Supporting street living people to get vaccinated

“I am glad that I got vaccinated,” says Tola, 33. “Now I have my vaccination card and that will help when I apply for a job because many employers want to see it.”

This less widely known benefit of getting vaccinated is particularly important to Tola, because he and his family are currently living a precarious life on the streets of Cambodia’s coastal city, Sihanoukville, moving around frequently. This puts them at greater risk of infection from COVID-19. Getting vaccinated not only protects them but also gives them a greater chance at finding steady employment which could lead to more stability for them and their two young daughters.

Tola and Saka were provided with extensive support in the lead-up to vaccination by Sihanoukville-based NGO M’lop Tapang, who were in turn given support by UNICEF through the Partnership Programme for the Protection of Children (3PC). Both Saka and Tola were hesitant to get vaccinations at first. They didn’t have proper documentation and were concerned about the long wait and the rumours that some people became very sick after vaccination. Perhaps the biggest barrier, however, was that they had had been suffering from alcohol addiction and were concerned that they might find the vaccination process too difficult. M’lop Tapang’s trained social workers supported the couple over the space of a month, providing clear information about the vaccination process and the impact of immunization, until they felt ready for their shot.

M’lop Tapang are one of many NGOs around Cambodia that UNICEF is providing with support in the effort to vaccinate as many people as possible who are currently living on the streets. UNICEF enables this challenging operation by supporting transportation to vaccination sites, facilitating the vaccination process, and providing communication materials which can help inform people who are reluctant about the benefits of immunization. “But the most important thing UNICEF does is coordinating between national and local government and the development partners,” explains Chhaya Plong, a UNICEF Child Protection Specialist. “We have a unique linking role. We advocate for hard-to-reach groups like this to receive vaccinations, and then support the complex process of making it happen.”

People in national and local government agreed quickly that vaccinating street living people would be an essential component of providing protection to the whole country, but also knew it would be particularly challenging. “People without a fixed address often move a lot from one place to another, so it is difficult for us to locate them and to get them ready for a vaccination. They are often not aware of the importance of the vaccination,” says Mr. Samoeun, the Vice Director of the Department of Social Affairs Veterans & Youth Rehabilitation (DOSVY) in Banteay Meanchey province. His province is experiencing this problem particularly sharply as it sits on the border with Thailand, and has experienced a heavy influx of migrant workers asked to return to Cambodia, some of whom haven’t had homes to come back to.

Mr. Samoeun believes that vaccinating everyone is essential to helping Cambodia fully recover from the pandemic. “I hope that we will be back to normal so all of us must get vaccinated and continue to follow the health measures such the 3 dos and the 3 don’ts and always staying safe. It is very important to raise awareness among the people on how to protect themselves. When the people understand it, they will be involved with the government to stop the virus, then finally our Cambodian economy will progressively move forward.”

Friends International, the coordinating NGO of 3PC, supported by DOSVY and UNICEF, has played a direct facilitation and coordination role in the vaccination effort in several provinces including Phnom Penh and Banteay Meanchey and particularly Banteay Meanchey’s major city, Poipet, which in normal times is the gateway to Thailand. “Vaccines can save lives and everyone deserves that right, including people who are currently homeless,” says Dechorith Chen, Friends International Program Director. “In Poipet a lot of people didn’t want to get vaccinated, they found it frightening because they had to get into vehicles and were fearful of being infected while being transported. Some of them suffer from addictions and may feel paranoid, so we worked with them so they understood the benefits. Sometimes it would take them a while to realise how bad COVID can be, and then they would come back to us at a later time and ask for the vaccine.”

Because of the complexity of the situation, progress in vaccinating street living people has been gradual, but had a huge impact on those who were successfully reached. A “Street People Snapshot Survey”  conducted by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation in February 2021 - with support from UNICEF and Friends International - identified 2,672 street living people in Cambodia, of which 539 have now received two doses of vaccine with the support of 3PC. Others will have been reached through more mainstream vaccination efforts, but many others remain unvaccinated and efforts to reach them continue. Not only will the vaccination protect these individuals, but it increases their chances of finding work and a home, also benefiting hundreds of vulnerable children who rely on them.

“The vaccination was really okay” says Soka, back in Sihanoukville, “not a big problem.” Both her and Tola abstained from alcohol during the vaccination process, a huge achievement which sets their family up well to improve their situation. The two young daughters will soon be returning to non-formal education classes at M’Lop Tapang’s Education Center now that classrooms are being cautiously re-opened. The future looks much brighter for the whole family than just a few months before.

Note: photographs do not show Tola or Soka, and their names have been changed to protect their privacy.