• Joint effort supports the target of vaccinating 85% of Cape Verde’s adult population and 90% of the country’s 12-17 year-olds
•  Initiative includes launch of national public awareness campaign, improved data monitoring and evaluation, and strengthening of vaccine cold chain infrastructure and storage capacity
• Implementation is part of UNICEF´s worldwide programme to provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines

Together with UNICEF Netherlands, the TUI Care Foundation is demonstrating its commitment to equitable access to vaccines for people around the globe, by supporting the vaccination roll-out in Cape Verde to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This joint initiative supports current vaccination plans and will be accompanied by a national communications campaign, aimed at informing the local population about the risks of the virus and the importance of vaccination. The multi-faceted approach will contribute to the COVID-19 immunisation daily data recording on a national and local level. The purchase of refrigeration equipment will also strengthen the vaccine cold chain infrastructure and storage capacity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed a series of shock waves worldwide and its effects and impacts are neither geographically nor socio-economically evenly spread. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Cape Verde are especially vulnerable to these external threats. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the popular tourism destination has faced unprecedented challenges. Travel restrictions and the decline in tourism have devastated livelihoods and its citizens have also faced the difficult task of fighting off the virus.

In July 2021, only 11% of citizens in the remote municipalities of Santiago, the most populated island in the country, had been fully vaccinated. Thanks to joint initiatives, bilateral cooperation and international partnerships, including with the TUI Care Foundation, the government has increased its vaccination target  from 70% to 85% of the eligible population.

Despite national efforts to reach the 85% vaccination target, challenges still remain in delivering the vaccine, in monitoring vaccination data and in ensuring optimum storage conditions for the vaccine. To help increase coverage from its current rate of 65,8%, the initiative will therefore provide support in these areas, whilst also coordinating closely with the key partners in Cape Verde, including the Ministry of Health.

Thomas Ellerbeck, Chairman of the Board of the TUI Care Foundation said: “Supporting local people in holiday destinations is at the core of the TUI Care Foundation’s work. Tourism communities around the world have been massively impacted by the pandemic - with the most vulnerable people suffering in particular. Vaccination is the key to ending the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore, it is essential to give everybody the chance to get vaccinated. We are happy that we can contribute to the vaccination roll-out on Cape Verde and giving Cape Verdeans a better chance to protect themselves and the people around them from the virus.”

The TUI Care Foundation has been committed to supporting UNICEF programmes since 2018, with emergency relief initiatives and educational programmes for disadvantaged children.