Through a regional investment via USAID’s Europe & Eurasia Bureau, MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity served COVID-19 vaccination needs in Bosnia & Herzegovina as a satellite beneficiary of activities undertaken in nearby Serbia, North Macedonia, and Moldova. In those countries, the project implemented social and behavior change strategies to increase demand for COVID-19 vaccination among priority populations.  Following a comprehensive formative research phase, MOMENTUM rolled out a capacity-building course for health providers to strengthen their skills in recommending and providing COVID-19 vaccinations as part of an overarching healthy lifestyle approach. The project also implemented complementary community-level COVID-19 vaccination demand-generation activities with a similar healthy lifestyle messaging approach.

MOMENTUM also facilitated cross-regional learning exchanges on healthy lifestyles and behavior-informed approaches. These exchanges involved key stakeholders within the public health field, including representatives from Ministries of Health, Institutes of Public Health, and academics from the four countries included in the project. Journalists were also engaged in media dialogues and vaccination-related resources in an effort to mitigate mis- and disinformation and encourage evidence-based reporting on COVID-19 vaccination.