Deadline: 11-Aug-2025
UNICEF is inviting experienced and qualified organizations to express their interest in improving vaccination coverage in Djibouti’s Tadjourah region. The initiative aims to support the national Expanded Vaccination Program (PEV) and enhance community engagement in organizing and accessing healthcare services, especially in remote areas.
Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective public health measures, protecting against deadly and preventable diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, mumps, pneumonia, and rubella. According to the World Health Organization, vaccines prevent between 3.5 and 5 million deaths each year. Despite the availability of vaccines, many children remain unvaccinated. In Djibouti, an estimated 2,131 children had not received any dose of the pentavalent vaccine as of 2023. These “zero-dose” children are among the most vulnerable.
This call for interest is part of UNICEF’s effort to boost vaccine coverage in the Tadjourah region by encouraging community participation. The region includes 11 health posts and one regional medical center. Each health facility has a designated sector where it is responsible for delivering vaccination services. However, children in remote areas often miss out, either because vaccination campaigns don’t reach them or due to lack of community involvement when services are offered.
Interested organizations will be tasked with strengthening collaboration between health facilities and local communities. Their responsibilities will include identifying villages and communities within each health sector, mobilizing and educating these populations about the importance of vaccination, and setting up community structures such as local health committees and community relays.
Community relays will receive training to raise awareness, locate unvaccinated children, and help organize outreach vaccination sessions in remote villages. These activities will be supervised regularly to ensure effectiveness and consistency.
The project aims to increase overall vaccine coverage across Tadjourah, enhance community participation in healthcare delivery, and significantly reduce the number of zero-dose children. The expected outcome is a comprehensive mapping of all villages, each linked to a health facility and supported by an active local health committee.
Each health structure will maintain an updated list of the villages under its responsibility, including the number of inhabitants. Community health structures will be functional and ensure that all villages are involved in planning and delivering vaccination services.
Villages will be responsible for tracking monthly births, monitoring ongoing vaccinations, and organizing at least one vaccination session each month. Performance will be tracked through specific indicators such as the number of births reported, the number of zero-dose children identified, and the number of children vaccinated in each village.
This initiative will take place in the Tadjourah region of Djibouti and focuses on health and immunization as its primary areas of specialization.
For more information, visit UNICEF.
