Turning community awareness into action in Afghanistan’s Baghlan Province

Baghlan, Afghanistan – Over the past 2 weeks, local health workers in Baghlan Province have been walking through the streets, knocking on doors, speaking in mosques, visiting schools and gathering with people in markets and homes. Their goal – to help their communities protect themselves from potentially fatal diseases like Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), measles, acute watery diarrhoea and respiratory infections.

The 30 trained social mobilizers – half of them women – who have taken to the streets of Baghlan to spread lifesaving health information as part of an awareness campaign launched by WHO are not outsiders. They are doctors, nurses, midwives and health workers from the same communities they serve. That is why people trust them.

“Community mobilizers were trained not just on the diseases but on how to engage with people in ways that build trust,” says WHO’s Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Officer in Afghanistan Mohammad Modaser Islami. “We want communities to feel involved and empowered.” 

In Pul-e-Khumri, the heart of the Province, one of the mobilizers chatted with a local butcher, a group especially at risk of catching CCHF.

“He listened carefully as I explained how the disease spreads and how he can protect himself,” said the mobilizer. “It wasn’t just about handing him a leaflet. It was about making sure he truly understood.”

At the nearby Women’s Handicrafts Centre, mobilizer Nazdana Hakimi led an awareness session.

“We used simple language, spoke their dialect and made sure every woman left with knowledge she could take back to her family,” said Nazdana. “And we don’t just talk. We listen too.”

Livestock markets, where animals and people come into close contact, are high-risk zones for diseases like CCHF. Haroon Samim, one of the male mobilizers, visited such a market in Baghlan-e-Jadid district.

“As Eid-ul-Adha gets closer, animal trade increases and so does the risk of disease. I’m proud we are warning people in time. It can save lives,” he said.

Mosques played a key role in the campaign. After Friday prayers in Pul-e-Khumri, mobilizer Samsoor Mohammadi stood before a crowd of men – fathers, grandfathers and youth – to deliver his important message.

“This is a place where people listen,” he said. “And when they leave, they take the message with them.”

Schools were another important venue for the campaign. At one school, dozens of students gathered outside in the sun to listen to a young mobilizer, Raofullah Safi. “These students will go home and talk to their families. That’s how awareness spreads,” said Raofullah.

In a small village, a group of women sat close together as female mobilizer Mursal Saeed spoke to them. “When women understand they protect their children, their husbands and even their neighbours,” said Mursal. “They become health champions.”

WHO Representative in Afghanistan Dr Edwin Ceniza Salvador reflected on the campaign’s impact.

“Health does not only happen in clinics and hospitals. It happens in homes, schools and markets. What we saw in Baghlan is the power of people helping each other. When communities are trusted, respected and included they become the strongest part of the health system. I am proud of our team and grateful to the people of Baghlan for showing us what true community leadership looks like.”

WHO Afghanistan extends its thanks to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund for its generous support which helped us reach the most at-risk communities with lifesaving health services and information.

 Together with our donors and partners, we are building healthier and stronger communities, one conversation at a time.

For more information, please contact:

Mariam Amiry, RCCE Officer WHO – Kabul, Afghanistan, amirym@who.int