Africa CDC Saving Lives and Livelihoods Initiative Commences Implementation in Kenya

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July 22, 2022, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has commenced the Country implementation of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods (SLL) initiative in Kenya to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination. The vaccination drive is coming when the country is experiencing the 6th wave of COVID-19 infection, with only 32% of the adult population fully vaccinated.

The Africa CDC Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is a $1.5bn partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and launched in June 2021 to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for at least 65 million people and support the delivery to millions across the continent.

Right: Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi, representing CS Mutahi Kagwe, during the launch of mass nationwide COVID-19 vaccination in Murang’a county supported by the Africa CDC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation on Friday 22nd July 2022. The event also marked the commencement of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative implementation by the Africa CDC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and the Government of Kenya to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the country.

A total of $ 3 million of the fund has been provided to kickstart the implementation in Kenya.

The initiative will synergize the efforts of the Government, Africa CDC, and other partners in increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake. The implementation campaign will focus on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), vaccine capacity, logistics, and vaccine surveillance to enable Kenya to reach its COVID-19 vaccination target.

“Today, as we launch the mass vaccine campaign by the Government of Kenya, we are very much honoured to launch the country implementation of Saving Lives and Livelihoods in Kenya by Africa CDC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation,” said Dr Achamyelesh Debela, the Coordinator of the Africa CDC Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre.

From Right: Jackline Kiarie – Amref Health Africa, Wariko Waita – Head of Program Communications at the Mastercard Foundation, Dr Mosoka Fallah – Technical Assistant Team, Saving Lives and Livelihoods, Africa CDC, Dr Achamyelesh Kifle, Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre, Coordinator, Africa CDC, and Kelvin Ngereso, Red Cross Kenya, during the commencement of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative implementation by the Africa CDC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and the Government of Kenya to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the country on Friday 22nd July 2022.

In this support, the Saving lives and Livelihoods initiative and the Ministry of Health have planned a target of more than 8,000 outreaches while strengthening 672 COVID-19 vaccination centres and vaccinating more than 1m within 12 months in selected counties.

Previously, the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative under the Urgent Support program for Kenya and the pooled fund provided a total of $1.4m to administer 286,822 COVID-19 vaccines and trained 5,544 vaccinators, 2,638 data, and records personnel as well as 2,850 community health volunteers; and further deployed mobile vaccination teams in five counties.

Dr Achamyelesh Kifle, the Eastern Africa Regional Centre Coordinating Center Coordinator, Africa CDC, speaking on Friday 22nd July 2022 during the launch of mass nationwide COVID-19 vaccination in Murang’a county supported by the Africa CDC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. The event also marked the commencement of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative implementation by the Africa CDC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and the Government of Kenya to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the country.

The ultimate goal of the Africa CDC through the Saving lives and Livelihoods program in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is to accelerate the 70% vaccine coverage of the African population by the end of 2022.

About the Saving Lives and Livelihoods Initiative: The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is a three-year, US $1.5 billion partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) designed to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Africa and hasten the economic recovery of the continent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is acquiring vaccines for more than 65 million people, supporting the delivery of vaccinations to millions across the continent, laying the groundwork for vaccine manufacturing in Africa by focusing on human capital development, and strengthening the capacity of Africa CDC. For more information on the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, please visit: https://mastercardfdn.org/faq-saving-lives-and-livelihoods/

About the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)

Africa CDC is a specialized technical institution of the African Union that strengthens the capacity and capability of Africa’s public health institutions as well as partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and outbreaks, based on data-driven interventions and programs. For more information, please visit: http://www.africacdc.org

For media inquiries, please contact: Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Addis Mhiraf Asheber, Communication Officer, Eastern Africa Regional Collaborating Center (Eastern Africa RCC) Email: Addismh@africa-union.org