Who was the client?      USAID SBCA ● July – August 2022

What was the issue?  

After the lockdowns to prevent the spread of the coronavirus were lifted in January 2022, the perception of COVID-19 no longer being a serious threat became an impediment to vaccine uptake in Uganda.

Since the country had already gone through two phases of COVID-19 vaccination, there had been enough time for the spread of myths, misconceptions, and conspiracy theories about the vaccines, especially on social media, talk radio, and in some religious congregations. There was therefore a need to revamp the ongoing COVID-19 SBC efforts to address existing barriers, build audience trust, and motivate priority audiences to get vaccinated.

In July and August 2022, the USAID Social Behaviour Change Activity (SBCA) worked with S4P Group to roll out the third phase of the Accelerated Mass Vaccination Campaign (AMCV3).

What did S4P Group do?         

Because a one-size model would not work across the selected districts, the S4P Group team worked with local leaders to create responses according to the dynamics of their communities. The leaders identified specific challenges and suggested potential solutions, which the SBC team incorporated into a mobilization strategy.

The strategy was also informed by the meetings that S4P Group held with community gatekeepers and people with influence in their areas. These included cultural leaders, leaders from all religious sects, factory owners, business owners, political leaders, NGO and CSO leaders.

Music, dance, and drama troupes were oriented on the AMVC3. Their performances were customized to the culture, language, and entertainment preferences of the different areas; urban, peri-urban, and rural. The troupes played a key role in gathering masses of people by causing excitement. This created a captive audience for the area persons of influence to address the myths and announce vaccination sites and dates.

How did the S4P Group approach provide value?     

Building on our work in the first phases, we employed a multi-faceted approach in the mobilization of AMCV3.

Working with district Health Assistants (HAs) S4P Group conducted orientation for Local Council Chairpersons (LCs) and Village Health Teams (VHTs). To address the myths about the vaccine, they were given talking points for demystifying common myths and misconceptions.

These talking points were also given to the different participants in the mobilization campaign, including local influential people, music, dance and drama troupes, and all those spreading the word through a variety of media.

During the mobilization exercise, evaluations were made of what was working and what needed to be changed.

What is the impact?   

Because a one-size model would not work across the selected districts, the S4P Group team worked with local leaders to create responses according to the dynamics of their communities. The leaders identified specific challenges and suggested potential solutions, which the SBC team incorporated into a mobilization strategy.

The strategy was also informed by the meetings that S4P Group held with community gatekeepers and people with influence in their areas. These included cultural leaders, leaders from all religious sects, factory owners, business owners, political leaders, NGO and CSO leaders.

Music, dance, and drama troupes were oriented on the AMVC3. Their performances were customised to the culture, language and entertainment preferences of the different areas; urban, peri-urban, and rural. The troupes played a key role in gathering masses of people by causing excitement. This created a captive audience for the area persons of influence to address the myths and announce vaccination sites and dates.