About 100 kilometres from Lodwar town lies Lokwatubwa village, one of the remotest areas of Turkana County. Surrounded by rocky hills, and dry riverbeds and devoid of any road network, reaching Lokwatubwa is a formidable challenge. The area is served by a single dispensary, accessible only by foot on rocky, impassable roads. The dispensary is managed by Nanok Simon, the dedicated Nursing Officer in charge.
Nanok explains that the dispensary also serves 14 other distant villages, some as far as 50 kilometres away, accessible only by foot. “People trek for days to get here. Outreaches have been crucial in bringing health services closer to the villages. Without these outreaches, villagers must undertake a gruelling journey to access vaccinations and other health services,” he says.
Despite these challenges, Lokwatubwa has achieved impressive COVID-19 vaccination rates.. Nanok explains, “When COVID-19 hit, everyone was affected. As the facility in charge, I took the initiative to communicate with the fourteen community health volunteers under my supervision. Together, we devised ways to educate the community on protecting themselves and others.”
“We also established mother-to-mother support groups to boost vaccination awareness. As health workers, we had to be innovative in our approach,” Nanok recalls. In the beginning, there was a lot of fear and misinformation about the virus and vaccines. “When the vaccines arrived, people were afraid to get vaccinated. During one of the outreaches, I took my first dose in front of everyone to show that the vaccines are safe.”
Convincing people to take the COVID-19 vaccines required passion, patience and constant repetition of awareness messages. “I used events like immunisation days to give health talks that covered common diseases and COVID-19. This way the community consistently received more information about the virus,” Nanok says.
Another key strategy was integrating COVID-19 vaccination into routine procedures, allowing it to be administered alongside other vaccines. “We didn’t wait for specific days to administer it; anyone who visited the facility for other diseases could also get vaccinated,” he notes. Over time, resistance waned, and some of the biggest critics became community champions, further encouraging others to get the jab.
Nanok’s remarkable story is one of passion, determination and a commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of others. Watch Nanok’s story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N20WBYrYpT8
The Vaccination Action Network (VAN) was supported by The Rockefeller Foundation.
Author: Kassim Lupao and Ann Muthoni from PanAfricare Kenya.
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