The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, a program of the Africa CDC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is improving COVID-19 vaccine uptake using people-centred approaches. The program is built on the premise that building trust and understanding community context is key in program interventions.
By engaging with local communities and leaders, community health workers have addressed misinformation and built trust to foster community-led action. The success of this approach in Sierra Leone highlights the importance of action-oriented partnerships in strengthening health systems in Africa.
The Mastercard Foundation is deploying $1.5 billion in partnership with the Africa CDC to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Africa, hastening the continent’s economic recovery. This bold partnership ensures vaccine equity for Africa by purchasing vaccines for more than 65 million people, supporting the delivery of vaccinations to millions more, and integrating into and supporting the delivery of routine immunization, ensuring the strengthening of African public health systems.
The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is assuring the long-term health security of the continent by developing the workforce for vaccine manufacturing in Africa and strengthening the Africa CDC. This partnership is an enabler of and a contributor to the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy, which seeks to enable 30 million young people, particularly young women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.