Report from the Afghanistan Southern / Eastern Region Polio Communication Review

This report outlines recommendations presented at the conclusion of the second Afghanistan Polio Communication Review, held in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 14-15 2008. The Review focused on polio communication programmes in the Southern and Eastern Regions. Recommendations were generated by a panel of four health communication and behaviour change specialists who had prior programme experience in Afghanistan and with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative: Jeffrey Bates, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); Thomas Moran, the World Health Organization (WHO); Chris Morry, The Communication Initiative; and Dr. Shinwari, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The recommendations were based on the panellists' review of available country documents, including supplemental immunisation activity (SIA) action plans, a 2007 knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) survey, and current data collection forms. Presentations from national, regional, and provincial polio communication focal points updated panellists on the immediate programme challenges and new initiatives.

The report recognised the substantial work of national, regional, and provincial teams in strengthening polio communication under increasingly difficult and insecure circumstances and commended the efforts of the programme. While the Review Panel acknowledged the significant work done at all levels from government and supporting partners, it raised concern that progress had been slower than expected on recommendations from 2007 and that full achievement of many of the recommendations would require considerable and timely action. The report measured progress towards recommendations made at the Afghanistan Polio Communication Review Meeting held in September 2007 and offered new recommendations designed to build on progress to date.

New recommendations, outlined in the second section of this document, focused on the areas of:

• Analysis and the setting of objectives.
• Data use in communication planning, monitoring, and evaluation - primarily in the areas of collection, analysis, setting objectives, and reporting.
• Human resource and capacity development - focused on ensuring adequate human resource capacity to implement the recommendations.
• Advocacy - particularly regarding: recording issues; activities to address the issues; results; and linking efforts from global, country, provincial, and district levels.
• Coordination and integration - with an emphasis on communication and operational staff participating in joint planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Media - to improve coordination at all levels and maximise impact through targeted alliances and message development based on data.
• Strengthening links to routine immunisation - in order to take advantage of all opportunities in polio eradication to promote immunisation service delivery and client demand.

Annexes are included to provide examples of charts, forms, and other materials referred to in the report.

Click here to download the full report as a Word document.