Strengthening community engagement, information sharing and capacity building in COVID-19 response in north-east Nigeria To address widespread rumors and misbelief surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and aid delivered by humanitarian organizations, IOM aims to reach a total of 100,000 vulnerable people throughout Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states with effective behaviour change communication and build the capacity of 100 aid workers on adopting key IASC guidance for programming amidst COVID-19 including awareness raising and sensitization on disease prevention measures, in line with the NHF Allocation Strategy, both in terms of activities, target locations and beneficiary types.

The project specifically targets 100,000 individuals in camps and camp-like settings and host communities through enhanced coordination and dissemination of COVID-19 preventive messages and information about services provided by aid workers in North-East Nigeria. The messages will be tailored according to the various targeted beneficiaries, with a specific attention to the needs of women and girls. They will take various formats, be disseminated through several medium, and aim to improve knowledge, attitudes and practices on COVID-19 prevention, stigmatization and the role of aid workers, including health workers and COVID-19 response teams. To reinforce these messages and their impact, 100 listening groups will be organized with specific targeted beneficiaries from various categories. These listening groups and focus groups will be organized to inform the content of the messages and will strengthen community engagement and participation of beneficiaries. Feedback from both the listening groups and the focus groups will be shared with the humanitarian community, across sectors, and at various levels, from Local Coordination Groups (LCG) at Local Government Aarea levels to the Humanitarian Country Team n Abuja.

The activities will include the production and distribution of 200 posters and 100,000 leaflets with information on COVID-19 prevention measures, treatment, stigmatisation and support. The project will also consist of producing of three TV and radio Public Service Announcements, eight radio drama episodes and broadcasting of two seasons of thematic radio programmes of 13 episodes each.

Testimonies from five different beneficiaries will be collected and their experience of the pandemic and its impacts will be shared with other vulnerable people through the listening groups but also with partner media outlets and aid workers at various levels, including HCT level in Abuja.

Closely coordinating and supporting the IASC Secretariat through OCHA Nigeria, the project will provide specific capacity-building, learning opportunities and information exchange for decision-makers and policy actors across the humanitarian spectrum, in Nigeria and at HQ level. In coordination with the IASC Secretariat, the project will produce and disseminate simplified versions of 12 key guidance documents. The project aims for at least 100 aid workers, from UN agencies, INGOs and most specifically NNGOs and local CSOs, to have increased understanding of how they can adapt their work and enhance efficiency of aid delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure greater understanding and dissemination of these key guidelines, 20 LCG meetings will be convened to discuss the key COVID-19 guidance to ensure compliance with national and international guidance on COVID-19 response and inform policy- making levels of difficulties encountered by frontline aid workers in remote locations. Capacity-building and information exchange opportunities will also be offered to Nigerian authorities and particularly State Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

The project will be monitored with support from IOM’s Programme Support Unit and MampE teams. Baseline and endline data will be collected as well as the feedback gathered through the focus groups and listening group discussions.