Two weeks ago, Congolese refugee Declo Bisimwa rolled up his sleeve for the COVID-19 vaccine, filming the process for his entire community to see.
Posting the video to social media, he urged in Swahili that others get the vaccine.
Messages swiftly poured in from friends and family, not just from his hometown of Shepparton but across the globe.
Many said they would get vaccinated too now they had seen him receive the jab.
Others were surprised, because when the vaccine first came out, Mr Bisimwa had said he would be the last person in Australia to receive it.
"I was afraid," he admitted.
"It's really hard for people to understand where we come from.
Melbourne is preparing to emerge from lockdown restrictions on Friday after a surge in vaccinations.
Up until yesterday, 89.4 per cent of Victorians had received at least one dose, and 67.2 per cent were fully vaccinated.
History of racism sparks fears
Inspired by his wife Sifa's example, Mr Bisimwa decided to be vaccinated after she lined up for the shot.
His initial fears had stemmed from a distrust of vaccines sown by a grim history of medical experimentation in some African countries.
According to Kate Radevski, partnerships and programs manager at St Paul's African House in Shepparton, he is not alone in this fear.
African House recently released a report surveying Shepparton's African communities on a wide range of issues, including COVID-19.
Ms Radevski said most responses towards vaccination were positive.
But some Congolese and Burundian community members were hesitant, with historic racism a major barrier.
"That they're seen as something different or lesser, or just having that fear that something may be done to them.
"We even had some community members ask things like, 'Will the vaccination be the same for me as an African person as for someone who is white?'"
Many mothers also feared the vaccine would impact their pregnancy.
Multiple studies show that vaccines are safe at any stage of pregnancy.
Programs encourage community vaccination
With a lack of resources in language, many struggled to access reliable information.
To address this, Shepparton's vaccination bus visited African House in mid-September.
Community health educators were present all day to provide support in seven languages.
"It meant people that turned up on the day could speak in their own language to someone that looked familiar to them and they felt comfortable with," Ms Radevski said.
It set off a ripple effect which encouraged more community members to be immunised.
Mr Bisimwa is also backing the cause.
The La Trobe social work student recently hosted a COVID-19 information session in Swahili.
He is also seeking funding to create more COVID-19 educational materials in several languages.
But Mr Bisimwa believes the greatest catalyst for change is to set an example.
"My wife said, 'You are a positive role model within the community'," he said.
