Information Saves Lives: Health Response Fund

Thank you so much for your support of Internews' work around the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are just a few examples of what your generosity has made possible:

Internews Health project launched to promote vaccine equity in Sub-Sharan Africa 

Internews has formed a partnership with IMA (Interchurch Medical Assistance) and the African Church Health association (ACHAP) in a new 2-year project to help Promote COVID-19 Vaccine Equity through Faith-Based Networks in Africa. The project seeks to reduce the loss of life and spread of COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to global health security through targeted capacity strengthening of Christian Health Association networks.

Systems for Pandemic Preparedness Twitter Spaces Event

In June, the Health Journalism Nertwork (HJN) hosted it’s second successful Twitter Spaces event focused on health systems strengthening and pandemic preparedness. The conversation explored the question for journalists, “how do we move beyond the panic and neglect cycle of disease outbreaks?” Moderated by multi award-winning Nigerian journalist, Ruona Meyer, the event featured Dr. Aday Adetosoye from Management Sciences for Health, Dr. Sujatha Rao, former Secretary of Health in India, as well as Courtney Carson from the Pandemic Action Network. Read the highlights and find the recordinghere.

New HJN podcast: Social Media Listening

There is a lot of talk around “social media listening” these days, especially in the health sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing challenges like vaccine uptake. But, what does it actually mean and what are some of the inherent limitations of this practice? Hear this answer and much more directly from Irene Scott, Senior Humanitarian Community Engagement Project Manager at Internews who wrote her Master’s thesis on this very subject. You will come away with a much better understanding about the digital space. This is a two-part conversation of 15 minutes each. You can listen to both parts of this episode on the HJN website’s podcast page here.

Other activities included:

- Two South Asian Media Dialogues, one of which was held in partnership with The Accountability Lab and featured star guest, Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, a Houston, Texas, doctor who has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Bottazzi is part of the duo who have worked on a low-cost COVID-19 vaccine, CORBEVAX, for low and middle-income countries.

- A West Africa Media Dialogue featured with Dr. Mosoka Fallah, an epidemiologist an immunologist known as the virus hunter of West Africa, who did pioneering work in the Ebola response and now the Technical Assistance Team Lead for the “Saving Lives and Livelihoods (SLL) Programme” within the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

- Two Global Media Dialogues:

• Unpacking Immunity (in May) featuring three top immunologists, who are also skilled at communicating complex concepts in their field: Dr. James E. Crowe, Jr., director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center; Dr. Jennifer Juno, T cell immunologist at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; and Dr. Erica Saphire, professor of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and lead for CoVIC;and
• Unpacking COVAX (in March) featuring Dr. Seth Berkley, whom Time Magazine named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World for his work at the Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). Dr. Berkeley is now Gavi CEO and COVAX co-lead. This was a dive deep into the effort to provide equitable global vaccine access and to clarify common misconceptions.

- Two Eastern-European Media Dialogues on the role of journalists telling the vaccine story in a region where audiences seem to have tuned out. Read more.

- Even as the Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted life and news flows in the region, in-depth vaccine related stories were produced via story grants and mentoring support in Uzbekistan, Belarus and Moldova.

Close to 500 journalists and partners participated in the events above.