European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations
Nigeria: bringing COVID-19 vaccines to hard-to-reach displaced people
For over a decade, armed conflict in the Northeastern Nigeria has caused massive population displacements and hindered basic access to essential services. As a result, humanitarian needs are deepening, with over 8 million people in need.
EU humanitarian aid focuses on improving the living conditions of internally displaced people. In overcrowded camps, they have limited access to basic services such as clean water and health care.
In this extreme context, our partner INTERSOS found a creative way to support the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccinations. They produced radio jingles indicating vaccination sites that were aired using solar-powered radios.
Communication and engagement activities helped overcome hesitancy. “Radio stations and organisations enlightened people on the importance of getting vaccinated. And so, when the vaccines reached our camp, we joined others to get it,” a beneficiary says.
Our partner administered vaccines to nearly 250,000 people, including frontline health workers, people over 50, and those with other diseases such as HIV, hypertension, and diabetes. The infrastructure can now serve larger standard vaccination campaigns.
INTERSOS has been operating in the hardest-to-reach camps of Borno State since 2016. With our support, it has been providing primary health services such as treating severe acute malnutrition, ensuring reproductive health, and preventing cholera and malaria outbreaks.
In photos, see how this campaign and our work with INTERSOS is making a difference for people in Northeastern Nigeria.
In Northeastern Nigeria our partner INTERSOS was able to develop a successful approach to support COVID-19 vaccination: 248,380 people received at least 1 dose at the end of 2022, covering the most vulnerable categories.
Engaging the community is vital to the success of a vaccination programme. Thanks to EU support, INTERSOS used an innovative approach that helped overcome hesitancy and create an infrastructure which may now serve larger standard vaccination campaigns.
A mother with her son: “After 4 years of displacement, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. Radio stations and organisations enlightened people on the importance of getting vaccinated. And so, when the vaccines reached our camp, we joined others to get it.”
The intervention focuses on the overcrowded camps, where people seeking refuge from the conflict are experiencing a myriad of physical, psychological, and emotional problems.
Besides vaccinations, EU humanitarian aid focuses on other health priorities, including the screening and treatment of cases of severe acute malnutrition, which has led to high rates of death among children under 5.
Flooding in one of the camps supported by the project during the rainy season, where the risk of cholera and malaria increases. Climate change poses an additional threat to the living conditions of displaced populations.
