New VCF II Impact Report Documents the $4.9 Million Initiative's 68% Cost Reduction While Driving Dramatic Uptake Through Community-Digital Integration
Digital Health Interventions Boost Vaccination Rates Across Nine Countries
Washington, D.C., Sept. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Impact and Advancing Health Online (AHO) today released the Impact Report for the Vaccine Confidence Fund II (VCF II), highlighting breakthrough results from 11 projects that combined digital innovation with community networks to strengthen vaccine confidence across nine countries. VCF II reached over 4.1 million people and created sustainable networks of nearly 3,000 trained community champions.
Projects demonstrated measurable vaccination gains across multiple contexts:
- Vaccination Impact: Argentina’s WhatsApp chatbot intervention led to a quadrupling of COVID-19 vaccinations in Tucumán Province (including a 739% increase in senior vaccination appointments). In the Philippines, HPV vaccine uptake increased by 200%. In Guatemala, culturally adapted campaigns left 99% of viewers more comfortable with vaccination.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Average cost per vaccination was $22.11, compared to $35–70 for conventional campaigns. In South Africa, grantees achieved $0.65 per person reached, while other projects cut health worker burden by up to 40% through digital integration.
- Digital Innovation: Optimized digital tools achieved 97% message delivery rates and 90% engagement with educational materials.
- Community Empowerment: Local champions — including hairdressers in Kenya — achieved 89% misinformation detection accuracy, with trust levels approaching mainstream media credibility.
The report features a foreword from Nick Martin, CEO of TechChange and Co-Organizer of the Global Digital Health Forum, who emphasized: “Today, social media and digital platforms offer powerful opportunities to listen, engage, and respond to the drivers of vaccine hesitancy at a scale not previously possible.”
Launched in 2022, VCF II represents a pioneering global initiative that harnesses the power of digital health and social media to address vaccine hesitancy and drive measurable behavior change. Its results show how innovation, community trust, and evidence-based approaches can deliver lasting impact.
VCF II is a fiscally sponsored project of Global Impact, supported by Advancing Health Online (AHO). The initiative builds on VCF I’s early work in digital vaccine information and demonstrates that these approaches can achieve measurable, cost-effective outcomes at scale.
View a video summarizing the findings. Download the full VCF II Impact Report.
About Global Impact
Global Impact serves as a trusted philanthropy advisor, intermediary, and nonprofit partner for greater giving. We offer advisory and infrastructure services that drive strategic philanthropy for our nonprofit, public, and private sector clients. With nearly 70 years of experience, we have raised more than $2.5 billion with our partners for global causes. Global Impact is part of Global Impact Ventures, a family of mission-driven organizations that serve all of philanthropy for a better world.
About Advancing Health Online (AHO)
AHO is a collaborative initiative dedicated to exploring how social media and online engagement can enhance community health and resilience worldwide. AHO accelerates innovative research, shares critical insights, and fosters cross-sector collaboration to improve public health through digital platforms.
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Cassie Call Global Impact press@charity.org
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