The African Institute for Health and Development (AIHD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Task Force for Global Health (TFGH) and in collaboration with Nairobi County conducted a field test of a peer-to-peer (P2P) Motivational Interviewing (MI) tool aimed at increasing vaccine confidence and uptake among the Somali community in Kenya. MI tool is a collaborative communication style used to strengthen a persons’ own motivation and commitment to change. It was based on three key components: cultivating a culture of partnership and empathy, fostering engagement in the relationship and targeting the goal of the intervention, and understanding the patient/caregiver and adapting to their specific needs. The project was cognizant of the fact that vaccine confidence was increasingly globalized as national and diaspora communities are better connected through mobile phone technology and social media. Evidence from the use of the technology and social media showed that the Somali community had been affected by low confidence in Mumps, Measles and Rubella (MMR) vaccines in recent years. Therefore, the use of MI was assumed to being particularly a successful tool in the Somali community because it rests on oral forms of communication that are highly valued in the community.
This project applied the examination of training modules to support P2P vaccine conversations in promoting vaccine confidence with a focus on routine childhood vaccinations and coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on the Somalis living in Kenya. It was conducted in Nairobi County within areas with a high Somali population; (Kamukunji, Langata, and Starehe Sub-Counties). The findings from this study are meant to inform future adaptations and implementation of the P2P mobile training tool to the unique needs of Somali diaspora communities in Kenya and worldwide. It is against this background, that a dissemination workshop was held on 24th March 2023 at the Weston Hotel, Nairobi. The meeting aimed mainly at disseminating and validating findings of the P2P field test study. The following key stakeholders were in attendance: representatives from Nairobi County Health Management Team (CHMT), Sub County Health Management Team (SCHMT), community representatives from the three sub counties i.e. Kamukunji, Langata, Starehe and AIHD.