Jharkhand is an Indian state situated in the north-eastern part of the country. Nearly two-fifths of the population of Jharkhand consists of Scheduled Tribes, as well as members of the Scheduled Castes. Considering Jharkhand is inhabited by various socio-cultural groups, the challenges in COVID-19 vaccination were very context-specific. These included the challenge of mobilization in hard-to-reach areas; myths around death and infertility due to COVID-19 vaccination. To address these challenges, the project team engaged community influencers, faith leaders, civil society organizations, and youth groups to mobilize communities; conducted special community engagement meetings with vulnerable population groups; and ensured intersectoral collaboration with the state government to accelerate community mobilization and vulnerable group identification.
The project activities were implemented in 20 districts through 5 sub-awardees: TCIF, HelpAge India, ISAP Foundation, SMRC, Plan India
To increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, the project supports the Government of India and the state Government in vaccination planning, inter-departmental coordination, need-based monitoring, enhanced community engagement, and prioritization of activities for COVID-19 vaccination programs at the state and district. The team led risk communication activities
Working with the State, the project launched Mobile Awareness Campaign Vans, Jagrukhta Rath, to increase vaccine awareness and vaccinate penetrate hard to reach communities like tribal populations.
The project involved local leaders and panchayat members to build trust in the community and spread awareness about the COVID-19 vaccine.
The project collaborated with government departments to effectively engage stakeholders and conduct advocacy for COVID-19 vaccines.
The project worked with the state to organize special vaccination camps for marginalized communities and set up a fixed COVID-19 vaccination site to reach community needs throughout the year.
The project team organized a Learning & experience-sharing meeting in Jharkhand with sub-awardees ISAP and PLAN on May 23, 2023. The sub-awardees presented their work and shared their learnings and field experiences. During the meeting, a success story booklet was released and several communication materials such as photo stories were displayed for the participants. The meeting saw the participation of key project stakeholders including senior government officials, the senior management from USAID/India and JSIPL, and sub-awardees. It helped motivate discussions around adapting learnings from COVID-19 vaccination for routine immunization strengthening.
2024 JSIPL Ltd
All Rights Reserved