World Vision staff receive COVID-19 vaccine among front-liners serving the community

It was a beautiful morning with the sun rising at Kagano health centre in Nyamasheke District, when World Vision staff from Nyungwe cluster (field office) gathered at the district offices to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Staff gathered in small groups with smiling faces, seen through their face masks as they discussed the excitement of being selected among the district’s frontline workers.

Nurses set the scene by preparing syringes, vaccines and other equipment to be used for vaccination as other selected frontline staff from Nyamasheke District gathered for more explanations pertaining to the vaccination process.

Twenty world Vision staff from Nyamasheke cluster received the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the Government’s efforts to give priority to the country’s frontline workers in the face of the pandemic. With happy faces and in high spirits, the World Vision team was excited to get the vaccine, as it will facilitate them to access the community without any fear.

“We are excited to receive this vaccine because this means that we have got a lot more freedom. We will be able to access the community without any challenge. The projects will be implemented as planned,” said Osee Seba, Nyungwe cluster manager.

Osee says that life had been difficult and felt ‘like prison’ because the pandemic had deprived them of the right to interact with other people because all the meetings were done virtually. Now, they will be able to meet and plan together with stakeholders.

“I would like to encourage everyone, especially World Vision staff, to accept the vaccine because in that way we will be able to serve the most vulnerable communities by implementing all the planned projects. The effects of COVID-19 pose an even bigger risk to the vulnerable children that we serve and being able to support them in time is very key to work” he added.

Alphonsine Umulisa, the Child Protection and Education Sector Lead in Nyungwe cluster, was also among the frontline staff vaccinated. She was happy that the vaccine had come to reduce the effects of the pandemic. Being field-based, she was relieved of the fear of getting infected and infecting others through her daily field operations. “With the vaccine I can travel more freely to serve the most vulnerable people in the communities without putting their lives at risk” said Alphonsine. “I cannot wait to get the second jab!” she added.

“As you can see I am not in any way negatively affected by the vaccine” said Fred Mubangizi, market facilitator at Nyamasheke Cluster, after getting the vaccine. “I would like to encourage my colleagues to get the vaccine so that we can better serve the vulnerable children” he said. Fred is ready to achieve his targets now that he has got the vaccine, he feels nothing will hold him back anymore. Like all other staff that have received the Vaccine, Fred thanks the donor of the vaccine. He says that this is going to help them to serve the children they are called to serve without any hinderance.

As of today, over 140 World Vision staff in Rwanda have received the COVID-19 vaccine, thanks to support from the Ministry of Health.