Despite overwhelming evidence to support the benefits of vaccinations in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, a sizeable number of the global population do not believe in vaccines. This is made worse by misinformation around vaccines.
The Aga Khan University's Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) has received a grant from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW) to train professionals across the region on health and risk communication.
The workshops will target civil society organizations, governments, community-based organizations, journalists and media professionals. It will enable them to effectively communicate on Covid-19 and debunk misinformation related to low uptake of vaccines.
“Vaccine hesitancy in East Africa has been exacerbated by an information onslaught which has led to misinformation, making it difficult for individuals to discern credible information and make decisions on whether to get vaccinated or not," said Prof. Nancy Booker, Interim Dean, GSMC. “This two-year grant gives us an opportunity to not only debunk some of the misconceptions around vaccinations but to also play our part in ensuring that key players in the health information and communication ecosystem are prepared to competently communicate risk."
A further component of the training will be targeted at development partners such as the East African Community secretariat to enable them leverage the various forms of media.
The eight million Euro grant will also enable Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi and the Aga Khan Hospitals in Kisumu, Mombasa and Dar es Salaam to increase access to COVID-19 vaccinations through mobile vaccination drives and donations of relevant vaccine infrastructure to the public health system.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have partnered with the Governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in various ways and this grant will ensure that we can increase our support to the people of East Africa," said Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin, President and Vice Chancellor, Aga Khan University.
“This partnership speaks to our values of impact, and access and we are therefore extremely grateful to the German government for working with us to live these values as we serve humanity."