Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

In 2023, IOM received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to enhance community immunity and access to essential health services in southern Afghanistan. Focused on reducing polio and vaccine-preventable diseases, this initiative aims to lower morbidity and mortality rates among high-risk populations, supporting the National Emergency Action Plan for Polio and aligning with the global SDGs, Immunization Agenda 2030, and the objectives of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. IOM is enhancing access to and use of immunization and other essential health services for underserved populations. The project aims to vaccinate 75% of all children under the age of five against polio, in targeted communities among High-Risk Mobile Populations (HRMPs) in southern Afghanistan.