In Liberia’s Grand Kru County, protection does not wait at a clinic. With UNICEF’s support, vaccination teams travel deep into remote villages to reach children who would otherwise be left behind. In places where distance still threatens survival, the last mile can mean the difference between life and loss.
Forty-two percent of the county’s population are children, many of whom face uneven access to essential health services. An estimated 9 % have never received a single vaccine, remaining dangerously exposed to diseases that should never claim a child’s life.
Reaching these children takes more than supplies. It takes persistence.
Through partnership with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF continues to expand last-mile immunization outreach to missed, defaulting, and zero-dose children ensuring no child is left behind.
When Road Networks Disappear, Teams Keep Going
Joseph Saah, UNICEF’s Immunization Consultant in Grand Kru leads outreach missions into communities most health services never reach, driven by a simple belief: every child deserves protection.
“Backed by County Health Team staff, community health assistants, vaccinators, and UN Volunteers with unmatched dedication, we can reach children others might never see. Every child we find is proof that even in the hardest places vaccination is possible.” Joseph says.
Teams travel by vehicle where roads exist, by motorbike when they do not, and on foot when necessary—carrying vaccines into villages beyond the reach of transport. In Grand Kru County, high levels of malnutrition and child mortality place children at constant risk. Vaccination is often their first and most vital line of protection.
To maximize each visit, immunization is paired with nutrition screening and health education Caregivers learn why vaccines matter and when the next dose is due. For many families, this outreach becomes their first meaningful connection to the health system.
When Protection Finally Arrives
Midway between Barclayville and Grand Cess, the team joined an integrated outreach session in the town of Beloken. As children were registered and screened, a vaccinator identified 18-month-old Oretha Simbo a child who had never received a vaccine. Oretha was vaccinated immediately.
Her mother, Ms. Annie Simbo, brought her as soon as she heard the vaccination team had arrived.
“The hospital people told me that if my baby does not take the vaccine, sickness will catch her. I don’t want Oretha Z. to get sick, so they tell me the vaccine people are here in Beloken today. That’s why I brought her for the vaccine.”
Joseph remains encouraged to continue his passion for vaccination. “For Oretha’s family, these vaccines bring relief. As an immunization consultant, my work is proof that when dedicated health teams are supported to get vaccines to our people’s doorstep, no child is truly unreachable.”
To date, 28% of children in Grand Kru are not registered at birth, highlighting the critical role of vaccination outreach in connecting them to the health system. But thanks to the commitment of health workers—and the support of partners like UNICEF and Gavi—the zero-dose gap is closing, one child, one community, and one determined journey at a time.
Your contribution helps turn miles into milestones. It ensures that a child’s first encounter with the health system is through life-saving protection. No child, no matter how remote their home, should go unvaccinated.
For Every Child Protection. For Every Child, Vaccination.
- UNICEF
