Results from Youth Engagement With Border Communities.

The results from Youth Engagement With Border Communities on the Fight Against Cross Border Transmission of COVID-19 in the East African Community report draws on several months of national and regional youth virtual and in person interviews, awareness raising activities conducted by the East African Community Youth Ambassadors Platform in collaboration with the governments of Kenya , Uganda , Rwanda , Burundi ,South Sudan and The United Republic of Tanzania. A multi-stakeholder outreach for young people at the border districts/communities with the major goal of sensitizing them, the local leaders and actors as well as border agencies on protection and prevention of transmission (especially cross border transmission of the novel Coronavirus in line with the EAC Regional COVID-19 Response Plan.

These activities include:

1. Rolling out of a two-way Bulk SMS to border community’s residents,representatives from the private sector, institutions working on migration and border management including government agencies
2. Conducting a series of online / phone Interviews with national authorities to gather information on the border situation issues during the COVID-19 and its impact to the young people, border communities and trade;
3. Through EAC secretariat’s COVID-19 Taskforce disseminating information via radio stations for the selected border communities to be aired as radio spots following policies of the EAC COVID-19 Guidelines and WHO;
4. Conducting a series of online messaging campaigns through EAC social media handles (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram); and
5. Documenting the outcome that will inform/compliment the EAC COVID-19 Taskforce during and post the pandemic needs.

The results collected from this report showcase the vulnerability of border communities in the East African Community during the pandemic where they appeared to be at risk for cross border transmission of the virus, the majority have lacked verified information about the virus, been affected by business falls , unemployment , education disruption , family separation among others due to the COVID-19 pandemic.