Tuets teams up with International Committee of the Red Cross to amplify vaccine equity message

Local artist, Atueta Rabuka commonly known as Tuets has teamed up with the International Committee of the Red Cross for the #ConsiderTheBiggerPicture campaign, calling for vaccine equity.

Rabuka says it is common in the Pacific to invite a random passerby to share a meal and no matter how little that Pacific Islander may have or how hungry they may seem, they are all taught from a very young age to be considerate of others and to some extent, put the needs of others before.

He says the same concept should be applied to accessibility of vaccines globally.

Rabuka believes social media plays a huge role in influencing behaviors and that it is vital to utilize these platforms to make people aware of the lack of access to vaccines for people living in countries affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence.

Rabuka says he joins other artists in the region in initiating this conversation through their art on social media and hopefully will be able to not only reach the youth but also key decision makers.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is appealing to states and pharmaceutical companies to address the glaring inequitable distribution and access to the COVID-19 vaccine alongside the unceasing global pandemic.

As of 23 December 2021, 57% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine but this percentage plummets to just 8.1% for people in low-income nations.

It says for countries where people have already been long-suffering because of active armed conflict and other situations of violence, the inability to access the COVID-19 vaccine adds yet another layer to their complicated realities.