This brief explores understandings, and experiences of COVID-19 vaccines among South Sudanese diaspora members living across Canada. Members of this community, along with other members of African diaspora populations globally, have been considered to be vaccine ‘hesitant’. By contrast, we find that many South Sudanese Canadians have accepted a vaccine. Yet, this has not been linked to the formation of trust with the healthcare system or the government. Rather, fears of vaccine side-effects persisted, and many considered their decision-making compromised. This brief places sentiments in the context of adverse experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have fostered trust in diaspora networks, maintained both virtually and physically, where vaccine misinformation has circulated.
08 October 2026
The CSRF will go on hiatus as feedback on a funding proposal for continued operations is pending. Normal operations continue until 31 October 2026. Please continue to use the resources on the website, which will be maintained into 2027 regardless of the funding situation. We ask for your understanding as new outputs, trainings, and events go on pause, or if queries go unanswered, from October onwards.
