IUHPE is pleased to announce the launch of its project on “COVID-19 Response for the African Region,” with the support of Vital Strategies.

IUHPE will be working with our members in the African region in developing a range of risk communication and community engagement strategies, based on health promotion principles, that will empower local communities in stopping the spread of the virus, while protecting people’s basic needs and promoting their physical and mental health.

  

 

This project will include four participating countries: Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The Country Leads are: Dr. Mary Amuyunzu-Nyamongo (African Institute for Health and Development, Kenya), Professor Hans Onya (University of Limpopo, South Africa), Professor Davison Munodawafa (Midlands State University, Zimbabwe) and Professor Oliver Mweemba (School of Public Health, University of Zambia, Zambia).

All are well-established and experienced health promotion experts who have strong links with IUHPE and have committed to this project and mobilized existing partners (institutions, NGOs, individual experts) and networks within their countries.

This project has 4 objectives:

Objective 1: To engage local communities and key stakeholders in the COVID-19 response and empower them to reduce its spread.

Objective 2: To enable local communities to protect themselves, their families and communities by taking ffective behavioural action to stop the spread of the virus in their community.

Objective 3: To ensure that community level implementation is informed by best available knowledge, research and resources on effective risk communication and community engagement.

Objective 4: To create community coalitions to coordinate local responses adapted to the needs of local communities.

Central to this initiative is implementing effective risk communication and community engagement measures based on the following core actions:

  • Training for community health workers in risk communication with supportive resources for tailoring materials and key messages for local communities
  • Community coalition groups trained and formed (community mobilisation)
  • Training for community leaders, religious leaders, traditional healers and other group leaders, including Psychological First Aid and community dialogues
  • Collaboration of coordination groups, including service and support mapping.

South Africa and Kenya are ready to roll out activities and have mobilized existing partners (institutions, NGOs, individual experts) and networks within their countries. The other two countries (Zimbabwe and Zambia) will pilot activities in key areas as of August 2020.

In relation to South Africa, the project will initially concentrate in three out of five districts in Limpopo Province that have reported cases of COVID-19. This Province has a population of about 5.9 million people, predominantly ‘Black’ (97.1%) by ethnic classification. The disproportionate provision during apartheid of services to different “racial groups” led to inequalities in the health care system. This unfortunate situation continues to linger even at the present-day South Africa.

In Kenya, activities will be based in the Nairobi Metropolitan area which is the hardest hit by Covd-19 to date. This metropolitan area has a large population (about 10 million), of people living in informal settlements currently estimated at 3 million, who are considered to be the most at risk and in need. Efforts in the context of this project will fill a gap in the existing response, at the community level.

In Zimbabwe the project will initially focus on two Provinces, namely Matebeland North and Matebeland South.  These Provinces has both urban and rural populations and the following risk factors are present: districts with a major city or tourist attraction; districts with a Point of Entry or Border with another country from where screening of travellers is conducted; districts reporting cases of COVID-19 to date.

In Zambia, the selection and recruitment of local community networks will go forward as advised by the Ministry of Health, who has network of partners at the community level, and in conjunction with the Centre for Infectious Disease Research of the country. Efforts will complement existing measures while leaving room for innovation.

This project is part of the wider efforts of IUHPE and Vital Strategies in providing a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences at the global and local levels. Both organisations focus on engaging communities in tackling this crisis and reducing health inequities.

We invite you to read the messages on COVID-19 from IUHPE President Margaret M. Barry and Regional Vice-Presidents and to learn more about Vital Strategies and its support of the COVID-19 response.

June 2020

Phase 1 Interim Report

Phase 1 Final Report

Phase 2 Project Launch

Phase 2 Final Report

Additional Project Resources

 

The interim report for COVID-19 response for African region has been published!

From the executive summary:

“This project addresses the critical role of effective and culturally appropriate risk communication, based on health literacy principles, community empowerment and capacity building in ensuring effective health protective and promoting behaviors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic at a community level in selected African countries. The project goal is to increase the capacity of African health systems for the nonmedical prevention of the spread of SARS-Cov-2 at the origin of the actual COVID-19 pandemic.[…]

South Africa and Kenya are rolling out activities focused on engaging with disadvantaged communities, including black townships and informal settlements, and have mobilized existing partners (Ministries of Health, Metropolitan Services, District Health Authorities, community-based organisations, individual experts) and networks within their countries. The other two countries, Zimbabwe and Zambia, are undertaking pilot activities to strengthen the capacity of schools in addressing COVID-19 among the school population.”

 Learn more about has been accomplished so far:

Interim report | Project presentations

 

COVID-19 response for African region –  final report – Phase 1

IUHPE has been working with our members in the African region in developing a range of risk communication and community engagement strategies, based on health promotion principles, to empower local communities in stopping the spread of the virus, while protecting people’s basic needs and promoting their physical and mental health.

 

You may download the Phase 1 final reports (consolidated evaluation report and country reports):

Phase 1 final reports

  April 2021

 

Launch of Phase 2 and new partner from India

We are very pleased that additional funding from Vital Strategies has allowed all partners to pursue the project for a shorter Phase 2 (May to September 2021) and to welcome another valued partner, the Voluntary Health Association of India.

 

From our partner: 

"In Phase 2 of IUHPE programme on COVID-19 supported by Vital Strategies, India has been included as one of the priority settings due to high prevalence of COVID-19 and the presence of a strong local Health Promotion partner, the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI). VHAI is a federation of 24 State Voluntary Health Associations linking together more than 4500 health and development institutions across the country.

 

Leveraging VHAI’s strong network in the country and good relationship with the Government, the programme focuses on the following key priority areas:

  • Community Engagement & Empowerment to ensure effective risk communication that would enable people to protect themselves, their families and communities from COVID-19. This will be done through capacity strengthening of community groups and peer educator networks.
  • Strengthening capacity of the health systems to support community-based health promotion and prevention: This will involve active lobbying and advocacy with the government and training of government frontline health workers on COVID-19
  • Strengthening linkages and effective feedback mechanism ensuring two-way communication between local health authorities and communities
  • Developing a sustainable roadmap for effective management and prevention of COVID-19 as well as future outbreak

This collaborative venture will gain from VHAI’s five decades of experience in implementing similar community led programmes in most remote and difficult regions of India as well as  IUHPE global network & vast knowledge."

 June 2021

New resource available

In the article "A health promotion approach to emergency management: effective community engagement strategies from five cases," published in Health Promotion International, five case studies demonstrate the potential strengths that can be nurtured to build resilience in local communities to help mitigate the impact of disasters and emergencies.

Cases 4 and 5 are drawn from the IUHPE COVID-19 Response for African Region project, focusing on implemented actions in communities in Kenya and South Africa. 

 

In addition, the IUHPE Secretariat's Project Lead on NCD Prevention and Advocacy drafted a paper based on the experience of the COVID-19 Response project as grounds to further advocate for the relevance of health promotion actions and systems approaches during health emergencies.

 

December 2021

 

COVID-19 RESPONSE FOR AFRICAN and Indian REGION – FINAL REPORT – PHASE 2

In May 2021, Phase 2 of the COVID-19 Response project was launched and continued through October 2021. The projects in South Africa and Kenya continued or adapted their Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) interventions according to need in targeted regions, and our new Indian project partner carried out a range of interventions in one province. The school-focused pilot projects in Zimbabwe and Zambia wrapped up and activities shifted to dissemination efforts to share findings with a range of stakeholders.

 

For a complete overview of Phase 2 activities you may download the Phase 2 final report (consolidated evaluation report) and individual project reports:

 

Phase 2 final report

 

Individual Project Reports:

Zimbabwe and Zambia Project Reports

South Africa Project Report

Kenya Project Report

India Project Report

 

February 2022