Community-led SBCC Interventions to Address Zero-Dose Children in High-Risk Countries

The global learning agenda highlights the need to better understand the social and behavioral drivers of routine immunization acceptance and uptake ─ including drivers within urban areas to curb outbreaks; context and location specific reasons for zero-dose (ZD) and under-immunized communities of children, and how best to build community trust in immunization; and circulating misinformation, information-seeking and vaccination decision-making behavior. UNICEF, alongside other global stakeholders, has identified priority routine immunization vaccination implementation research learning questions, that if answered, could provide evidence-based recommendations to inform routine immunization program policy and design, and ultimately community acceptance of routine immunizations. In response, the Sabin Vaccine Institute and UNICEF is collaborating with research teams in seven countries: Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines to conduct a two phased research study that involves an initial rapid community assessment (phase 1) followed by a co-design, pilot, and evaluation of a locally-tailored Social and Behavior Change Communication interventions (phase 2).This panel will present findings from three of these countries: Ethiopia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, that showcases how to effectively surface and utilize community expertise and knowledge to co-create effective strategies for behavior change. Through this, the panel offers real-world, practical examples of how researchers not only elevate the community voices, but work in lock step alongside them to action their expertise into behavior change and increased vaccine uptake.