Where We Work | Program
Bate Papo Vacina! (Let’s Talk About Vaccines!)
This study seeks to amplify the voices of caregivers and health workers and uncover new insights by using principles of community-based participatory research and human-centered design.
Health Workers Celebrate Community Involvement in Mozambique Immunization Initiative
Fernanda Mussa, a health professional in Namorroi, Zambézia, was frustrated by the lack of community involvement in how immunization services were provided, feeling like more could be done to reach caregivers with live-saving vaccines. But now, that has changed. The Bate-Papo Vacina! (Let’s Talk...
Co-Creating with Under-Reached Communities to Improve Routine Immunization Outcomes in Mozambique
What would it look like if communities were involved in designing and implementing the health care solutions they need to thrive? Bate-Papo Vacina! (Let’s Talk About Vaccines) aims to find out. We know that developing top-down solutions is not enough. When communities are involved...
Ingredients for success: Partnering with communities to build immunization solutions in Mozambique
Nearly three years into the coronavirus pandemic, our global push for routine immunizations has been sluggish; 25 million children under 1 year did not complete all of their recommended vaccines in 2021 – the highest number since 2009. As we’ve redirected our resources to...
Caregivers in Mozambique share the barriers they face in vaccinating their children
Originally posted on Gavi.org. What prevents parents from vaccinating their kids? A new VillageReach study in Mozambique looks at the myriad hurdles caregivers must overcome to protect their children. Caregivers in Mozambique want their children to be fully vaccinated, but often physical and social...Background
In Mozambique, 20% of children who start routine immunizations do not complete them. VillageReach’s research study, Bate-Papo Vacina! (Let’s talk about vaccines!), prioritizes caregiver and health worker voices to help explore the drivers and solutions for vaccine dropouts in children under the age of two. We are conducting the research in Mozambique and Malawi. in three phases, (1) identify drivers of routine immunization dropout and potential community-based solutions; (2) implement one community-based solution; and (3) evaluate the human-centered design/community-based participatory approach and the impact of the implemented solution.
How It Works
Mozambique is currently in the solution implementation phase. We will pilot the solution for one year; it has three main components: (1) immunization education using pictorial cards that health workers share with caregivers; (2) Mobile brigade prioritization to provide immunization access to hard-to-reach communities; and (3) collaborative immunization planning initiatives that strengthen community and government cooperation to increase immunization access.
Resources
Driving a people-centered approach to expand immunization coverage in Zambézia, Mozambique
Bate-Papo Vacina!
Let’s Talk About Vaccines Study Overview
Determinants of immunisation dropout among children under the age of 2 in Zambézia province, Mozambique
Program Impact
Phase 1 Findings:
Bate-Papo Vacina is a qualitative study to examine drivers of and potential solutions to immunization dropout among children below two years.
Preliminary findings suggest there are four factors in vaccine dropouts: (1) social dynamics between patients and health workers at the health facility prevent mothers from advocating for immunizations; (2) reduced trust in health system due to barriers encountered trying to access services; (3) mothers lack of social support; and (4) concerns around side-effects of vaccines, particularly if the child has started to fall out of schedule.
Partners
Technical Partners
- Stanford Digital Medic
- University of Western Cape
- University of Cape Town
Donors
- Wellcome Trust
Related Global Impact
See the latest updates from our work to improve access to quality healthcare in the world’s most underserved communities.