Community engagement is core to any public health intervention. It is a process in which community groups, organisations and individuals come together to build a dynamic relationship with a collective vision for development and growth of the community. It is rooted in principles involving equity and empowerment, tailored and context-specific solutions, and practices comprising of communication, capacity strengthening and politically and culturally oriented activities. The goal is to engage and enable the communities to assume responsibility of factors influencing their surroundings and to improve their health, to promote equitable access to health services and ensure communities can engage in improving the quality of their health services.

The purpose of this document is to describe tools and approaches of community engagement for vector borne disease control by highlighting the experiences, historical lessons, opportunities and examples of country programmes and the projects of Partner Institutions.