"I had to flee, leaving everything behind, even my daughter's vaccination booklet"

On 31 March 2023, more than 133,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were registered by the Permanent Secretariat of the National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (SP/CONASUR) in the Boucle du Mouhoun region due to insecurity. This situation has dealt a heavy blow to health services in this region of the country. Of the forty-eight (48) health facilities in the Tougan Health district, only five (05) are operational, while the rest are either closed or operating at minimal capacity. This has forced both health workers and the population to prioritise curative care over preventive care, depriving a large numbers of children of immunisation.

In response to this situation, the RAISE 4 Sahel project, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, carried out a major vaccination campaign in the Tougan health district from 22 to 26 June 2023. This campaign follows the census process initiated by the project last February, which resulted in the identification of 1,193 zero-dose and inadequately vaccinated children in the district.

At the vaccination site in sector 7, our teams met an internally displaced woman called Djanka, accompanied by her daughter. She had been forced to flee the insecurity and seek refuge on the outskirts of the town : "The armed groups came to our village and set fire to our house. I had to flee with my 4 children. I had to flee and leave everything behind, even my daughter's vaccination booklet ", she tells us, overcome with emotion.

The vaccinators quickly administered the missing antigen to her daughter, Tara, by reconstructing her vaccination history. It was a relieved mother who came out of the site : "Thanks to this campaign, not only did I get a new booklet, but my daughter got the dose of vaccine she needed to stay healthy".

To ensure the success of this campaign, the local stakeholders, such as vaccinators, volunteers, social mobilisers and supervisors, worked in synergy to mobilise and encourage communities to participate. As a result, more than 1,200 children were vaccinated, using advanced strategies such as outreach sites and door-to-door campaigns to reach displaced families living in remote areas far from health facilities.

Aminata, a IDP living on the outskirts of Tougan, was happy to see health workers vaccinating as part of an advanced strategy: "When we see health workers coming to our neighbourhoods to vaccinate our children, we are happy and it's a great relief. When health workers don't come to our neighbourhoods, we often have to walk 8 km to get to the health centre”.

According to Dr TOE, field coordinator for the RAISE 4 Sahel project in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, this campaign covered all children aged 0-59 months, which will reduce the risk of epidemics in displaced communities. Children received antigens, including those against measles, meningitis, diphtheria, whooping cough and Rotavirus infections.

Funded by Gavi, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, the RAISE 4 Sahel project is being implemented in three regions of Burkina Faso : Boucle du Mouhoun, North and Sahel regions. It aims to reach children living in fragile, conflict-affected and cross-border environments.

By Mohamed El-Habib CISSE, Communication & Advocacy Officer / RAISE 4 Sahel.