Immunization advocates were part of the first ever Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa (MCIA) that brought many people together including leaders, health and Finance Ministers, technical experts, policymakers, donors and medias.  This article will presents you the voice of few advocates, who have been participated on MCIA, and showed their dedication, commitment and energy to continue promoting immunization in Africa.

Dr. Hassan Kinyua Omari and Sen. Hon. Harold Kipchumba from kenya and Misbah Lawan Huldidi from Nigeria were some of the immunization advocates who have been participated in this conference. They have been engaged as immunization advocates at different level of their responsibilities in their respective countries. Hope you will enjoy reading their inspiring story as immunization advocates.

The advocates, Hon. Harold Kipchumba from Kenya is a survival of polio that gave his testimony, and shared his personal experience and efforts he has made so far in advocating for immunization. Senator Hon Harold Kipchumba is the polio and immunization good will ambassador from Kenya and he was the UN person of the year 2015 from his efforts in eradicating polio in Kenya through community dialogues and interventions. Sen. Harold Kipchumba talking in the conference said that “Only two drops of vaccine can protect me and any other child from polio. Today it sounds so simple. But that was what I missed that my mother couldn’t get me many years ago, and now we are seated trying to see how to stop it. The sad thing about polio is that it is a life time misery. It is something that we can leave without by getting vaccinated, unfortunately the decision is never with the victim, because they are children. Decisions are made by other including parents, the guardians, community, government, religious and traditional leaders and partners. And that’s why I made a commitment to be the last man standing on crunches for having missed the two drops.”

Senator Hon Harold Kipchumba also made a point about the need to financing vaccine that the governments need to take it as their business, address the inequality and achieve universal coverage so nobody is left behind. Moreover, he also urged the momentum in immunization created by polio be sustained and the need for documenting some aspects applied today that can be used to eliminate and possibly eradicate measles and other diseases tomorrow.

The second advocate for immunization is, Misbah Luwan Huldidi, Chairman for the Association of polio survival in Nigeria and he is also a survival of polio. He also noted that “In Nigeria, polio survivals are part of the contributors that devoted their time for the achievement made so far in eradication of polio and I would ask how the role of polio advocates like me will be sustained in the childhood immunization after the polio eradication.” Misbah L. Huldidi also said that “it seems partners in immunization give less attention to polio survivals, whose livelihood is mainly begging in Africa, in terms of rehabilitation as well as welfare of the polio survivals. I will draw your attention to make provision in terms of making fund available for rehabilitation of polio survival and specially in the area of surgery, improving mobility, formal and informal education, economic empowerment as well as providing employment for those with the qualification.”

Dr. Sheikh Hassan Kinyua Omari is a lecturer at University of Nairobi, consultant and director in different religious networks, as well as peace advocates. He is also an author who published a book on issues of Islamic and also wrote many articles on immunization and other areas of health issues.

Dr. Sheikh Hassan is multi-lingual and holds a PhD in Religion/Leadership and he has been working as immunization advocate for many years since 2001 when he was Imam in Embu Kenya where many people oppose immunization and contributed in transforming communities in Kenya and abroad by advocating for immunization. Sheikh Hassan was among the successful religious leaders who spearheaded advocacy, sensitized and convinced parents to accept immunization as preventive measures and to vaccinate their children where immunization was objected by religious leaders in Kenya. Dr Sheikh Hassan also used to visit mosques in Kenya for advocating for immunization and his vision is to make sure all children in all areas he visited are immunized.

Dr Sheikh Hasson speaking during the conference also noted that, “Research on immunization intervention should be done to understand the situation using the evidence acquired from the data and learn each other.”