Jitendra Awale, Secretariat Director

Secretariat Host Organization/Project Concern International (PCI)

Programmatic Focus

The project maintains population immunity against polio and promotes high routine immunization coverage through social mobilization (SMNet) for polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases like measles. In FY20, CGPP India, as part of its transition plan, began phasing out community mobilizers to place greater focus on training government-paid community health workers (ASHAs) and supervisors. The project incorporated COVID-19 activities at no cost through the polio platform to protect communities by forming 500 Community Action Groups to ensure community engagement for risk reduction on stigma and adoption of healthy behaviors. Due to the impact of COVID and the emergence of cVDPVs in neighboring Pakistan, parts of the India transition plan may be delayed in FY21.

Implementation Focal Sites

CGPP operates in 12 districts (56 blocks) in Uttar Pradesh (UP) state and one district (two blocks) in Haryana state.

Implementing Partners

Adventist Development and Relief Association (ADRA), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Project Concern International (PCI) and seven local NGOs: ADRA India, Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG), Meerut Seva Samaj (MSS), Sarathi Development Foundation (SDF), People’s Action for National Integration (PANI) Jan Kalyan Samiti (JKS) and Society for All Round Development (SARD).

Overview

Not too long ago, India had been one of the stubbornest places worldwide to eradicate polio. In 2009, India reported 741 polio cases – more than any other country in the world. By 2010, India slashed its reported cases to 42, just a small proportion of the 1,352 global cases. In a truly remarkable accomplishment, India completed 2012 without a single case of wild poliovirus. The country was certified polio-free in March 2014.

Sustaining community participation for polio vaccination after achieving polio-free status is an immense challenge. Today, CGPP India supports large-scale vaccination campaigns, ensures robust disease surveillance systems, and readies with response plans for potential outbreaks. A highly committed field staff continues to maintain high levels of OPV coverage during SIAs and routine immunization.

Formed in 1999, CGPP India vigilantly addresses pockets of low immunization coverage and gaps in surveillance by reaching significant populations of migrants and underserved communities with effective communication interventions for polio campaigns and routine immunization sessions.  Through two SIAs in FY20, CGPP reached 355,991 children with vaccinations.

Through the CORE Social Mobilization Network (SMNet), CGPP India reaches chronically neglected and underserved populations. With its extensive reach, the SMNet provides support through social mobilization activities in a total of 13 high-risk districts. In FY 2020, 757 community volunteers reached 1.2 million people with social mobilization messages, health education, and direct support. The highly respected network of motivated and dedicated mobilizers taps into years of knowledge, resources and skills to establish trusted relationships with families. The SMNet is a blueprint for connecting with people, their cultures, and their communities to improve health maternal and child health outcomes in complicated settings.

REPORTS AND RESOURCES

17th Vaccine Conference

CGPP India News Serial October-November 2020

Even the Smallest Question Should be Answered,  2020

CGPP India News Serial August – September 2020

CGPP India News Serial May-June 2020

Training Package on Coronavirus for Field Staff

Influencing Change: Documentation of CORE Group’s Engagement in India’s Polio Eradication Programme, 2019

In honor of World Immunization Week 2017, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, featured a CGPP interview with a mother from Asmoli village in Utter Pradesh explaining why she is immunizing her baby. See the post on vaccineswork.org, and watch the full interview here.

Social Mobilization: Lessons from the CORE Group Polio Project in Angola, Ethiopia, and India

Meet the community workers who convinced Muzaffarnagar’s Muslims to trust the polio vaccine, 2017

Polio Gallery, Moradabad, India, 2014

Thank you letter to CGPP-India from the Commissioner or Moradabad, one of India’s highest-risk districts, 2014

Lost & Found: The Magic of CORE’s Congratulatory Card, 2013

CGPP India Factsheet

India CGPP India Baseline Survey report, 2008

TECHNICAL ARTICLES 

Choudhary M.; Solomon R.; Awale J.; Dey R; Singh J.P. Weiss; William. Significance of a social mobilization intervention for engaging communities in polio vaccination campaigns: Evidence from CORE Group Polio Project, Uttar Pradesh, India.  J Glob Health 2021,11:07011.

Solomon R. The Untold Story of Community Mobilizers Re-engaging a Disengaged Community During the Endemic Era of India’s Polio Eradication Program. Global Health: Science and Practice. 9(1), 2021. pp S6-S8.

Sacks, E.; Schleiff, M., Were, M.; Chowdhury, A.M.; Perry H.B.; (2020)  Communities, universal health coverage and primary health care. Bulletin World Health Organization, 98:773–780

Solomon, R. (2019). Involvement of Civil Society in India’s Polio Eradication Program: Lessons Learned. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 101(Suppl 4), 2019, pp. 15–20.

Awale, J.; Choudhary, M.; Solomon, R.; Chaturvedi, A. (2019). Effective partnership mechanisms: A legacy of the Polio eradication initiative in India and their potential for addressing other public health priorities. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 101(Suppl 4), 2019, pp. 21–32.

Choudhary, M.; Perry, H.B.; Solomon, R. (2019) Effectiveness of a census-based management information system for guiding polio
eradication and routine immunization activities: evidence from the CORE Group Polio Project
in Uttar Pradesh. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 101(Suppl 4), 2019, pp. 33–44.

Estívariz, C. F., Jafari, H., Sutter, R. W., John, T. J., Jain, V., Agarwal, A., Verma, H., Pallansch, M. A., Singh, A. P., Guirguis, S., Awale, J., Burton, A., Bahl, S., Chatterjee, A., Aylward, R. B. (2012). Immunogenicity of supplemental doses of poliovirus vaccine for children aged 6-9 months in Moradabad, India: a community-based, randomized controlled trial. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 12(2), 128-135.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Tackling Gender Imbalance in COVID Vaccination, APHA 2022

Investment in polio eradication redeemed dividend in COVID-19 pandemic response, APHA 2022

Community Action Groups (CAGs) – An Instrument of Community Engagement for Risk Communication, CGPP India

Addressing inequity by reaching marginalised groups to improve immunization coverage – Lessons from India Polio Eradication Program for health system strengthening and universal coverage, Power Point Presentation, APHA 2018

Shifting Norms to Conquer Polio: Male Engagement Strategies for Vaccine Defaulters in India and Nigeria, SBCC 2018

More Than a Shave at a Time: A Pilot Initiative to Improve Male Participation in Routine Immunization through Local Barbers in Uttar Pradesh, India

Placing Effective Communication Activities in Reaching People on the Move in Uttar Pradesh, India

Credibility of Community Mobilisers as Messenger in Community-Based Vaccine Trials

Social Norms Affecting Intake of Oral Polio Vaccine Birth Dose in Uttar Pradesh, India: An Exploratory Study Conducted in the Catchment Districts of CGPP India

Videos from India CGPP may be found here