More Than Data: How Human Stories are Building Vaccine Confidence in India

Immunization is one of the most effective ways to protect children’s lives and is crucial for global development. We often see the success of vaccination campaigns through numbers, charts, and statistics. While this data is important, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The real, on-the-groundwork of building trust in vaccines is a human story, built on conversations, persistence and the tireless efforts of community champions.

A collection of these narratives has been included in "Building Confidence in Vaccines," a compendium of human-interest stories from the India GAVI Health System Strengthening Project. This project - a partnership between Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF, supports India’s national immunization programme by working with local community organizations to increase the demand for vaccines, especially among the hardest-to-reach families.

The stories in the compendium are a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when communities lead the way. They are grouped into themes that give a flavour of the incredible work being done.

Everyday Heroes

The compendium shines a light on extraordinary individuals who took it upon themselves to create healthier futures for their communities. One such story is about Imran Hussain, a farmer in Uttar Pradesh. Seeing deep-rooted myths about vaccines in his village, he started a personal mission. He went door-to-door, educating reluctant families and even brought doctors along to provide evidence-based information. He also collaborated with a local Islamic preacher, Maulana Farman Al, to use the weekly sermon to address fears and encourage vaccination weaving the message of health into religious teachings.

Stronger Together

Change is even more powerful when people work together. This collection highlights inspiring collaborations that have strengthened community health. In many villages, volunteers known as ‘Teeka Sakhis’ (vaccination friends) use innovative and gentle approaches to spark conversations among mothers, building trust one chat at a time. In one area, students were trained to become ‘Teeka Doots’ (vaccine messengers). They visited families in the evenings when adults had returned from a long day of work, successfully sharing vital information that health teams struggled to deliver during the day. These efforts have been supported by a wide range of partners including police officers, teachers, and local village councils showing a true whole-of-community effort.

Towards Equity: Reaching the Unreached

A core principle of this work is to ensure that life-saving vaccines reach every child, no matter how remote or marginalized their community may be. The stories show incredible dedication in overcoming barriers. In the village of Janakpur, for instance many daily-wage workers couldn't afford to lose a day's pay to travel long distances to the nearest immunization site. After health workers and mothers from the community came together to make their case directly to district officials, a new local immunization session site was established. This simple but vital change meant that parents no longer had to choose between their livelihood and their children’s health.

These are just a few snapshots from a rich collection of stories that demonstrate how trust is built and lives are changed. They show that behind every vaccination statistic is a network of dedicated individuals—farmers, mothers, teachers and friends—who are the true champions of public health.

To read these inspiring stories in full and to l

earn more about the incredible work of these community champions, you can access the complete compendium here: https://1d52a885-250c-4f27-84bf-a584fd1ac3ee.usrfiles.com/ugd/1d52a8_bcca2b5b0c5e432095fd1d52b43c0f1a.pdf