Many NGOs advocating on behalf of children and adolescents have neglected to make access to immunizations a priority issue. Moreover, governments, civil society organizations and even the medical community oftentimes fail to characterize access to vaccines as a matter of rights. As part of its Advocacy Initiative for Vaccination in Latin America, AHF, with the support of Voces Ciudadanas,  planned, organized and implemented a first annual NGO case study and workshop on the right to vaccination in Latin America and the Caribbean.

A number of different factors have led to the design and implementation of this advocacy project. In particular, although there currently exists a favorable atmosphere and general attitude towards vaccination in Latin America, varying levels of acceptance among Latin American governments and the public at large for several new and/or existing vaccination areas require that vaccination efforts in these areas be amplified and reinforced. Moreover, the unfortunate emergence of anti-vaccine groups in the Region also increases the importance of effective education and awareness campaigns.

As a result, the NGO case study and workshop will focus on empowering locally-based NGOs to successfully promote vaccination in their home countries by actively participating in the decision making process for routine vaccination guidelines. The primary deliverable of this event will be the development and adoption of a written vaccination manifesto/declaration establishing the right to vaccines of children and adolescents and the advancement of routine vaccination guidelines. This “Vaccine Manifesto” will then be presented in different forums and to different audiences, such as public health authorities, physicians, patient groups, etc.

The NGO case study and workshop aim to improve vaccination coverage in Latin American and the Caribbean by encouraging locally-based NGOs in the Region to better inform themselves about the importance of vaccines and to petition their governments to reframe the issue of access as one of human rights.

The specific objectives for the NGO case study and workshop are:

1. To generate, with the collaboration of participating NGOs’ representatives, a “Vaccine Manifesto” for Latin America and the Caribbean, establishing the right to vaccines of children and adolescents.
2. To raise awareness, engage with, and empower locally-based NGOs, particularly those working with children and adolescents, to incorporate the right to vaccination in their agendas and to advocate for vaccination as the most safe and effective tool for eliminating vaccine-preventable disease.
3. To develop a working agenda that participating NGOs will use in their home organizations to establish clear vaccine advocacy objectives and outline target results for the end of the first and second years.

Targeted Organizations:

The NGO case study and workshop invited participants from 10-14 locally-based Latin American and Caribbean organizations. These organizations were  associations, networks or NGOs that primarily work in the area of children and adolescent rights. Moreover, all invited organizations were well-respected leaders in their home countries, well known for propelling initiatives and serving as model-organizations in the areas of advocacy, social media and citizen participation and oversight.