On December 2, 2023, the RAISE project kick-started its activities in the Guere Health District to brief stakeholders on the project’s package for its underserved zero-dose communities. Chaired by the District Medical Officer of Geure -Dr Monthe welcomed the RAISE team and introduced them to the EPI family to ease collaboration on the field when needed.
After the introductions, participants delved into the district’s data. They reviewed its strengths and weaknesses—the number of zero-dose children in different communities and the pockets of areas beyond government reach.
Dimba Mamo, the coordinator of the RAISE project in the Far North region, presented the CBCHS organization and the RAISE for Sahel Project approach and its objectives. He stressed that R4S, as part of ZIP, will intervene in hard-to-reach conflict zones that the government cannot reach. “We understand that there are many zero-dose children across the districts. However, our focus shall be on communities the government can not reach.” He explained that the data would be captured through the electronic app Commcare and EPI registers. Identify and vaccinate zero-dose children.
Speaking at the event, the Grant Advisor, Abanda, emphasized the partners’ role, reassuring them of CBCHS’s open collaboration via the RAISE project. He said these partners are a major asset in implementing the project in the Guere health district.
The workshop also let the RAISE team brief district staff on the GESI/SBC tools. This would enable the team to identify immunization-related barriers and network with relevant stakeholders to co-create and design solutions to address different identified barriers. The meeting ended with the RAISE team programming a series of activities in their targeted communities.
