Phillip Mwebaza
EAST AFRICA – In response to an upsurge in COVID-19 infections in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, Amref Health Africa, Unilever, and the National Business Compact on Coronavirus (NBCC), with assistance from relevant partners, have launched a new behavioural change campaign in the three nations.
By April 2023, the campaign hopes to reach 75 million people throughout the three nations. It also aims to intensify the fight against COVID-19 by encouraging people to adopt hygienic habits that protect their lives and livelihoods from the pandemic.
In addition, the hospitalisation rate for respiratory and hygiene-related diseases has dramatically decreased thanks to the adoption of fundamental hygiene behaviours like consistent handwashing with soap, mask use, and social seclusion.
As a component of the Global Hygiene and Behavior Change Coalition 2 (HBCC 2), financed by Unilever and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Amref-NBCC will activate the large-scale hygiene behavior change initiative that was launched in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
According to Amref, HBCC 2 aims to increase public knowledge of COVID-19 prevention, long-term behaviour change linked to hygiene practices, and vaccine promotion within the targeted communities in order to promote population health in general.
The CEO of Amref Health Africa Group, Dr Gitahi Githinji, claims that the targeted communities’ health indicators were positively impacted by the key messages spread during the previous initiative (HBCC 1) on masking up, handwashing, and social distancing.
While slowing the rate of the virus was the primary goal, Dr Gitahi said that “Together with our partners, we were able to develop tools and identify new touch-points that helped us to accrue multiple benefits that now demand reinforcement to avoid regression and erosion of gains made.”
The health project aims to bring about long-lasting change while ensuring that knowledge, infrastructure, and capacity are developed into communities. It focuses on helping the most vulnerable groups, such as individuals with disabilities, mothers, kids, and young people.
In order to amplify and expand the collaborations, Amref-NBCC will include a variety of previous and new partners in its activations as part of HBCC 2.
To date, more than 30 organisations, including digital media agencies, social businesses, community organisations, retail businesses, funding partners, and other stakeholders, have joined forces with Amref-NBCC in an effort to spread the word about personal hygiene and self-protective social behaviours.