Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE)

Cholera stays a major international public well being risk, intently linked to inequality and insufficient social and financial improvement. Since 2021, the world has seen a surge in cholera instances. As of late June 2025, over 287,000 instances and greater than 3,100 deaths have been reported globally throughout 28 international locations. Countries presently designated as being in an “acute crisis” embody the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen.

Outbreaks are sometimes fueled by heavy rains, flooding, battle, overcrowding in displacement websites, and lack of entry to wash water. Access to protected water, primary sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is important to stop and management cholera. Communities play a crucial position – they should know the way they’ll entry these, what providers can be found and what they should do. Community consciousness about cholera, its unfold and signs and immediate motion can stop the unfold of the illness and save lives.

Lessons from latest responses spotlight that technical interventions have to be coupled with robust danger communication and neighborhood engagement. Community involvement is crucial for constructing belief, sharing info, and making certain that options are culturally acceptable and efficient.

WHO’s response to the worldwide cholera disaster is structured round key pillars, together with case administration, surveillance, vaccination, and the crucial integration of WASH, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE).

The RCCE Collective Service, based in June 2020 through the COVID-19 pandemic to remodel how the general public well being and the humanitarian sectors coordinate, implement, monitor, and useful resource collaborative approaches to community-led responses for public well being emergencies, has been engaged on cholera outbreak response internationally. This is led by WHO, UNICEF and IFRC.

To help companions and well being authorities on the frontlines, this webinar will present a platform to share sensible examples and profitable methods for integrating community-based motion into cholera response efforts.

Objective

The main goal of this webinar is to share examples and spotlight profitable RCCE methods for making certain  that administration of cholera is guided by and aware of the priorities and considerations of affected communities.

Specifically, this webinar will:

• Share examples of tips on how to efficiently combine data-driven, community-centered approaches to administration of cholera, together with however not restricted to RCCE and WASH,
• Feature insights from native and nationwide organizations on sensible RCCE approaches, is making a distinction in neighborhood consciousness and actions together with in stopping transmission,
• Share finest apply and enhance understanding of tips on how to help communities to determine and implement WASH options aligned to the native idea.

Speakers

Introduction of EPI-WIN, housekeeping, introduction to subject and audio system and slido: Dr Supriya Bezbaruah, Technical Officer (Lead, EPI-WIN and CSO engagement), WHO Health Emergencies Programme

Welcome remarks: Dr Stella Chungong, Director, Health Emergency Preparedness, WHO Health Emergencies Programme

The position of neighborhood safety in cholera outbreaks (intro to the sequence): Dr Kai von Harbou, Unit Head, Community Protection and Resilience, Health Emergency Preparedness Department, WHO Health Emergencies Programme

Technical Session

• Moderator: Dana McLaughlin, Coordinator, Collective Service
• The international cholera disaster: An overview of the work of GFTCC and present scenario and the crucial position of integrating RCCE approaches: Marion Martinez Valiente, Coordinator, GTFCC/WHO Cholera Programme & Kathryn Alberti, Technical Officer, WHO Cholera Programme
• Role of Community knowledge within the 2024 Zambia response and software: Tikulirekuti Banda, RCCE Expert, UNICEF Zambia                
• RCCE approaches for fast neighborhood consciousness and motion in a cholera outbreak: Ibrahim Abdelkhier, NIDAA – Sudanese Development Call Organization, Sudan

Q&A: Moderated by Dana McLaughlin, Coordinator, Collective Service               

Closing: Dr Supriya Bezbaruah, Technical Officer (Lead, EPI-WIN and CSO engagement), WHO Health Emergencies Programme.