Session 2: Lessons Learned from CSOs on Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines

The second session of Boost’s Listening and Learning Series took place on May 25, 2021. For this session, we were joined again by Nqobizitha Ndlovu, the Africa Regional Director for Adaptive Change Advisors, as he facilitated dialogue among a diverse group of panelists to discuss the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in advocating for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Throughout the discussion, panelists emphasized that CSOs are critical to accessing hard-to-reach populations and that many CSOs have utilized innovative approaches to develop communications to reach groups including women in rural areas, informal workers and other vendors. CSOs continue to hold governments accountable to ensure that these populations are reached while also advocating for increased human resources to support pandemic response. Ultimately, partnerships between governments, civil society and the community have been drivers of increased vaccination rates.