UNICEF has launched the first ever U-Report Challenge, calling on all 13.3 million U-Reporters in Africa to help get vaccines to the unvaccinated, just a week after COVAX delivered its billionth dose in Rwanda.
The #GiveitAShot challenge aims to engage young people in motivating those who are eligible in their community to get vaccinated by improving access and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.
Information and advocacy messages for COVID-19 have been packaged and will be distributed through SMS, Facebook Messenger, and other communication channels.
- Within two years, Akufo-Addo hopes to establish a local COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing plant.
- A million vaccines given by the United States have arrived in Ghana.
The U-Report #GiveitaShot challenge will be rolled out for eight weeks, with an initial focus on six countries on the continent (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe). On U-Report, weekly messages will be sent to encourage young people to learn about COVID-19 vaccines. They will be engaged in community actions (both online and offline).
Nigeria and South Africa celebrities, also U-Report supporters, Kate Henshaw and Maps Maponyane are teaming up with UNICEF on this initiative. “Africa has been battling COVID-19 for two years now,” Kate Henshaw said. “At a time of Omicron, it is more important than ever to get vaccines to the unvaccinated.”
“If we want to combat misinformation, it is key to mobilize the continent’s U-Reporters and provide much-needed information on Covid-19 vaccines to save people’s lives”, Maps Maponyaneadded.
It is estimated that about 10 per cent of the adult population on the African continent is vaccinated.
U-Report is a messaging tool that empowers young people around the world to engage with and speak out on issues that matter to them. Today, U-Report is active in 88 countries worldwide, with 19.3 million U-Reporters all over the world, and works with SMS, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Telegram, and WhatsApp.
