The project “Tools for community participation and dialogue to strengthen vaccination in primary health care”, implemented by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in agreement with Habitat for Humanity Paraguay, in support of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MSPBS), contributed to the increase in the coverage of health services and especially to the immunization program against Covid-19 and the regular plan.
The activities were carried out for three months in prioritized neighborhoods of Asunción, Lambaré, Luque, Ñemby, Ypané, Villeta, San Antonio and Villa Elisa, thus complementing the MSPBS support project carried out during the pandemic.
During the project, at least 70 vaccination days were carried out, reaching some 150,000 people. As a strategy to achieve greater participation in the vaccination campaigns, 31 safe spaces for children were set up, benefiting 3,100 boys and girls during the vaccination campaigns and more than 60,000 women who accessed the vaccines.
In total, 1,970 volunteers were mobilized. They accompanied the health personnel assigned by the MSPBS to the neighborhood conferences, assisting in the registration and promoting dialogue in a safe and cordial environment for the target population. 46 community awareness sessions were held, reaching a total of 1,000,000 people with house-to-house visits.
This work was based on institutional articulation at the territorial level, especially with references from the municipalities, the Tekopora program, health units and posts, health regions and community centers in communities reached.
The days, both awareness-raising and vaccination, were accompanied by volunteers from neighborhood commissions, the Tekopora program and the Settlements Support Network (REDDA).
The closure of the project took place this Wednesday, December 14, with the participation of Adriana Amarilla, from the General Directorate of Health Promotion of the MSPBS; Walter Gutiérrez, Vice Minister of Planning, Programs and Projects of the Ministry of Children and Adolescents; Ricardo Yamil Derene, specialist in Communication for Development from UNICEF; Mary Lechenuk and Melissa Cartasso, executive director and manager of Habitat for Humanity Paraguay Programs, respectively; Angélica Giménez, director of Protection of Women’s Rights of the Municipality of Luque, as well as representatives of the family health units involved in the project.
Derene emphasized that UNICEF proposed with the project the continuity of community work to strengthen vulnerable communities. “It was sought to support everything related to the MSPBS immunization plan, so that the vaccines can reach the community, facilitating all the mechanisms for participation and dialogue. Building tools to facilitate vaccination was key,” she indicated.
Next, Lechenuk highlighted UNICEF as a relevant actor in this entire process and gave special thanks to the workers in white who put in their efforts. “From Habitat for Humanity Paraguay we believe that actions must always be focused on people, therefore, they must be collective so that we can have inclusive cities. We believe that we all have an obligation to bring hope and I think this was one of the initiatives of great hope in a situation of much misinformation. We are grateful for the confidence of UNICEF and the MSPBS, which at all times have been accompanying this process of approaching the families”, he expressed.
For her part, Adriana Amarilla highlighted the efforts made by civil society organizations and the importance of promoting community participation, where people were the center of all interventions.
In turn, Walter Gutiérrez congratulated the work carried out in one of the most difficult moments that our country had to go through, and highlighted the importance of the measures taken at the time.
Subsequently, on behalf of the institutions with which we worked in an articulated manner and at the territorial level, Angélica Giménez expressed her satisfaction at representing them and expressed that “It has been quite enriching because we have turned the vaccination days into community days, where we work on the different difficulties with where the settlements are located.
Workshop on tools to strengthen PHC
The closure also included a workshop with USF representatives to collect experiences and lessons learned during the vaccination campaign against COVID-19. On the occasion, the “Manual of tools for community participation and dialogue to strengthen primary health care” was presented, which includes recommendations based on lessons learned, awareness days, guidelines for working with volunteers, among others. things. The document was prepared by the technical team of the area of Programs of Habitat for Humanity Paraguay with the technical support and financing of UNICEF Paraguay.
