Welcome to the 20th issue of the COVID-19 Hygiene Hub news bulletin which marks the first anniversary of our launch.
In this issue, we are very excited to bring you our new learning brief on disability and inclusion in COVID-19 prevention programmes. We also highlight our collection of webinar recordings and share with you two new case studies, one about tracking and responding to community perceptions about COVID-19 in two provinces in Zimbabwe, and one on empowering women through mobile technology to combat COVID-19 in Kenya.
If you have a question for the Hygiene Hub, need technical support or would like to share your project, get in touch with us at support@hygienehub.info.
Learning briefs
This month, we are delighted to share with you a new Hygiene Hub learning brief that summarises 10 lessons learnt about how COVID-19 prevention programmes can be inclusive of people with disabilities, older adults and caregivers. In the brief, we also suggest key actions that can help you strengthen your inclusion planning, implementation and monitoring.
In the weeks to come, we look forward to bringing you another learning brief that will focus lessons for monitoring and evaluation that have emerged from global COVID-19 response programming. Please also check out our previous learning brief on hand hygiene promotion.
Technical resources
Our collection of now almost 200 technical resources is designed to support you in your COVID-19 response by giving you access to the relevant evidence and guidance. We continue to add to the collection and update the resources as new evidence becomes available.
All of our technical resources are available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. Please email us at support@hygienehub.info if you have requests or ideas for future resources.
Webinars
The Hygiene Hub has co-hosted and contributed to over 40 webinars and workshops since we launched a year ago. You can find recordings of many of these sessions on our website.
Some of the highlights include:
Adapting to the vaccine roll-out: What does it mean for WASH staff and COVID-19 prevention programmes?
Communications to increase COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake
Principles of behaviour change
What are nudges and how can you apply them?
What have we learnt about changing behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Process evaluations: understanding how your programme is going and how to address challenges in COVID-19
Working with governments: Practical tips for integrating behaviour change into the national agenda
Sharing case studies on COVID-19 response programmes
Our first case study this month comes from Action Contre la Faim (ACF) who are using the Community Perception Tracker (CPT) process originally developed by Oxfam to follow, and respond to, perceptions about COVID-19 in communities in Zimbabwe and Kenya.
In this case study, ACF reflect on their experience rolling out the CPT in Zimbabwe’s Bulawayo and Masvingo provinces for the first time and provide insights into how the tool was used during the pandemic by ACF and their local partners Nutrition Action Zimbabwe and Africa AHEAD to adapt ongoing programmes to increase their impact.
Image: Capturing perceptions related to COVID-19 in Chawarura Quarantine Centre, Mashonaland Central, Zimbabwe.
Our second case study this month is about using mobile technology to drive behaviour change and empower women in Kenya.
The case study explores how Every1Mobile adapted content for their ‘U Afya’ platform - a virtual community of over 10,000 mothers and mothers-to-be living in low-income communities across Kenya - and provided women with a range of tools to encourage COVID-19 prevention behaviour in particular among and for the most vulnerable community members.
Image: Face mask selfies shared by mothers on Every1Mobile’s ‘U Afya’ digital platform to encourage other mums to wear a mask.
Why not share your own experience with the sector?
If you would like to share your work and contribute to our collection of case studies, please contact claire.collin@lshtm.ac.uk. We are particularly keen to hear about programmes that incorporate advocacy, policy or sustainability components.
Social media channels
Follow us on Twitter @hygiene_hub, Facebook @covid19hygienehub and LinkedIn to get updates from the Hygiene Hub through our social media channels.