Every day there is non-stop coverage about the COVID-19 virus, but some people hear rumors and theories about the virus instead of facts from medical professionals. In order to debunk some of the false information and to spread the current knowledge of COVID-19, the Kennedy-Lugar YES Alumni Association of Nigeria (YAAN) began an online campaign led by alumni who are health professionals by conducting live Q/A sessions on their Facebook page. This campaign started on April 1st, and all three live streams have proven to be very successful and appreciated by the Nigerian community.

To promote each of the live sessions, the alumni took to social media and posted flyers featuring the alumni doctors who would be speaking that evening. Over 150 active alumni also jumped in and shared the posts on their personal social media accounts and on WhatsApp to continue spreading the word. YAAN’s goal with these sessions was to provide correct and up to date information about COVID-19 to as many people as possible in a language they can understand. Although English is the official language of Nigeria, a significant portion of the population in the North, specifically in remote areas, is more comfortable in other local languages. With this in mind, the alumni organized three live sessions: one in English, Hausa and Pidgin English.

Each live session concentrated on COVID-19 as a whole and featured the newest updates and statistics of the disease. The hosts discussed preventative measures like social distancing and washing your hands as well as the steps to take if you feel you are experiencing some of the symptoms of the virus. The medical professionals made sure to keep the facts straight and were open to any comments or questions that arose from the viewers during and after each live stream. Dr. Muhammed Mubarak Bello (YES 2009-2010, Nigeria, hosted by IRIS in Ankeny, IA) hosted the first one-hour session in English and was delighted to have over 500 engagements with the public during that time period. Dr. Muawiya Adamu Lamido (YES 2007-2008, Nigeria, hosted by IRIS in Adel, IA) and Dr. Lukolm Nendi Sols (YES 2005-2006, Nigeria, hosted by IRIS in Washington, IA), who held the sessions in Hausa and Pidgin English respectively, saw similar responses to their live streams. The overall feedback from these sessions so far has been very encouraging to the alumni and many of the viewers have said that the sessions are very informative to hear.

YAAN has continued to share the information after the sessions are over, by listing the completed streams on YAAN's Facebook page. Alumni have also created shortened clips from the sessions to post on other social media accounts and on WhatsApp. But their efforts to stay connected with their communities and share information are nowhere near from over. 

YAAN is going to continue the one-hour live sessions on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 8-9 PM (West Africa Time). They are also going to continue sharing their messages and other COVID-19 information on their other social channels like Instagram and Twitter. Given the dynamic nature of the virus and evolving recommendations, YAAN believes that it is important to stay up to date and is committed to doing their part to help educate community members. Even though KL-YAAN cannot be physically out in their communities, they are being there for everyone virtually in massive ways.