STRENGTHENING IMMUNIZATION IN SONGWE
Lotaris Norbat Gadau, who works at the Ministry of Health in the Immunization and Vaccine Development Program’s Communication and Training Unit, shares the impact of recent efforts to enhance vaccination coverage in Songwe region. “The ministry undertakes various initiatives to ensure all children receive vaccinations. One of these efforts involves training community health workers and healthcare providers at health facilities, particularly those administering vaccinations.”
“Recently, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Amref through UNICEF support conducted training for community health workers to enhance their ability to inform communities about vaccination issues and guide parents and guardians to bring their children to vaccination centers.”
“We identified significant challenges in Songwe Region, particularly in Ileje and Mbozi districts, where vaccination services were notably deficient. We organized specialized training sessions for community health workers.”
“One major issue we identified was poor communication between service providers and our clients at the community level. Providers in both the community and health facilities were not effectively communicating, so we saw the need to train them on effective communication skills.” “We conducted national-level training to prepare trainers who then trained community-level workers. Subsequently, we focused on Ileje and Mbozi districts to teach how to engage communities effectively and emphasize the importance of vaccinations.”
“Since the beginning of the training in early April 2024, we have seen substantial improvements. Many mothers have shown enthusiasm in ensuring their children complete their vaccination schedules after meeting with community health workers. Previously, service providers lacked the knowledge to effectively communicate the importance and benefits of vaccinations. Now, they have a better understanding of what they are communicating to communities about vaccinations, including protecting children from diseases like measles, diarrhea, tuberculosis, throat infections, pneumonia, cervical cancer and assessing the child’s general development.”
“We have observed a significant increase in vaccinations from April to May and now in July 2024. Many mothers have responded positively to the community health workers’ visits, stating that they appreciate being reminded to take their children to health centers.”
“Overall, these trainings have brought about positive changes within a short time. However, due to limited resources, each center can only deploy one worker, limiting our reach. We are appealing to the support of UNICEF through Amref Tanzania, to consider providing additional resources to expand our workforce. With more resources, we can train more workers and reach more children in other regions.”
This success story underscores the transformative impact of collaborative efforts and targeted training in improving vaccination rates and community health outcomes in Songwe region.
