Supporting the COVID-19 Response; Advocacy Initiative to scale up and sustain Community COVID Testing in underserved communities of Uganda.
Background and Problem
COVID-19 remains a serious health threat to the people of Uganda. Testing for the disease remains a challenge to many individuals For example; reliable testing which is crucial to support effective monitoring of transmission levels to inform public health decision-making, track variants of concern and support studies on vaccine efficacy isn’t widely implemented due to limited availability of testing sites, low public awareness and a weak community health system and expensive privately provided testing services.
Our Approach
This project aims to engage in advocacy initiatives geared at supporting the roll-out and sustenance of community-level COVID-19 testing through increasing awareness and use of PoC COVID testing tools (COVID-19 Ag-RDTs) in underserved communities, creation of an enabling environment with a supportive legal framework to integrate and sustain COVID-19 response innovations. This is being done through;
- Conducting participatory evidence generation on the critical barriers hindering the roll-out and/or scale-up of a sustained and integrated community COVID testing approach in marginalized and underserved communities in Uganda;
- Enhancing public awareness and demand for COVID-testing among vulnerable groups in underserved communities in Uganda;
- Advocating for an enabling environment that supports the roll-out and sustenance of an integrated community COVID testing approach in marginalized and underserved communities in Uganda.
Implementation Partner: Health Poverty Action
Donor Support: The Global Fund