Results from a field rollout of the Community Engagement Tracking Tool in 20 African countries ( Burundi, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
The Community Engagement (CE) Monitoring Tool was rolled out between July to November in 2022 across 20 African countries. Findings confirm that CE both serves the needs of RoC, and also reduces unnecessary burdens on the health system. Approximately 120 people across the 20 countries were involved in the data collection process and engaged mainly with Ministry of Health officials and civil society representatives. The key findings and corresponding recommendations bring further insight into levels of engagement and how to strengthen meaningful community engagement in countries rolling out DSD programs.
Essentially, the experience of each of the 20 countries tracking CE is a rich source of learning practices, and country-to-country learning should be promoted to build capacity on successful strategies and incentive action in countries where CE is low, or activities have not been conducted. Partners were also able to build new relationships with authorities and partners, creating potential opportunities to have an impact on their institutional frameworks. Countries also realized the added value of community engagement and the role of communities in HIV responses, having a clear picture of gaps.