On a World Youth Skills Day, a new youth led public health campaign launched with support from UNICEF and USAID

TSKALTUBO, Georgia, 15 July 2022 – More than 130 adolescents from 63 municipalities participated in a voluntary educational initiative ‘Georgian Youth for Vaccination’ implemented by UNICEF in partnership with the NGOs, Helping Hand and the Association of Immunization and Vaccinology (AIVA), with support from USAID.

The goal of the initiative launched in Tskaltubo on a World Youth Skills Day was to raise awareness in adolescents regarding COVID-19 vaccination as well as routine vaccination, and to contribute to increasing the vaccination rates in the target municipalities.

“On a World Youth Skills Day, I would like to highlight that it is crucial for young people to have the skills required to thrive, particularly in future employment opportunities, decent work, and entrepreneurship”, said Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Representative in Georgia. “Great that young people have been actively engaged in the vaccination promotion campaign to educate communities about the importance of vaccination and they have also enhanced their skills and experience through this initiative”, added Khalil.

Volunteers participating in the campaign had already completed a three-day training, moderated by experts from AIVA through which they gained important knowledge and experience. After the event, the adolescent volunteers will conduct information campaigns about the importance of immunization in their communities as peer educators. They will actively work within the hygiene clubs to further spread the information about immunization and to involve more young people into the campaign.

UNICEF has been actively supporting the Government in promoting COVID-19 vaccination in Georgia. The ongoing project “The Preventing and Responding to COVID-19 in Georgia” with financial support from USAID has further helped the Government in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and minimizing the overall impact of the pandemic through: risk communication and community engagement; improved infection, prevention and control measures and water, sanitation and hygiene services; and provision of critical equipment and supplies to strengthen health services for the prevention and management of COVID-19, including COVID-19 vaccination and eHealth services.

About USAID in Georgia: As the leading development agency of the U.S. Government, USAID supports Georgia to build the capacity to plan, finance, and implement its own solutions to development challenges. USAID has worked in Georgia since 1992, supporting the country’s transformation into a developing democracy that is increasingly integrated into Western political, security, and economic institutions. More than 30 USAID programs strengthen Georgia's resilience to malign influence, consolidate democratic gains through enhanced citizen responsive governance, and enable high-value employment through increased economic growth.  For more information, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/georgia.