“Because vaccines save lives”
Supporting cold-chain management in the Western Cape
The cold chain is a logistics management process for products that require specifically refrigerated temperatures. This involves performing a chain of tasks to prepare, store, and transport products along the cold supply chain. Failure to keep cold chain products cold will render them unusable, which leads to a wastage of the products. When cold products go bad, everyone loses. This is particularly the case with life-saving vaccines.
At the request of the National Department of Health, UNICEF recruited and appointed 5 consultants to provide vaccine and cold chain management support at provincial level. Successful cold chain management ensures that temperature-sensitive vaccines are kept within optimal temperature ranges and are thus fully effective. It is a process that requires a sound technical understanding of cold chain management and on the ground monitoring.
It was against this background that Lizette Monteith was appointed by UNICEF in March 2021 to work with the Western Cape Department of Health on effective vaccine management activities for all immunizations including the COVID -19 vaccination roll out.
Over the course of several months, Lizette has been travelling to health facilities across the Western Cape where she works with practitioners to ensure that the cold chain system is working as effectively as possible – and thereby ensuring that vaccines are stored and managed correctly.
These images document the impact of this critical work while telling the story of the difference that UNICEF, with the support of our partners in the donor community and Government, is making. UNICEF South Africa’s work to strengthen the country’s vaccination systems is made possible thanks to the generous support of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, as well as other partners.
