Community leaders in Georgia called upon to promote COVID-19 vaccination

Faith leaders and minority group influencers can impact many people’s health-related social behaviours, and they played an important role in strengthening community participation during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are the conclusions of qualitative studies conducted in Georgia among health care workers, older adults, and those with underlying health conditions. Based on the outcomes, the WHO Country Office in Georgia has trained and informed community leaders on COVID-19 vaccination and preventative behaviours. 

To date, around 650 leaders from Christian and Muslim faith groups have been equipped with the necessary knowledge to conduct faith-based gatherings safely, promote the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and infection-prevention measures, and help counter misinformation. The last round of training sessions with community leaders focused on opinion leaders from the Armenian and Azerbaijani minorities in Georgia, who together constitute over 12% of the population. 

Working closely with partner civil society organizations (CSOs) and local authorities, the WHO Country Office interviewed faith leaders and collected frequently asked questions. They then developed a tailored set of key messages to answer all types of questions related to COVID-19, debunk rumours, and address vaccine safety concerns. 

“We relied on civil society organizations that had established networks among faith communities to help us engage with religious leaders,” says Dr Silviu Domente, WHO Representative and Head of WHO Country Office in Georgia. “Eventually, after continuous dialogue, they agreed to attend informational sessions, and share what they learned at religious functions and on social media by participating in online communications campaigns. This is one of the strengths of WHO – the ability to bring miscellaneous stakeholders together, united by a common goal.”

“Faith leaders in Georgia as elsewhere can play a key role in encouraging the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination in their communities,” explains Dr Brett Craig, Technical Officer, WHO/Europe. “Being able to gather and worship together safely is an important need for any religious group. It is therefore essential to engage faith leaders as trusted change agents who can help inform their community members on how to stay safe and reduce their risk, including with vaccination.”  

“At the beginning of our efforts to engage with faith leaders, we were met with some reluctance, perhaps in part because we had never worked directly with religious communities before,” says Dr David Raminashvili, National Professional Officer in the WHO Country Office in Georgia and the project lead. However, the innovative collaboration with local CSOs, such as the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and the United Nations Association of Georgia (UNA Georgia), presented a key turning point and helped overcome the initial hesitation. 

After translating the informational material, sessions were conducted in the local languages. “Training local influencers and champions greatly increased our reach among the local communities, who, when they belong to the Armenian and Azerbaijani minorities, may not always speak Georgian and may therefore not benefit fully from public health or other campaigns,” notes Mr Zaza Macharashvili, IOCC representative in Georgia.

During this last phase of the community engagement activities, Mr Zaza Macharashvili explains that they visited the southern regions where the 2 minorities predominantly live, and where vaccination rates against COVID-19 were among the lowest in the country. “It was Armenian and Azerbaijani community members themselves, such as teachers and older people, who approached us and wanted to participate,” he reports.

These community engagement activities were financially supported by the European Union, which is continuing its partnership with WHO/Europe in providing critical assistance to ensure effective COVID-19 vaccination rollout and strengthen immunization systems in the 6 Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.