Global Vaccination Program (GlobalVax)

Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) recognizes the urgency of combating COVID-19 and advancing health security and preparedness to save lives, promote economic recovery, and develop resilience against future biological disasters. Zimbabwe Association of Church-Related Hospitals (ZACH) with support from the PEPFAR through the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will support efforts by the Government of Zimbabwe to improve COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Mashonaland East Province.

Mashonaland East Province has a population of approximately 1.35 million with an area of 32.230km2. The province is divided into nine districts namely Chikomba, Goromonzi, Marondera, Mudzi, Murehwa, Mutoko, Seke, Uzumba- Maramba -Pfungwe (UMP), and Wedza. There are a total of 230 healthcare facilities, hospitals and clinics included. The province has several schools, colleges, farms, and mines that will facilitate easy mobilization for COVID-19 vaccine access. 

The support will include:

• Communication, advocacy, and demand creation support
• Human resource support
• Transport support
• Outreach/ mobile vaccination support
• Commodity supplies support
• M&E support

ZACH will also support the Ministry of Health and Child Care to further strengthening of Integrated Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD) surveillance in Zimbabwe through cascading integrated VPDs surveillance training to community health workers and supporting with community level case definitions and transportation of VPDs samples to national laboratory. The integrated training will cover all VPDs surveillance including Polio, Measles and Neonatal Tetanus. The objectives are as follows.

• To strengthen community health workers’ knowledge and skills in identification of VPDs surveillance cases
• To provide the appropriate tools for use by community health workers in VPDs surveillance
• To strengthen referral of potential VPDs surveillance cases to health facilities by community health workers
• To improve timely shipment of VPDs surveillance samples to national laboratory