Considering that AQH project aims to increase the use of primary health services by all Kosovo citizens including socially vulnerable populations, a series of educational sessions were organized in project Municipalities to promote immunizations. The participants of these sessions were: mothers, fathers and caregivers from urban, peri-urban and rural areas with a focus on Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities with lower levels of education who do not take their children to immunization or drop out; as well as community leaders including health mediators, religious leaders and civil society.
The reason that these sessions are important is that according to Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2013-2014 (MICS), less than one third of RAE children aged 24-35 months old are fully immunized (30%) in accordance with the Kosovo immunization schedule. These sessions were organized by 3 NGOs (KOPF for Prishtina region, Mundesia for Mitrovica region and AHED for Gjakova region) which are contracted by AQH project to conduct health education and health promotion activities in our municipalities including training of community groups. The total number of community members that attended the educational sessions on immunization from 12 Municipalities was 1,503 (865 female and 638 male). In the coming months, AQH project will continue to work with these NGOs to provide educational sessions to community on different topics, including Hypertension and Diabetes which are part of service packages.