If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again: CLA to Improve COVID-19 Vaccination in DRC

The MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity project aims to strengthen routine immunization programs and support the introduction and use of COVID-19 vaccines. In early 2022, faced with one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccine coverage rates in the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health (MOH) tested an outreach strategy to make vaccines more accessible. With support from the project, the province of Kinshasa implemented the strategy and embedded approaches to continually learn and adapt during implementation and subsequent phases there, and inform its transfer to other provinces. Daily debriefing identified implementation bottlenecks in real-time, and an openness to problem-solving and excellent coordination among Kinshasa province staff and the project ensured rapid adaptive management. The initial phase of the strategy was implemented successfully, but additional pause and reflect sessions identified additional adaptations, which when applied doubled the number of people vaccinated in the second phase.

Based on this experience, the project has been able to adapt and share best practices with other provinces, and an ongoing commitment to learning and improvement will accelerate progress toward DRC’s COVID-19 vaccination goals.