By Ebunoluwa Sessou

The Nigerian Red Cross Society, NRCS, Lagos State Branch, has launched a Training of Trainers,ToT for the Measles–Rubella, MR, House-to-House Risk Communication and Community Engagement, RCCE, Social Mobilisation Project, as part of efforts to boost the ongoing MR vaccination campaign across Lagos State.

The project, jointly funded by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, and the American Red Cross, will involve the deployment of 4,857 trained community-based volunteers across the state’s 20 Local Government Areas, LGAs.

The volunteers are expected to carry out door-to-door engagements for 12 days, focusing on pre-campaign sensitisation, mobilisation for vaccination and post-campaign follow-up. The initiative is aimed at increasing public awareness, addressing vaccine hesitancy and improving uptake of the Measles–Rubella vaccine among eligible children.

To ensure effective supervision and accountability, the NRCS is also training 486 supervisors, alongside Divisional Secretaries and Data Officers, who will coordinate field activities and manage daily reports from the LGAs.

Speaking at the training session, the Lagos State Branch Secretary of the NRCS, Mr. Olakunle Lasisi, said the intervention was designed to strengthen grassroots implementation of the MR campaign. He noted that incidents of vaccine refusal would be properly documented and referred to Health Educators and Local Immunisation Officers,LIOs, for follow-up engagement.

Lasisi explained that the training equips volunteers with practical skills to counter misinformation, fears and misconceptions about vaccination, adding that the credibility and long-standing presence of the Red Cross in communities remain critical to building public trust. He expressed confidence in the success of the exercise, recalling the high coverage achieved during similar mobilisation efforts in 2018.

Also speaking, Mrs. Sandra Kanezi of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,IFRC, and Dr. Ahmed Abdul Majid of the NRCS National Headquarters said the Lagos intervention aligns with national disease-prevention and child-survival priorities. They urged parents and caregivers to seek information from credible sources, stressing that the Measles–Rubella vaccine is safe, effective and vital for protecting children from preventable diseases.

Majid further disclosed that a similar RCCE intervention is underway in Bayelsa State, where the Red Cross has deployed over 1,000 volunteers across the state’s eight LGAs to support government vaccination efforts. He expressed optimism that the initiative would significantly improve coverage and strengthen community participation.

Stakeholders have also commended the collaborative approach adopted for the campaign. An inclusive planning meeting held on Thursday, January 15, brought together Local Immunisation Officers, Health Education Officers from all LGAs and Divisional Secretaries of the Red Cross.

At the meeting, the Director of Health Education and Health Promotion Services, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Mrs. Honfor Adebola, praised the partnership between the Red Cross and government agencies, calling for sustained collaboration to achieve greater humanitarian outcomes.

In her remarks, the Chairman of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Lagos State Branch, Mrs. Adebola Kolawole, urged volunteers to maintain close collaboration with Health Educators and LIOs, emphasising that teamwork remains key to achieving outstanding vaccination results during the campaign.