IMPACT: Supporting COVID-19 Response in Africa

Citizens’ concerns about COVID-19

Containing and stopping coronavirus requires equitable access to trusted, reliable information. In order to achieve this, public heath interveners need to understand citizens’ concerns about COVID-19, to provide context-relevant health advice and to combat rumour and misinformation. Especially in low-income countries, listening to populations to ensure better risk communications and community engagement are vital to the response.

Somalia Project

On 16th March 2020, Somalia recorded its first case of coronavirus. By mid-April, there were over 200 cases and mostly local transmission. Prevention is the only option in Somalia, given the poor state of health capacity nationwide. In order to provide those responding to COVID-19 in Somalia with a snapshot of how the people of Somalia are thinking about the epidemic in these early days, CGHR partnered with Africa’s Voices and reached out using its established multimedia interactive platform called Imaqal.

Presentations and Events 

A talk by Sharath Srinivasan and Luke Church given on 17 November 2020 on their work supporting a COVID-19 Risk Communications and Community Engagement Response in Kenya and Somalia. 

Beyond Coronavirus? 

CGHR Co-Director Sharath Srinivasan contributed his insights from these projects in Africa to a panel discussing the mechanics of and precedents for recovery from major pandemics. Watch the full event.

RCCE: Perceptions, Misinformation, and Concerns in African Countries in the time of COVID-19

Sharath Srinivasan, CGHR Co-Director was an expert speaker for the READY weekly webinar on 29 April. This webinar discusses the work CGHR is doing to understand the concerns, perceptions, misinformation and barriers to practising preventative behaviours in Sub-Saharan African countries, as well as how to address those concerns.