Home-based Records Country Learning: Community Engagement to Improve Child Health Card Use in Zimbabwe

Although important for immunization data collection and monitoring, home-based records (HBRs)—known as child health cards—in Zimbabwe were often unavailable and undervalued.

To address this, JSI and the Ministry of Health (MOH) staff in Manicaland province implemented a one-year intervention (with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) to improve the use, retention, and availability of child health cards among users, including health workers, village health workers, local leaders, and caregivers. Interventions (using existing, low cost activities) promoted the Child Health Cards as an essential counseling and communications tool. Among health workers, JSI focused on use of the cards to communicate with caregivers on the vaccination schedule and return dates as well as to fill data gaps in immunization registers. We also found that community leaders are strong advocates for the cards and well-positioned to promote their use. JSI, 2018.