The CORE Group has worked since 1997 to advance the field of community health by developing case studies, analyzing research data, creating training curricula and conducting workshops, developing monitoring and evaluation trainings and tools, fostering in-country collaboration, diffusing Innovations, and advocating for Community Approaches to Health. In Ethiopia, the CORE Group Polio Project (CGPP) was established in November 2001 to createa forum for partnership and collaboration with local NGOs and international private voluntary organizations (PVOs) with the goal of implementing polio eradication activities through promotion of immunization and community-based surveillance in hard-to-reach and high-risk border areas of the country.
The CGPP Ethiopia secretariat is currently hosted by the Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Associations (CCRDA) and closely collaborates with five international PVOs (Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, World Vision Ethiopia, International Rescue Committee and Amref Health Africa), and four local NGOs (Pastoralist Concern, Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane-Yesus, and Organization for Welfare and Development in Action). In addition, the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry Of Agriculture (MOA), Environment Wild Life Conservation Authority (EWCA), WHO, UNICEF, and Rotary International are close allies of the CORE Group Project in Ethiopia.
The CGPP is expanding its existing community-based polio and immunization programs to broaden community capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats.
CGPP Ethiopia believes that integrating Priority Zoonotic Diseases (PZD) into its existing Community Based Vaccine-Preventable disease (VPD) Surveillance system serves to significantly contribute to not only polio eradication but to the prevention, detection and response for priority zoonotic diseases in hard-to-reach, pastoralist areas and along the international borders.
Project Focus/Name:
Integrated One Health Community Based Surveillance
Budget Source:
Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) through USAID
Project Life:
October 2018 – September 2021
Objectives
- Building effective partnerships between government, PVOs, NGOs, bilateral and multilateral agencies at all levels
- Establish and strengthen Community Based VPDs and PZDs Surveillance for early case detection, notification, and reporting
- Improve risk communication capacities, documentation and community engagement
- Strengthen cross-border collaboration for Polio eradication and PZDs
- Improve outbreak preparedness and response capacities at the community and health facility levels
GHSA and Polio Program Synergies
Due to CGPP Ethiopia’s strong history of community-based surveillance (CBS) in critical and hard-to-reach cross-border areas, the CGPP is well-positioned to integrate GHSA activities. GHSA community-based surveillance, risk communication, and social mobilization activities to prevent, detect, and respond to priority zoonotic diseases as well as other diseases of national importance have been folded into the existing project’s activities and areas. The integration of GHSA principles and training on priority diseases, both zoonotic and vaccine-preventable, builds upon the existing project infrastructure to create strong synergistic linkages that will maintain the current high levels of quality acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance while expanding the scope of surveillance to include additional priority diseases defined by Ethiopia.
Project Focus Action packages
- Zoonotic Disease
- Surveillance
- Risk Communication
- Emergency Preparedness
Project area:
Benishangul Gumuz Region (all zones), Gambella Region (all zones), Oromia (Kelem Wolega and Borena Zones), SNNP (Bench Maji and South Omo Zones), and Somali Region (Siti, Shebele, Dollo, Afdher, Liban and Dawa Zones).
Project Focus on Zoonotic Diseases:
Rabies, Anthrax, Brucellosis, and unusual health events in animals including die-offs and abortion storms
Stakeholders:
Individuals/Champions, Community members, Donors, Government and Private One Health actors working at different levels
Program implementers:
Frontline workers (Animal Health Technicians and Health Extension Workers) and their supervisors at health centers and in CGPP catchment areas
Partners: EPHI, MOA, UN agencies, National One Health Steering Committee, One Health Taskforces.
What we do:
CORE Group Polio and Global Health Security Project (CGP-GHSP) employs numerous strategies such as Community Volunteer training, social mobilization, mainstreaming of surveillance activities into religious and school systems, community case searching and reporting, information sharing, support of outbreak response activities, technical and logistical coordination of campaign activities, support for mobile and outreach immunization activities, and conducting periodic supportive supervision and review meetings through implementing partners and secretariat.
- Community-based surveillance
- Risk Communication and Community Engagement
- Outbreak preparedness and response
CBS on Prioritized Zoonotic diseases have been implemented to achieve the following Joint External Evaluation (JEE) indicators:
- Coordinated surveillance systems in place
- Surveillance systems
- Use of electronic tools
- Communication engagement with affected communities
- Addressing perceptions, risky behaviors and misinformation
- Strategic emergency risk assessments conducted and emergency resources identified and mapped
- National multisectoral multi-hazard emergency preparedness measures
Point of Contact:
Dr. Filimona Bisrat
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+251 11 4 393332