October 2022 — The youth-focused Zwakala Campaign was launched 2 years ago with the support of UNICEF South Africa, UN Verified, USAID, Accenture, Aurum, the Centre for HIV-AIDS Prevention Studies, Youth Health Africa, and the Community Media Trust. Supporting the National Department of Health’s vaccine demand acceleration strategy, the Zwakala Campaign has played a critical role in providing the right information about the COVID-19 vaccine and mobilizing communities to get vaccinated. So far, the Campaign has reached 50 million people across the country and accelerated vaccination among young people.

The Zwakala Campaign involves on-the-ground, door-to-door mobilization efforts and multi-media advocacy campaigns. To address vaccine hesitancy and support vaccine uptake in South Africa, teams of trained Zwakala community mobilizers go door-to-door to bring vaccines to where people are, making it easy to get vaccinated. Young mobilizers also share the facts about vaccination, respond to myths and misinformation, and assist young people in making informed decisions about their health and those around them. The young ‘COVID Champions’ also use hashtags (#TakeYourShot and #IDoItForYou) on social media to encourage their friends to get vaccinated, wear masks, keep social distancing, and ventilate to protect themselves and the ones they love.

Click here to watch the story of how the Zwakala campaign came to life across South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.