Bringing Vaccines and Hope to Her Community

Bringing Vaccines and Hope to Her Community

By the time the sun rises over Mfenesini village in Zanzibar, Rukyya Faki has already begun her rounds. To many, she is more than a Community Health Worker (CHW) she is a familiar face, a neighbor, and a guardian of health. With a bag tucked and a calm confidence in her voice, she moves from house to house ensuring that no child, mother, or student is left behind in the journey toward full immunisation.

Rukyya’s work is simple, yet deeply transformative. When she began her journey as a Community Health Worker in 2022, she never imagined how profoundly the experience would shape her. Each home she visits, each mother she listens to, and each child she guides reminds her why she chose this path.

“My role is to mobilize my community and work closely with health providers,” she says. “We go door to door, we run mobile outreaches, and we make sure everyone from newborn babies to pregnant mothers gets vaccinated.”

Why CHWs Like Rukyya Are Trusted

In Zanzibar’s close knit villages, CHWs are chosen from within the community. People know them by name, they see them at the market, and they share the same concerns and hopes.

This is why parents trust Rukyyaa. She speaks their language. She understands their fears. And she listens.

When a mother hesitates about a vaccine, Rukyyaa doesn’t lecture she explains. She shares stories of children who grew healthier because of timely vaccination. She breaks down rumors with facts and compassion.

“Some people were afraid of vaccines,” she recalls. “But after many home visits and discussions, they now know immunisation is safe. It prevents diseases like polio and measles. Our children are healthier.”

Bringing Health Services to the Doorstep

In many households, challenges such as long distances, transport costs, or busy schedules used to prevent families from visiting health facilities.
Rukyyaa helps remove these barriers.

She and her team bring services directly to the people immunisation in the comfort of their own homes. No long queues. No transport costs. No missed doses.

“It brings me joy when mothers proudly bring their children for vaccines or when students complete their adolescent immunisations,” she says with a smile. “We have built a community that values protection.”

A Growing Wave of Vaccine Confidence

Thanks to the combined efforts of Amref Tanzania and Africa CDC and other partners in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Zanzibar, Community Health Workers (CHWs), and health care workers under the Mastercard Foundation’s Saving Lives and Livelihoods (SLL) Project, immunisation uptake in Mfenesini is rising. Mothers remind each other of clinic days. Fathers are asking more questions. Teenagers are showing up for their HPV doses, and pregnant women are confidently completing their Tetanus (TT) dose schedules.Rukyyaa has watched this transformation unfold.

“People are excited to get vaccinated now,” she says proudly. “They know vaccines protect the whole family.”

A Community Health Worker, A Community Hero

CHWs like Rukyya are the bridge between health systems and hard-to-reach households. They educate, mobilize, and guide families with empathy and patience. Their role is not only delivering information but delivering hope, trust, and access.

Through Rukyya’s commitment, Mfenesini village is healthier, safer, and more resilient.