Latest news on TDDA's work in support of government health security programmes and COVID vaccine rollout
TDDA is working closely with government to strengthen governance and accountability in health security and accelerate the implementation of International Health Regulations, with the ultimate goal of saving lives in Uganda.
A four-day virtual training workshop for 29 national and field staff from four civil society organizations (CSOs) was successfully concluded on 23 July 2021. The training, sponsored by TDDA, aimed at strengthening the country’s National Action Plan for Health Security by enlisting the help of CSOs to support public health initiatives.
The workshop was organized through the government’s National One Health Platform (NOHP), which coordinates strategy and action across human, animal and environmental health. Delivered virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions, the training included modules on:
National Action Plan for Health Security
Health equity and the importance of reaching out to vulnerable and marginalized communities
Roles and responsibilities of CSOs
Risk communication and community engagement, using the COVID-19 vaccination roll out as a case study for how CSOs can help to overcome vaccine hesitancy and counter misinformation.
In the opening session, some of the key partners, who included WHO, CDC, USAID, Uganda Red Cross Society and AFENET, made contributions encouraging our collaboration and emphasising the importance of our work.
“It is in recognition of the critical roles civil society organizations play in capacity-building for national health programmes that we are having this virtual meeting”, the WHO representative remarked.
Also endorsing our approach was USAID. “USAID welcomes and encourages participation of CSOs to bolster health security programming in Uganda. We have two partners focused on community engagement - that is Uganda Red Cross Society, through the CP3 project, and Stop Spillover, through AFROHUN. These two partners are looking forward to being part of the CSO network that springs forward from this meeting”, their spokesperson added.
The workshop was equally welcomed by the directors of the health, agriculture and wildlife and environment sectors. In his opening speech, the Chair of the NOHP and Director of Environment Affairs stated: "We, as government, believe that the best way to address the challenges in areas of advocacy, governance and accountability…is through the One Health approach, working closely with CSOs”. He went on to thank TDDA, DAI Global Health and the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office for our sponsorship of the training and support for health security work more widely.
Report by Dr. Winyi Kaboyo, TDDA Country coordinator, Uganda
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