GSK and Save the Children began working together in Ethiopia in 2016. Our programme aimed to help more children and pregnant women to get vaccinated, reducing child mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases in eight woredas (districts) of the Somali Region. We supported and improved immunisation services and worked with communities to encourage them to get vaccinated. We also advocated to make sure health service providers are providing fair and quality services.
We worked closely with regional and woreda health offices to improve vaccination services. We trained health workers and community health workers, set up and supported vaccination sites and provided equipment to store and transport vaccines. We also improved the management and coordination of resources and supply chains, improving the collection and use of data for better decision making and planning.
Using the ‘Reach Every Child’ approach (recommended by the World Health Organisation), we helped improve access to quality immunisation services. We achieved this by revitalising outreach and enhancing services to reach more unvaccinated children. We set up new outreach sites to provide vaccinations to remote communities and delivered vaccines through these sites and mobile sessions, helping to reach the last mile.
Read an interactive story to find out more about what it takes to vaccinate a child in a remote community here
We worked closely with communities to help them increase their knowledge of immunisation services in the region so they would encourage more children and families to get vaccinated. We trained community volunteers, influential community leaders and teachers on the importance of immunisation. We also helped set up student immunisation clubs in over 90 schools. Through these efforts, more than 200,000 children under five were immunised against key preventable diseases, helping them to live healthier lives in the future.
“When I see my sister and brother sick, I get sad,” says Najma.
Living in a remote part of the Somali region of Ethiopia, far from medical care, this ten-year-old and seven siblings have had to contend with all kinds of illness.
But now an immunisation programme has reached their community, her younger brothers and sisters are able to be protected against childhood killers including measles and whooping cough.
Her baby sister Tufah has just been given her final measles jab from community health worker IfraMahamud, who was trained by Save the Children.
“Tufah is healthy and well thanks to the vaccinations,” says her mumNura. “Previously we didn't have this programme, so we had no vaccinations.
“When Save the Children came around, we felt relief and confidence. We are not afraid of outbreaks now.”
“The benefits of vaccinations are that they stop diseases,” says Najma. “Healthy children can do everything. When my little sister and brother are healthy, I am happy.”
