TDDA training workshop equips CSOs to assist with national health security plans, COVID-19 response and vaccine roll-out
TDDA recently supported Chad’s Ministry of Public Health and National Solidarity (MSPSN) to carry out a capacity-building programme involving 21 civil society organizations (CSOs).
The aim was to strengthen the readiness of the selected CSOs to play a vital role in health security.
Health is a shared responsibility and CSOs are valuable assets, in a privileged position to collaborate with local community leaders and target groups to support national health security actions.
The workshop focused on health security and the ‘One Health’ agenda in general, as well exploring how CSOs can support the government’s COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in Chad.
A total of 22 participants attended the training workshop, which took place from July 19 – 23 2021. We selected the CSOs on the basis of their existing or potential competences to work in health security, how well their work aligns with government priorities, and the vulnerability of people living in the districts they serve.
The opening session of our workshop was chaired by the MSPSN councillor, who set out the major challenges Chad is facing in the context of COVID-19 and therefore the opportunity for this training to have a clear and positive impact.
The specific training objectives were to:
Introduce participants to the concepts of health security and One Health – the approach which coordinates strategies and actions across human, animal and environmental health.
Equip CSOs with information on the national COVID-19 response strategy and vaccine roll-out plan.
Support participants to develop their own strategy for engaging communities, communicating about COVID-19 risks and addressing vaccine hesitancy.
Once the training is completed, TDDA will support pilot projects on the ground in selected districts, to demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy. The aim is to show how engaging CSOs can become a valuable part of the national plan and assist with COVID-19 vaccination roll-out as well as health security more widely.