Chris Chukwunyere
Public health specialist at Inspire World International Foundation | Abuja, Nigeria
Project Overview
Addressing COVID-19 Misinformation and Vaccine Hesitancy in Nigeria aims at debunking and correcting myths and misinformation about Covid-19 by equipping young people (ages 18-30 and 30 years) with knowledge, skills, and resources to serve as credible messengers within their communities. This youth-led project will reach 5,000 people across 6 states in Nigeria through innovative Covid-19 education outreaches, and 100,000 through digital and traditional media channels. The project will develop culturally and linguistically appropriate Covid-19 communications materials and translate them into three major Nigerian languages (Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa) to ensure more people are reached with actionable information in formats that are easy to digest. This approach also aims at increasing vaccine confidence and uptake.
To further the goal of addressing misinformation, the project will develop a Covid-19 web-based application to serve as a surveillance and community listening platform. This interactive tool will provide accurate information about Covid-19, respond to misinformation, and listen for information about potential outbreaks. The goal is to get the app downloaded by at least 5 million Nigerians over five years. This tool also has the potential for scale by incorporating information on other epidemic diseases in Nigeria, such as lassa fever, Ebola virus, cholera, and polio.
About Chris
Chris Chukwunyere is a public health and leadership development specialist with over 10 years of experience in the field. His expertise extends across global health security, health systems strengthening, program design, management and coordination, and health communication. Chris has global and regional level experience, having worked in countries such as Nigeria, Zambia, Liberia, and the United States. Since the emergence of Covid-19, Chris has designed and led the implementation of 11 Covid-19 focused projects, which have reached more than 22,000 people in person and 200,000 people virtually.
He is the co-founder of Inspire World International Foundation, an indigenous nonprofit founded to promote access to equitable healthcare, address food systems issues, and build thriving communities through youth engagement. Chris is an alumni of the Atlas Corps, Presidential Precinct and Startingbloc Fellowships. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science and a master’s degree in Business Administration.