Communities Against Rabies

How it works

The Communities Against Rabies initiative is the first to address systemic barriers to rabies elimination in the communities where the disease persists. The initiative will deliver key innovations and solutions that have typically proven to be out-of-reach for rabies-affected areas and will facilitate collaboration at a community level to tackle rabies holistically and at a global scale.

• 1.Equipping local communities

  The initiative will recognize and train Dog Health Champions (DHCs) to become the first dog-health focused workforce for rabies elimination.

  • DHCs will be trained to educate their communities on dog health, rabies vaccination and surveillance.
  • DHCs will benefit directly from GARC’s leading international expertise aligned with global approaches.
• 2.Developing Rabies Centers of Excellence (RCEs)

  Certified RCEs will benefit through additional and targeted capacity building, resources and financial support through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs).

  • RCEs will be evaluated based on a core set of criteria such as the number of personnel that are recognized as Dog Health Champions (DHCs) at each Center.
  • RCEs will also need to demonstrate effective implementation of the training and tools provided to both DHCs and to relevant organizations to receive further support.
• 3.Uniting local partners to tackle rabies at scale

  The initiative will connect RCEs within a geographic area to partner and collaborate with other like-minded organizations. Connecting RCEs through the Partners for Community Dog Health (PCDH) program will ensure:

  • Rabies control efforts can be coordinated with local and national government agencies in a round-table forum, as opposed to traditional, ad hoc approaches.
  • The PCDH program will also allow for a sharing of resources to achieve a more coordinated, standardized and ultimately impactful approach to rabies control.
• 4.Scaling impactful technological innovations

  The initiative will ensure partners are equipped with existing innovations to deliver effective rabies control. These include:

  • The smartphone-based mHealth tool that helps target strategic dog vaccination campaigns to focus on at-risk communities rather than the ambitious 70 per cent of the entire dog population.
  • A unique set of modular “One Health” tools provided by GARC free of charge to interested stakeholders, including trackers for animals, bites and post-exposure vaccines.

Achieving Zero by 30

The Communities Against Rabies initiative is the first to operationalize the Zero by 30 Global Strategic Plan for community actors in affected countries. The initiative allows for a coordinated approach that unites NGOs, the public, and private sectors, generating much needed momentum in addressing the “last mile” of rabies elimination. At the same time, the Communities Against Rabies model is sustainable and scalable, and can be applied to address other relevant diseases or challenges affecting dogs in a community.