By: Olívio Gambo, WHO Angola Communication Officer
In a world increasingly affected by outbreaks, epidemics, extreme weather events, and other public health challenges, the question is no longer whether new crises will arise, but rather how well prepared we will be to tackle them. Preparedness for crises does not depend solely on hospitals, medicines, or the availability of healthcare professionals; it also depends on something less visible, yet equally crucial: the trust of communities.
It was precisely this insight that emerged from the recent National Workshop on Health Communication, organized by the Ministry of Health. More than just a technical meeting, the initiative placed at the heart of the debate an issue often overlooked: a health system’s ability to protect people also depends on its capacity to communicate with them.
For a long time, we believed that information alone was enough to change behavior. Today, we know that the reality is more complex. People do not make decisions solely on the facts they receive; they base their decisions on what they understand, their experiences, and the trust they place in institutions.
A mother decides to vaccinate her child because she trusts the system. A citizen goes to a health center because they believe they will be treated. A community follows recommendations during an outbreak because it trusts those who issue them.
Consequently, trust is often the first line of defense for public health. This was one of the key messages highlighted by the World Health Organization’s Representative in Angola, Dr. Indrajit Hazarika, when he pointed out that effective communication is not about demonstrating knowledge, but about ensuring understanding, and that credibility is not built during a crisis, but every single day.
International experience confirms this reality. During the Ebola crisis in West Africa, outcomes began to improve when communities became actively involved in the response. Community leaders, local organizations, and traditional authorities helped rebuild trust and tailor solutions to the population’s needs.
The lesson is simple: information, on its own, has limited impact. When communities are involved, trust, adherence to recommendations, and the capacity to respond all increase. It is precisely this vision that underpins the WHO Regional Strategy for Africa on Community Protection and Resilience (2023–2030).
The strategy recognizes that prepared, organized, and engaged communities are among the most important assets for public health security and robust health systems. Community protection involves reducing vulnerabilities before risks turn into crises, whilst community resilience means ensuring that communities can adapt, respond, and recover when those risks materialize. Therefore, neither of these capacities arises during an emergency; both are built up in everyday life.
In Angola, several strategic priorities are required. The first is to listen more closely to communities and to incorporate their concerns, perceptions, and experiences into the development of health policies and programs. The second priority is to strengthen the role of community health workers, religious leaders, traditional authorities, and civil society organizations as permanent partners in health promotion and community mobilization. It is equally important to integrate communication into primary healthcare, bringing services closer to the people.
Countries such as Botswana have achieved positive results by strengthening community structures that help to mobilize citizens, identify health problems at an early stage, and strengthen the link between communities and the health system. Consequently, the National Workshop on Health Communication can go beyond a one-off initiative; it can be scaled up and represent a significant shift in the way we think about public health in Angola, moving away from viewing communication merely as a means of dissemination and transforming it into a tool for participation, prevention, and building trust.
In a context marked by increasingly complex health challenges, investing in listening to communities and bringing citizens closer to the decisions that affect their health is no longer an option but has become a necessity. Hospitals treat illnesses; however, it is informed, engaged, and prepared communities that help to prevent, tackle, and overcome them.
Ultimately, the strength of a health system is measured not only by the quality of the services it provides, but also by the quality of the relationship it builds with people.
This article was first published in the Jornal de Angola; a copy can be found here: https://www.jornaldeangola.ao/noticias/9/opini%C3%A3o/681370/comunicar-para-proteger
