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.
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.
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
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