Collaborative Efforts Drive Rabies Elimination: CCEI and Partners Achieve 60% Vaccination Milestone
In partnership with Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (VSF) and with financial support from Edgar & Cooper Foundation, the Centre for Community Empowerment Initiatives (CCEI), a local non-governmental organization, has made remarkable progress in the fight against rabies in northern Malawi. Through the ongoing Action Towards the Elimination of Rabies Project, CCEI has successfully vaccinated more than 24,000 domestic pets(dogs and cats) across several districts in the Northern Region. These areas include parts of Mzimba, Karonga, Chitipa, and Nkhata Bay. This achievement represents approximately 60 percent of the overall vaccination target set under the project, which aims to immunize 40,000 pets by its completion. The initiative has been implemented in close collaboration with government livestock/veterinary frontline workers, whose technical expertise and community engagement have been central to the success of the campaign. Working hand in hand, these teams have reached remote communities, raised awareness about the dangers of rabies, and provided lifesaving vaccinations to thousands of pets that might otherwise have remained unprotected. The vaccination exercises are still ongoing (in all districts, including Rumphi), and the pace of progress strongly suggests that the project will successfully meet or even surpass its original goal. The collaboration between CCEI, VSF, Edgar & Cooper Foundation, and the Malawi Government demonstrates how strong partnerships and sustained community engagement can drive tangible results toward the elimination of rabies and the promotion of One Health in the region.