Where vaccines mean life
- 1 April 2020
- 3 min read
![Credit: Save the children – Najma teaser image](/sites/default/files/thumbnail/najma_teaserimage_1133487767%20%281%29.jpg)
The vaccination program giving communities hope
Living in a remote part of the Somali region of Ethiopia, far from medical care, ten-year-old Najma and her seven siblings have had to contend with all kinds of illness.
It’s something that upsets Najma a lot. “I have seen my sister sick and coughing because of disease. When I see my sister and brother sick, I get sad,” she says.
Their village is more than half an hour away from a main road and a very long distance from any medical facilities or schools. It’s a place where Najma and her family struggle to survive, let alone thrive, amid drought, conflict and frequent illness.
![Photo: SaveTheChildren / Hanna Adcock Photo: SaveTheChildren / Hanna Adcock](/sites/default/files/body/2020-04/CH1392127_h2.jpg)
Ifra Mahamud, 25, is a health worker carrying out vaccinations in Degehabur District in the Somali Region, Ethiopia. She’s a government employee who has been trained by Save the Children. Ifra is motivated to serve her community and enjoys her community outreach work.
Photo: Save The Children / Hanna Adcock
The immunisation program
In such a remote location, prevention is the main form of healthcare and the whole community rallies round each time healthcare visitors, that are trained by Save the Children, arrive. The healthcare visitors bring vaccines that protect against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib disease. Elders go from house to house, mothers put other anxious parents at ease and curious teenagers come to watch their baby siblings get their injections. It’s a family affair and an opportunity that every generation is embracing. It’s an initiative that’s saving lives and giving people hope.
Recently, Najma’s nine-month-old sister Tufah was given her final vaccination against a common childhood killer - measles.
Tufah is healthy and well thank
Measles infects the most people. Polio also used to infect many people but after the vaccinations and the awareness-raising, rates are now low.
Photo: Save The Children / Hanna Adcock
![Photo: SaveTheChildren / Hanna Adcock Photo: SaveTheChildren / Hanna Adcock](/sites/default/files/body/2020-04/CH1392131_h2.jpg)
Tufah is healthy and well thanks to the vaccinations. Previously we didn't have this program, so we had no vaccinations. When Save the Children came around, we felt relief and confidence. We are not afraid of outbreaks now.
![Photo: Hanna Adcock / Save the Children Photo: Hanna Adcock / Save the Children](/sites/default/files/body/2020-04/najma_bodycopy_1133487770.jpg)
The immunisation worker
Save the Children supported the training of Ifra Mahamud, who vaccinated Tufah along with other members in the community. It’s a relief to her that Tufah is finally protected against measles.
“Measles infects the most people. Polio also used to infect many people but after the vaccinations and the awareness-raising, rates are now low.”
She’s seen how community attitudes have changed over the years towards the immunisation program, and how it’s protecting more children than ever before.
“The community feels very great. They welcome me warmly and come for the vaccination from very far away. As for fear, it used to be there in the past, but now people know there is nothing to be afraid of.”
![Photo: SaveTheChildren / Hanna Adcock Photo: SaveTheChildren / Hanna Adcock](/sites/default/files/body/2020-04/Ifra_700px_0.jpg)
Recommended for you
![Mpox virus: colorized transmission electron micrograph of mpox virus particles (pink) found within an infected cell (yellow), cultured in the laboratory. Credit: NIAID](/sites/default/files/vaccineswork/2024/Header/micrograph-of-mpox-virus-particles-cultured-in-laboratory-NIAID.jpg)
![Extreme heat impacts the vulnerable the most – a One Health approach is needed. Image: Unsplash/Ibrahim Rifath](/sites/default/files/vaccineswork/2024/Header/wef-climate-health-crisis-unsplash-Ibrahim-Rifath.jpg)
![Dr Yao Kassia, Deputy Director of the Expanded Program on Immunization Coordination (DCPEV), near the cold storage units at the DCPEV in Abidjan on 12 July 2024. Credit: Gavi/Miléquêm Diarassouba](/sites/default/files/vaccineswork/2024/Header/DrYaoKossia_h1.jpg)
![A patient has her blood pressure checked by a doctor at at Juba Teaching Hospital in South Sudan. Credit: Winnie Cirino](/sites/default/files/vaccineswork/2024/Header/Patient-woman-blood-pressure-checked_Winnie-Cirino.jpg)