(Funder: Solina Centre for International Development and Research, SCIDaR)

The CSO-led Demand Generation Project strengthened trust in polio vaccination by mobilizing trusted community voices to drive demand during the 2025 National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) in Bauchi and Kebbi States. Implemented by Nigeria Health Watch in partnership with government stakeholders, the project positioned local civil society organizations as credible messengers—leveraging their deep community relationships to address hesitancy, misinformation, and resistance to immunization.

Through interpersonal engagement, community dialogues, edutainment, media outreach, and real-time data validation, CSOs facilitated respectful, trust-based conversations with caregivers and community leaders, ensuring concerns were heard and addressed. This approach achieved an 88% resolution rate of non-compliance across both states, while also strengthening data quality, accountability, and campaign responsiveness.

The project demonstrates that trust-led, community-owned communication, supported by strong supervision and evidence-based learning, is critical to sustaining progress toward polio eradication in high-risk settings.