In a bid to make information about COVID-19 vaccine accessible, communication students from the University of San Carlos (USC) distributed 200 booklets to residents of Barangay Toong, in Cebu City, and Gilutongan Island in the municipality of Cordova.

Aaron Bruce Clarin, president of the Carolinian Communication Society (CCS), said they came up with the initiative, dubbed “Klaruhon Kuyog Nii Karol,” to disseminate more information about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Booklet distribution

Taking off from Caloy, the student support and services avatar of the USC, these students adopted another character in the booklet named Karol.

The new support avatar would inform locals not only about the vaccines, but would also debunk spurious claims about it.

The 12-page booklet was published by CCS through the support of a subsidy program from the university’s supreme student council.

“Karol, who is the character in the booklet, talks to readers and explains information through an article, an infographic, and a comic. The booklet primarily discusses the effectiveness of the vaccine and corrects some misconceptions about it,” Clarin said. 

He added that it was the CCS Executive Committee which decided to name the booklets after the avatar Carol, derived from “Carolinians,” as how USC students are called.

Photo from Batan-on alang sa Kalambuan sa Cordova

From April 10 to 11, they conducted an information campaign in the mountain barangay of Toong, and the distant island of Gilutongan.

Helping them were organizations like Batan-on Alang sa Calambuan sa Cordova (Baka-C) and the Sangguniang Kabataan of the respective barangays.

They taught local chief elders, youth leaders, and even barangay health workers how to relay facts and other important details about the vaccine to residents.

The program was conducted to create sustainable movements that help Cebuano communities. (READ: TRACKER: The Philippines’ COVID-19 vaccine distribution)

“We put our focus on the vaccine because, while there’s a frenzy on it in the city, local areas are still hesitant to get injected,” he added.

After teaching and holding forums, they gave out the booklets to every household in the community.

Clarin said the booklets were produced in collaboration with the university’s health and science professionals, fact-checking teams consisting of teachers and students, and design students. The booklets were written in Cebuano.

“It was fulfilling because in areas like in Gilutongan where locals who did not know where COVID-19 came from were able to get answers. The common question was always where did it come from and was it even real,” he said.

Preventing spread of misinformation

He recalled that locals were worried if their children would be harmed by the vaccine and if COVID-19 was just a government conspiracy. 

He said their executive committee chose far-flung communities, especially those that had little to no access to information, as their beneficiaries. Clarin added that misinformation spread in these areas through gossip and a lack of educational resources. (READ: On Messenger, false information spreads undetected, unchecked)

Photo from Batan-on alang sa Kalambuan sa Cordova

Clarin said that they hoped that through the booklets, they would encourage more discussions on the COVID-19 vaccine within the isolated communities, and reduce hesitancy towards getting immunized.

“For me, the success of the event was 10/10. We always thought about our beneficiaries, screened them, and reached out to the farthest,” he said.

As of this writing, Clarin said that they were still looking for another organization that would support their campaign before looking for their next beneficiary community.

“It’s very important to see to the needs of the community. We need to go out of the institutions and reach out to the communities, and address their problems with solutions,” he concluded.

CCS hopes that this will encourage forums held by local youth organizations and vaccinations in more isolated areas in Cebu. – Rappler.com