Global VAX Project

Afya Plus is part of the Americares’ USAID-funded Global VAX project that aim to accelerate the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Shinyanga region through a multi-faceted approach around community mobilization, facility service delivery support and COVID-19 vaccine data management. The project is employing a facilitative approach to support the Regional and Council Health Management Teams (R/CHMTs) in ensuring they have the technical insight, resources, and structures they need to successfully lead the implementation of macro-and micro-plans to drive COVID-19 vaccine uptake. The project is harnessing the power of social behavior change interventions and will tackle the demand side barriers through effective community-based interventions such as community scorecard, which can mobilize communities, build community -facility linkages, and promote local solutions to generate demand for the vaccine. Afya Plus through a Fixed Amount Award (FAA) mechanism is responsible for implementing community-based interventions, building community-facility linkages, and supporting monitoring and reporting systems, and facilitating the roll-out of council micro-plans to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Shinyanga MC and Kishapu DC to reach 70 percent of the eligible populations with a particular focus on: –

1. Supporting vaccination demand creation, community mobilization, service delivery and COVID-19 data management efforts in line with Tanzania’s Phase II COVID-19 acceleration plan.
2. Employing community scorecard approach to identify major concerns around COVID-19 vaccines, create locally driven solutions to combat vaccine hesitancy/misinformation while strengthening linkages between facility and community health services.
3. Mobilizing quickly and leverage long-standing grassroots relationships to bring effective and tailored interventions to the eligible population for the vaccine, including priority groups.
4. Working with existing CHWs, HCWs, and key community stakeholders to address vaccine hesitancy utilizing a robust community mobilization and social and behavior change (SBC) approach.