CORE Group Polio Partners (CGPP) Project - India Annex

Abstract:
This is the detailed report of the CORE Group Polio Partners project for October 2003 to March 2004. In late July of 1999, the CORE Group Polio Partners Project (CGPP) was formed to fulfill the terms of a grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Global Bureau, Office of Health and Nutrition, Child Survival Division. The project has since been awarded US$ 25 million covering 8 years for the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI). The vision of the CGPP is that the involvement of CORE private voluntary organisation (PVO) and non-governmental organisation (NGO) partners can help to accelerate the eradication of polio. According to the report, this group is uniquely positioned to serve in this capacity, as it represents 36 USA-based PVOs that manage hundreds of USAID-funded child survival projects worldwide. A description of the key activities carried out by the CGPP in Angola, Ethiopia, India, and Nepal during the reporting period is provided in attached country-specific annexes.

The India annex details the activities of 4 separate PVOs during the October 2003 to March 2004 time period; these include Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Project Concern International (PCI), and World Vision (WV). Reports focus on their specific contributions to the polio project, organised in sections highlighting intensified support for mass immunisation campaigns, social mobilisation activities, strengthening routine immunisation systems, and "add-on" activities.

The report combines specific details of activities with local narratives that provide local perspectives on the CORE Group's impact.

Key Communication Points
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has been active in contributing to underserved communities by identifying and recruiting Muslim vaccinators from Madrasahs institutions following a process of networking with Maulanas and religious leaders. This approach - selecting vaccinators from the same community - was designed to initiate accountability on the part of the community members. ADRA also contributed to a concept paper, "Kala Jatha", which sought to remove vaccine-related misconceptions, and to the development of street plays and folk songs that would disseminate the immunisation message.

Project Concern International (PCI) has been very active in social mobilisation strategies that include active networking and coordination with the National Polio Surveillance Program (NPSP), UNICEF, government health departments, block level officials, and Panchyat members; enhanced understanding of governmental policies and plans on the part of communities; encouragement of community participation in and contribution to immunisation campaigns; and involvement in preparation of plans for national immunisation days (NIDs)/sub-national immunisation days (SNIDs), including monitoring and evaluation. Specific highlights of PCI's activities include:

• Organising health outreach camps in the resistant villages to motivate community members to immunise, especially against polio.
• Implementing "add-on" activities such as sanitation drives as a specific strategy for the social mobilisation, linking the sanitary drive with health education.
• Convening community meetings on regular basis; these are helpful in building rapport with women in the villages who support project staff during the polio round by motivating the reluctant community members/families in the villages.
• Setting up regular meetings with religious leaders, which has resulted in active involvement of 13 maulana/maulvi in the SNID round. Coverage has improved in the villages in response to these leaders making announcements from the mosques after Friday prayers.

World Vision (WV) used drum beating in resistant areas, which was found to be quite effective. In addition, rickshaw miking, rallies, mosque announcements, and wall writings were used to create awareness and increase booth participation. Most significantly, WV visited 8,800 non-acceptor households for counseling, and held 950 "influencer" meetings. The report notes that the timely involvement of influential leaders, such as district authorities, has been important to ensure political support. Involving religious leaders in planning and implementation of social mobilisation campaigns helps to ensure the acceptability of the messages and thereby improve coverage.

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