The International Livestock Research Institute, through a BMZ-funded project, rolled out a free rabies vaccination campaign in Machakos County. This county has been identified as having the highest burden of rabies in the country. We, however, noticed sub-optimal community participation, hence low vaccination coverage. One of the cited reasons for low participation in different settings is low awareness levels of zoonotic diseases.

Key informant interviews were held with community members to establish the value of dogs and their understanding of rabies. We analyzed the emerging themes and invited a subset of the recruited key informants to a focus group discussion to interrogate and rank the identified values. We then asked the same participants to a co-creation workshop to co-create contextual rabies sensitization and vaccination announcement posters.

Research participants revealed that dogs play tangible and intangible roles in the community. The intangible roles include herding, hunting, and securing their households, livestock, and crops. Intangible roles included keeping dogs as status symbols, societal norms, and friendship. The discussions made them realize that the other roles hinge on establishing friendship. They also developed sensitization materials that were context-specific and aligned with the identified values. Finally, they recommended that community sensitization should precede any vaccination campaign. This will bolster participation and encourage sustainability.