As participants of the Sisonke Programme, our Nomakhayas (Community Health Workers) have been vaccinated!
Since the beginning of the pandemic, our dedicated Nomakhayas visit community members across all four Xhora Mouth villages (±650 homesteads) to conduct COVID-19 screenings, refer sick patients to our local Health Point for testing, disseminate masks, provide health education, and support mental and emotional wellbeing. As we anticipate and prepare for a possible 3rd wave of COVID-19 in South Africa, it has been an urgent priority for our Nomakhayas to be vaccinated.
Due to lack of access to healthcare facilities, many adults in our communities have never been vaccinated. With additional influences of misinformation and slow government roll-out, scepticism and vaccine hesitancy in our communities is a growing concern. In order to educate, build trust, and provide relevant information about vaccines, we launched our Vaccine Literacy Campaign.
Since March, the Nomakhayas have used the Vaccine Literacy Storyboards as educational tools during home-visits to promote vaccine readiness. Prior to the campaign, many Nomakhayas themselves were unsure if they would take the vaccine. However, using the vaccine literacy tools over time has alleviated worries, and our Nomakhayas have become our vaccine champions. We are proud to share that all of our eligible Nomakhayas agreed to be vaccinated, and are now protected to continue vital frontline care for our communities.
As key leaders in our communities, our Nomakhayas are trailblazing the fight to end the COVID-19 pandemic!
