The African Institute for Health and Development (AIHD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 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 is a collaborative communication style used to strengthen a persons’ own motivation and commitment to change. It is 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 is cognizant of the fact that vaccine confidence is increasingly globalized as national and diaspora communities are better connected through mobile phone technology and social media. Evidence through the use of the technology and social media shows that the Somali community has 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.