Monthly, well-publicized immunization camps in poor villages in rural India, combined with small incentives for parents to have their children immunized (e.g., a $1 bag of lentils per immunization).
The program is a child immunization campaign for children age 0-3 conducted in an impoverished area of rural India with unreliable immunization services (e.g., high staff absenteeism). The program was provided by Seva Mandir, an Indian nonprofit, and included two main components –
- Monthly, well-publicized, reliable immunization camps. Monitoring confirmed that 95% of the planned camps took place. Social workers publicized the camps, informing mothers of young children about the camps’ availability and the benefits of immunization.
- Small incentives for parents to have their children age 0-3 immunized. These included: (a) a 1 kg bag of raw lentils – worth about $1 – for every immunization their child received; and (b) a set of metal plates used for meals – worth about $2 – for completion of their child’s full immunization course (requiring at least five visits).
The full immunization course provided protection against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, tuberculosis, polio, and measles. The program’s cost was about $13 per targeted child (2017 dollars).