Episode 2 of the Vaccine Confidence Live Series: Protecting Communities by Transforming Vaccine Hesitancy to Confidence
Hosted by CORE Group
After the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccines and subsequent rollout, there has been an infodemic of misinformation circulating about COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy, reducing public trust in getting vaccinated. The challenges and solutions to address them vary from country to country.
Panelists for this episode shared lessons learned in Uganda and Kenya about promoting the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines: what they and their organizations are doing to promote vaccine confidence, what is working, and what could work. The panel was followed by a Q&A and discussion. Play the recording.
Panelists
Lisa M. Hilmi | Executive Director, CORE Group
Opening Remarks
Lisa Hilmi has more than 30 years of global health experience in 20+ countries, employing both human rights and community-based participatory approaches to addressing health disparities for women, children, and communities. As a nurse, researcher, and public health expert, Lisa Hilmi has worked at multiple levels of global health—from local to global—in policy, research, emergency relief and response, development, workforce development, and health systems strengthening. She is a Member of the Gavi CSO Steering Committee, Co-Chair of the COVAX CSO platform, and Chair of the PMNCH NGO Constituency.
Fowzia Mohamed | Founder and Chair, Wezesha Health Services and Public Health Worker, Africa CDC Eastern Africa Collaborating Center | Kenya
Moderator
Fowzia Mohamed is Founder and Chair of Wezesha Health Services, a nonprofit that aims to improve access to essential healthcare services for people in remote areas of northern Kenya, and is currently volunteering at Africa CDC in the Eastern Africa Region. She has been working with a team in conducting a cross-sectional study in a rural area of northern Kenya, utilizing a phone-based survey to look into vaccine-specific factors. She and her team focus on vaccine acceptance and the need for cohesive messaging and door-to-door campaigns to disseminate accurate and transparent information from trusted sources to combat misinformation.
Dr. Victor Tole | Chief Officer, Medical Services, County Government of Lamu | Kenya
Victor Tole has more than 10 years of experience in the public health system. He is passionate about addressing health inequalities and increasing access to healthcare for disadvantaged groups in society. He holds an MSc in Public Health for Development from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Dr. Emmanuel Bukalu | National Advocacy, Communication, and Social Mobilization (ACSM) Subcommittee Chair, Uganda National Expanded Program on Immunization (UNEPI) | Uganda
Emmanuel Bukalu is a reproductive health specialist with training in behavioral change science and five years of experience in ACSM. He is the National ACSM Subcommittee Chair at the Ugandan Ministry of Health under the UNEPI division. He is also the communications for development (C4D) EPI consultant supporting the Ministry of Health in routine immunization, and a core team member in the COVID-19 National Deployment Vaccination Plan, with a focus on ACSM aspects.
Aisha Hamisi | Community Health Volunteer, CORE Group Polio Project HOA | Kenya
Aisha Hamisi has been a Community Health Volunteer (CHV) Mobilizer since 2010. She works in Kamukunji Sub-County, Nairobi County in Kenya, an area with migrant communities that has five wards and Community Health Units (CHUs). She has previously shared her work experience on BBC Radio London, where she spoke about COVID-19 prevention and control.
Esther Nasikye | Advocacy and Policy Manager, PATH | Uganda
Esther Nasikye is a seasoned advocate for the health rights of women, children, and adolescents with more than 14 years of experience in public health policy, advocacy, gender, stakeholder engagement, and strategic advocacy—including collaborative work with alliances at grassroots, national, regional, and international levels. She has been a key advocate for immunization in Uganda and East Africa, and supported the development of demand generation and advocacy guidance for the deployment of a COVID-19 vaccine. She is a member of the Gavi CSO Steering Committee, works closely with the Immunisation Agenda 2030 Communication and Advocacy team, and is a steering committee member of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) civil society coordinating group.