Advanced Community Activation Training, One Year Later

Last year, immunization professionals around the globe gathered virtually for the Sabin Boost Community’s Advanced Community Activation Training (ACAT). From May to September 2024, ten teams of four to five individuals from Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, and Pakistan attended weekly virtual sessions with coaches and peers to learn strategies for engaging their communities when it comes to vaccination, despite the challenges that work often faces. 

The training, hosted in partnership with People Power Health (PPH) — an organization that empowers health care professionals to work toward eliminating inequity — allowed them to learn from each other, discuss immunization challenges that were both shared among them and unique to each group, and brainstorm the best ways to engage their communities. 

Teams presented capstone sessions that highlighted some of their biggest takeaways, which ranged from how to best manage public narrative and vaccine misinformation to overcoming unique obstacles in reaching children and displaced populations. Most importantly, teams demonstrated their ability to spread the word about what they had learned to other immunization professionals in their orbits. 

A year after the training began, participants are still feeling ACAT’s impact — and putting their lessons to use on the ground in their communities. 

The Human Side of Public Health 

Much of the training centered on storytelling, reaching people on an individual level, and making trusted connections with those who might be skeptical or hesitant about vaccines. It also emphasized the importance of sharing these skills with the teams these professionals work with on a daily basis. Dr. Pretty Priyadarshini, a project manager in the Immunization Technical Support Unit for the Government of India’s Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, said that ACAT training brought the human angle of immunization work front-and-center. 

“I’ve always known that delivering vaccines isn’t just about logistics — it’s about people, building trust, especially in communities where health systems feel distant,” she said. “The idea of ‘community activation’ resonated with me because so much of our work is around shaping community engagement, addressing hesitancy and zero-dose, and ensuring no child or pregnant woman is left behind. ACAT’s focus on leadership, organizing, and advocacy offered a new way to look at these challenges, beyond the technical, into the human side of public health.” 

This sentiment was common among participants — they knew the importance of community activation but wanted to dig deeper when it came to putting good practices to use.  

“I initially joined the ACAT training to enhance my capacity to mobilize communities for immunization and health initiatives, understanding that meaningful community activation is essential for improving service uptake and long-term impact,” said Anupam Verma, a program manager at JSI in India. “The training deepened my understanding of participatory approaches and helped shift my focus toward community-led, context-specific strategies.” 

Local Perspectives, Universal Goals 

The multinational nature of the course — sessions were held in English as well as French to reach health professionals in Francophone Africa — meant that teams were able to gain perspectives on regions they might not be familiar with. 

“Listening to teams from various countries in Africa and other parts of Asia was essential,” Dr. Priyadarshini said. “Despite our different contexts, we are dealing with similar challenges — building vaccine confidence, reaching the unreached, and strengthening community trust. Hearing how others adapted organizing models or used storytelling in their settings was inspiring. It reminded me that we’re part of the big picture, with the same goal of leaving no one behind regarding immunization.” 

“One of the most inspiring parts of the training was learning alongside teams from around the world,” said Ajeet Kumar Singh, another program manager at JSI. “It reminded me that while our contexts may differ, our challenges and aspirations are similar. Hearing others’ strategies helped me refine our own. It felt like being part of a global community that believes in equity, empathy, and the power of human connection.” 

Taking Lessons Forward 

Dr. Priyadarshini said that she and the rest of Team India ensured ACAT learnings were delivered through a workshop with colleagues at the national level. “We shared frameworks on relationship-building and strategic decision-making and brought elements of the storytelling module into advocacy materials and sessions,” she said. 

Some participants also shifted their mindset from a mostly data-focused approach to immunization and incorporated more personal angles in their work moving forward. “Before the training, much of my work focused on data analysis, reporting, and evaluation. These are essential, but ACAT taught me that stories, relationships, and shared values are just as important in creating lasting change,” said Singh. “The modules on public narrative, team structuring, coaching, and relationship-building helped me connect with people more meaningfully. I now find myself listening more deeply, engaging more purposefully, and focusing on how to mobilize around immunization goals.” 

These perspectives show that the training was not just impactful for participants, but it created real impact felt by the people immunization professionals serve. “Since [the training], I’ve integrated human-centered design elements and storytelling into community engagement, which has improved the overall immunization service experience and fostered more responsive and trusted interactions with the people I serve,” said Verma. 

Learn more about Sabin’s Boost Community and how it continues to provide real-world impact through curiosity, connection, and trainings like ACAT.