Meet Nelma, one of the adolescents of Vanduzi District, Mozambique, recently vaccinated against HPV. In a new short film documenting the Peer-to-Peer Learning to Improve HPV Vaccine Coverage program, Nelma’s story is one of several that illustrate how communities, health workers and government partners are working together to protect girls against cervical cancer.
The film was produced by VillageReach and partners including Bull City Learning and the Ministry of Health, with support from the Gates Foundation. It follows a co-creation workshop in Vanduzi, Manica Province, where participants from across the health system — from adolescent girls to district officials — came together to identify barriers to HPV vaccination and design practical, locally led solutions.
Listening to adolescents
For Nelma, vaccination is both a personal and community matter. “I have already been vaccinated,” she says. “It’s to avoid getting sick and to stay healthy. I will talk to other girls about getting vaccinated.”
Nelma’s simple message reflects a broader goal of the project: ensuring adolescent girls understand the importance of the HPV vaccine and become advocates among their peers.
Mothers as messengers
Mothers are central to this work. Many have faced myths linking HPV vaccination to infertility or other health risks. For Sonia, the workshop was an opportunity to replace fear with facts.
“I learned that children should get vaccinated to protect their health and ensure good health in the future,” she explains. “From what I learned, it will be very important for me to go back and teach the mothers in my community.”
By engaging caregivers like Sonia, the project builds a foundation of trust, ensuring that accurate information reaches families directly from within the community.
Co-creation in practice
Nilsa, from VillageReach, describes how the project’s participatory approach is designed to make solutions sustainable. “We are seeking solutions that really solve the problem,” she says. “They now see that this is a co-creation process, that they are part of the solution, and they are taking ownership of the project.”
Workshops like the one in Vanduzi bring together health technicians, teachers, caregivers and community leaders to map the “journey” of an adolescent girl — from learning about HPV to accessing vaccination and follow-up care. Through this process, participants identify barriers such as myths, lack of transport or fuel for outreach, and limited coordination between schools and health facilities.
Strengthening systems for the future
Samuel, a district health official, notes that collaboration and new teaching methods are making a difference. “With these new approaches, we hope to increase demand, which will in turn help expand coverage and prevent disease among the target group,” he says. “Listening to the community about myths and taboos has helped us design strategies to limit their impact on vaccine uptake.”
The Peer-to-Peer Learning to Improve HPV Vaccine Coverage program in Mozambique and Nigeria [link to blog] demonstrates how community voices, when brought into the center of health system design, can drive real change. By building trust, sharing accurate information and supporting collaboration across all levels, the initiative is helping to ensure that every girl has access to life-saving protection against cervical cancer.