Engaging Communities With a Simple Tool to Help Increase Immunization Coverage

Publish Date: March 2015
Author: Manish Jain, Gunjan Taneja, Ruhul Amin, Robert Steinglass, Michael Favine
Language: English

The journal Global Health: Science and Practice has published an MCHIP-authored article on “Engaging Communities With a Simple Tool to Help Increase Immunization Coverage.”

The article describes an approach that aims to raise awareness and boost demand. The “My Village Is My Home” tool is a poster-sized material used by volunteers and health workers to record the births and vaccination dates of every infant in a community. Introduction of the tool in five districts of India and in seven initial villages in Timor-Leste allowed community leaders, volunteers and health workers to monitor the vaccination status of every young child and guided reminder and motivational visits.

Assessments in both countries found evidence suggesting improved vaccination timeliness and coverage. The experiences in both countries suggest that “My Village Is My Home” is a promising tool that has the potential to broaden program coverage by marshalling both community residents and health workers to track individual children’s vaccinations.

Three states in India have adopted the tool, and Timor-Leste had also planned to scale-up the initiative.

To download the open access article, click here.