Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in Malawi. It is also largely preventable.
To address this gap, GHC’s 2025-2026 Africa Leadership Accelerator cohort in Malawi used their cohort stretch project as an opportunity to design and lead a community-based HPV awareness and vaccination campaign in Kawale, Lilongwe, working alongside the Lilongwe District Health Office, Kawale Health Centre, and Kawale Primary School. They called it #ProtectHerFuture.
Before setting foot in any classroom, the cohort spent time in community dialogue sessions with parents, caregivers, faith leaders, and community leaders. Those conversations revealed that most resistance to the HPV vaccine wasn’t rooted in opposition, but from unanswered questions. Fears about infertility, uncertainty about why girls are the primary target, gaps in access to reliable health information. Fellows listened to the community’s concerns and then responded by sharing verified information and working to build trust before they ever asked anyone to roll up a sleeve.
Malawi’s HPV vaccination coverage has improved in recent years, but misinformation remains a persistent barrier, particularly in peri-urban communities where health messaging can arrive fragmented or inconsistent. The Kawale sessions were designed to address that directly not by broadcasting facts at people, but by creating genuine space for conversation.
At Kawale Primary School, fellows delivered interactive, age-appropriate sessions to more than 900 learners, with on-site vaccination facilitated in partnership with Ministry of Health teams. One hundred girls received the HPV vaccine that day. Across the full campaign, fellows and partners reached more than 1,000 community members through mobile van outreach, and engaged 40 community gatekeepers through dedicated dialogue.
The cohort also grounded their approach in human-centered design — a frame that shaped not just the content of their sessions, but how they listened and adapted in real time. Technical accuracy matters in matters of health, but so does cultural relevance. A message that doesn’t land with the people it’s meant to reach doesn’t protect anyone.
The experience reinforced for fellows that public health impact is built through collaboration, shared learning, and relationships.