The Better Opportunities for Optimal Services Targeted (BOOST) Immunisation Project has intensified efforts to address the challenge of zero-dose and under-immunised children in Kano State through strategic community engagement with the Kano State Tricycle Association Forum (KASTAF).
The BOOST project, implemented by Save the Children International with funding support from GlaxoSmithKline, paid an advocacy visit to the leadership of KASTAF in collaboration with the Kano State Community of Practice on Immunisation, Budget Tracking, Advocacy and Accountability (KN CoP).
The engagement seeks to strengthen partnerships with influential community groups capable of supporting efforts to improve routine immunisation coverage and reach children who have not received any vaccines.
KASTAF, one of the largest male-dominated associations in Kano with an estimated membership of over 100,000 tricycle operators, plays a critical role in community mobilisation due to its daily interaction with residents across urban and peri-urban communities.
During the meeting, the KASTAF State Chairman and members of the association’s executive leadership commended the initiative and pledged their support toward the success of the BOOST project.
The association committed to supporting awareness campaigns among tricycle operators and passengers, encouraging immunisation compliance across communities, and addressing social barriers such as husband restrictions and other forms of non-compliance that often limit routine immunisation uptake.
Representatives of the BOOST project emphasised the importance of leveraging existing community structures to improve vaccine acceptance and ensure that life-saving vaccines reach underserved populations.
The advocacy team was led by the BOOST Project Policy and Advocacy Officer alongside the Co-Chair of the KN CoP and other members of the coalition.
The meeting took place at the KASTAF State Secretariat in Kano and marks another step in strengthening community-driven efforts aimed at reducing preventable childhood illnesses and ensuring that every child receives life-saving vaccines.