experience to use behaviour change communications approaches to define a model for reducing gender barriers to immunisation that can ultimately be scaled up to change the lives of adolescent girls and young women in Rwanda and beyond.”
“Investing in youth is to invest in the future of our nation. Vaccination is one of the most effective interventions and with the support of immunisation partners Rwanda has achieved a lot in terms of vaccination coverage. The Ministry of Health will continue to work with partners to ensure the sustainability of our immunisation programmes,” said Dr Patrick Ndimubanzi, Minister of State and Primary Health Care in Rwanda. The results of the vaccination programmes in Rwanda have been promising. In 2018 alone, 350,000 children were each vaccinated with the basic vaccine protecting against diphteria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) and therefore protected from life limiting and threatening diseases.