WHO is collaborating with Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI) to develop a contextualized risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) plan for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through utilizing alternative media and digital communication channels, the plan will comprise activities that aim to reach children - especially teenagers - and families with children under-five with vital information on COVID-19 prevention strategies. It will also strengthen the capacity of frontline health workers as key communicators of COVID-19 matters.
The plan will be supported by Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials containing key messages which have been developed following a rapid assessment of relevant audiences.
The rapid assessment, completed in late July, was held to gain deeper insight into community receptiveness and information needs related to reducing COVID-19 transmission. The assessment involved a startup workshop and meetings to coordinate the process as well as in-person discussions with community members and healthcare workers. The assessment successfully identified potential partners and communication channels for disseminating important messages to the target audiences in the 16 participating districts of four provinces: East Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku, Papua and West Kalimantan.
WVI are closely coordinating the development of the plan at district level with local stakeholders to ensure the project can comprehensively enhance the community’s knowledge and uptake of preventive practices related to reducing COVID-19 transmission.
Dissemination of the plan and key messages is intended to commence in September and will continue until December. Due to travel restrictions limiting opportunities to visit sites during the pandemic, frequent monitoring of the field activities and plan implementation progress will be largely done from Jakarta using digital platforms (website, dashboards and surveys) and online channels (email, WhatsApp, and virtual meetings) to track the impact of the communication activities.
The partnership between WHO and WVI will complement other health promotion interventions that have been implemented as part of the COVID-19 response. Further, the development of the contextualized RCCE plan comes at a time when strengthening community engagement and awareness in hard-to-reach regions is increasingly important in the fight to reduce COVID-19 transmission across Indonesia.
Through utilizing alternative media and digital communication channels, the plan will comprise activities that aim to reach children - especially teenagers - and families with children under-five with vital information on COVID-19 prevention strategies. It will also strengthen the capacity of frontline health workers as key communicators of COVID-19 matters.
The plan will be supported by Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials containing key messages which have been developed following a rapid assessment of relevant audiences.
The rapid assessment, completed in late July, was held to gain deeper insight into community receptiveness and information needs related to reducing COVID-19 transmission. The assessment involved a startup workshop and meetings to coordinate the process as well as in-person discussions with community members and healthcare workers. The assessment successfully identified potential partners and communication channels for disseminating important messages to the target audiences in the 16 participating districts of four provinces: East Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku, Papua and West Kalimantan.
Caption: Workshops and meetings during the rapid assessment helped to coordinate the collection of necessary information from communities. Credit: WVI
Now, the results from this assessment are being analyzed and will form the basis of the new contextualized RCCE plan.
WVI are closely coordinating the development of the plan at district level with local stakeholders to ensure the project can comprehensively enhance the community’s knowledge and uptake of preventive practices related to reducing COVID-19 transmission.
Caption: Discussions were held with key stakeholders, including healthcare workers and members of the public, to determine communication needs for community engagement. Credit: WVI
Dissemination of the plan and key messages is intended to commence in September and will continue until December. Due to travel restrictions limiting opportunities to visit sites during the pandemic, frequent monitoring of the field activities and plan implementation progress will be largely done from Jakarta using digital platforms (website, dashboards and surveys) and online channels (email, WhatsApp, and virtual meetings) to track the impact of the communication activities.
The partnership between WHO and WVI will complement other health promotion interventions that have been implemented as part of the COVID-19 response. Further, the development of the contextualized RCCE plan comes at a time when strengthening community engagement and awareness in hard-to-reach regions is increasingly important in the fight to reduce COVID-19 transmission across Indonesia.
Main thumbnail caption: A rapid field assessment provided opportunity to gain deeper insight into community receptiveness and information gaps related to strategies reducing COVID-19 transmission. Credit: WVI