Couple Years of Protection:
1,59,72,012: Male Condom
14,53,802: OCP
18,75,063: IUCD
7,839: Male Sterilisation
13,26,949: Female Sterilization
27,325: Injectable – DMPA
HLFPPT was awarded MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity Project (M-RITE) by United States Agency For International Development (USAID) with JSI as primary recipient. This project aims to strengthen the vaccination program in eight KBK regions and aspirational district (Kalahandi, Kandhamala, Bolangir, Nawarangpur, Rayagada, Malkanagiri, Koraput and Gajapati) of Odisha. The project focuses on improving service delivery, demand generation and risk communication, last mile connectivity, health workforce expansion and capacity building and community engagement. An important component of the project is to ensure last mile accessibility of vaccines to all targeted population by strengthening both demand & supply side.
The project intervention majorly focuses on:
1. Ensure timely delivery of vaccines to all targeted population
2. Address myths and generate uptake of vaccine demand .
3. Reached last mile & engage the community for the desired outcomes and behavior.
4. Continued Motivation of health workforce & Build capacity at all levels
The district level advocacy meeting is an important foundation stone for the M-RITE, to achieve the planned activities and goal in decided time frame. The M-RITE team of HLFPPT has been conducting advocacy meeting on various levels by meeting with the State & District Immunization Officials, and CDM & PHO of all district to introduce the project with its new unique approach to generate demands for the vaccination among the hesitant and reluctant groups.
The M-RITE team is supporting the district with vans in each district – one Mobile Vaccine Express for COVID-19 vaccination to reach the remotest areas for vaccination, and the other van will be used for IEC activities to create awareness on COVID-19. The vans were inaugurated by the DM, and the CDM & PHO of the districts and provides services and awareness for vaccination in the villages and blocks.
Community Engagement As a part of outreach activities, low coverage areas are targeted by the team to disseminate information and messages on COVID-19 Vaccination through IPC (Inter Personal Communication) and infotainment methods. Door-to-door visit are regularly conducted to counsel the villagers on the importance of COVID-19 vaccination, and sensitize them to follow COVID-19 Appropriate behavior. This activity helps to bring the hesitant and reluctant group forward for the COVID-19 Vaccination.
To mobilize people for COVID-19 Vaccination and create awareness on the importance to adopt COVID-19 appropriate behavior, the community meeting have been very effective. The M-RITE team used this to vaccinate a larger number of people from the hard-to-reach areas, reluctant and hesitant group.
Miking on COVID-19 Vaccination and awareness was carried out in all M-RITE districts to sensitize and aware people on COVID-19 Vaccination with the support of the IEC van provided. The Miking was carried out in populated areas such as Hat, Mela, Market, Bus stand, Railway station to reach a larger number of people with COVID-19 message.
The M-RITE, HLFPPT team identified in villages that, the people working in small factory and industry are not available during the day because of their work and some of them are still due for the vaccination. The team arrange COVID-19 movie screening with the projector in the evening to reach those people and to sensitize them on COVID-19 vaccination.
The M-RITE team leveraged the support of religious gurus to sensitize the community on the importance of COVID-19 vaccination and mobilized them to the designated centers. The team also conducted various awareness activities in their places of prayer to mobilize the people for COVID-19 Vaccination. This helped in establishing good faith with the community and supported the leaders to bring them forward for the vaccination.
Special Day celebrations
To involve the community in COVID-19 Vaccination and awareness program, the M-RITE team always actively engaged them by conducting special events in different religious festivals and occasion. This helps the team to bring the community much closer towards the sensitization for the COVID-19 Vaccination.
To ensure last mile accessibility and equitable access to vaccination in all the regions, M-RITE team worked in close collaboration with the district and block health officials to vaccinate people in hard-to-reach areas. Malkangiri district have several tribal communities in areas of poor connectivity. The team crossed rivers, climbed mountains, thick jungles and many difficult terrains to reach the unreached and left no stone unturned for the vaccination.
As the project is aimed at strengthening the national and state immunization for COVID-19 and focus on the underserved and marginalized groups. The team identified that prisoners in the Sub- Jail of Nabrangpur district were not fully vaccinated with all doses. With the support of jail authorities and health officials, an awareness session and COVID-19 vaccination camp was organized for the prison inmates. After the success in Nabrangpur, this intervention was replicated in other districts as well.
Tribal communities of Odisha are highly renowned for their ethnicity and rich cultural heritage. PVTGs are special focus groups as they are more vulnerable and distant from the mainstream. As they are mostly residing in remote and inaccessible areas, the M-RITE project team conducted special drives to reach them. With the support of various tribal authorities such as ITDA, LSDA and OPELIP, the team was able to mobilize PVTGs living in hard-to-reach villages. The project also collaborated with the local community-based organizations, local influencers, and Church leaders. During the awareness drives, IEC material was distributed in the local language.
The transgenders living in Odisha are another vulnerable and underserved group for which M-RITE made focused approaches. On the eve of “Azadi ki Amrit Mahotsav”, many vaccination camps were organized for transgender people who are not willing to go to CVCs or were ignorant for COVID-19 vaccination. With the support from district and block health officials, the project organized awareness and vaccination sessions for transgender people.