About Jharkhand
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.