CHRR takes Covid-19 vaccine to the visually impaired
About 21 people with visual and hearing impairments were vaccinated against Covid-19 on Monday and Tuesday while many others accessed Coronavirus messages following a campaign launched by the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) in Salima and Lilongwe.
CHRR provided the awareness messages contained in braille pamphlets and disseminated related information through mobile vans in traditional authorities (T/As) Khombedza and Kalonga in Salima and Chiseka and Kalolo in Lilongwe.
Visually impaired people receiving the vaccination after getting messages
CHRR projects coordinator Tamara Mhone said the organisation is running a strengthening community involvement and access to relevant Covid-19 messages in Malawi targeting people with virtual and hearing problems in the four T/As with funding from Commonwealth Foundation.
“We did a study in the four T/As and we found that people with disabilities, especially those with visual and hearing problems are not considered when designing and disseminating Covid-19 awareness messages, as such, very few of them if any got the jab,” she said.
Mhone said even access to hygiene facilities such as hand-washing facilities was poor among the people with disabilities due to their non-conducive nature and lack of proper messages on Covid-19.
James Kachipapa, a senior health surveilance assistant from Namitete, one of the communities where the campaign took place in Lilongwe, said the approach by CHRR proved to be effective in the fight against Covid-19 among people with different disabilities.
“The campaign is impressive as both the designing of the materials, the approach taken to deliver the messages and the response from the community are effective,” he said.
Uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine, has received huge resistance ever since its launch largely due to myths, misconceptions about the vaccines and lack of proper information.
