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Vaccine Champions: Empowering community leaders to advocate for COVID-19 vaccines
The Vaccine Champions program is empowering community leaders to advocate for COVID-19 vaccines in Australia, Vietnam, and Fiji.
The program is being implemented by ARIA members and partners and is facilitated by the Australian Expert Technical Assistance Program for Regional Vaccine Access: Policy, Planning and Implementation (AETAP-PPI) and ARIA’s Regional Immunisation Support and Engagement (RISE) grant with support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
The podcast features three vaccination experts and leaders who are involved in this innovative behavioral change program.
On the panel:
- Sr Litiana Volavola, National Program Manager for the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and Supply Chain and Fiji COVID-19 Vaccination Team Lead
- Professor Thu Anh Nguyen from the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Vietnam
- Professor Margie Danchin, Group Leader, Vaccine Uptake, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
The episode shares results from the implementation of the Vaccine Champions Program in Australia and how it is being rolled out in Vietnam and Fiji, including:
- An overview of the Vaccine Champions Program and what it means to be a vaccine champion.
- The challenges and barriers to achieving high vaccine coverage in the community, such as access and acceptance.
- Learnings from recent trainings in Vietnam and Fiji and how the programme is supporting community leaders to advocate for COVID-19 vaccines in their communities.