VillageReach 220d ago

Meet Nelma, one of the adolescents of Vanduzi District, Mozambique, recently vaccinated against HPV. In this short documentary, Nelma’s story is featured alongside those of community leaders, caregivers, health workers and government representatives who are working together to improve HPV vaccination coverage and adolescent health in Mozambique. Filmed during a VillageReach co-creation workshop in Vanduzi, this film documents a peer-to-peer learning approach designed to strengthen HPV vaccination delivery through collaboration between health providers and communities. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with Bull City Learning and the Ministry of Health, the project focuses on developing locally designed, practical solutions to barriers in HPV vaccine uptake. The film includes perspectives from: - Nelma, an adolescent girl who shares her experience of receiving the HPV vaccine and encouraging her peers to get vaccinated. - Sonia, a mother who learned about the importance of HPV vaccination and now helps other women overcome misinformation and fear. - Carlos, a community leader describing how mobilization and accurate information can counter myths and support vaccine acceptance. - Nilsa, from VillageReach, explaining how co-creation workshops engage communities, health workers and educators in jointly developing solutions to increase vaccine coverage. - Samuel, a district health official outlining how participatory learning and simulation exercises can strengthen local health systems and build demand for vaccination. Through these testimonies, the film highlights key challenges such as myths about infertility, limited resources for outreach and the need for consistent, community-based information. It also shows how participatory design, human-centered learning and coordinated support across health system levels are helping to overcome these barriers. The Peer-to-Peer Learning for HPV Vaccination Project aims to build capacity, trust and innovation at the last mile, ensuring that every girl has access to life-saving vaccination and reliable health information. Directed by: Ricard Franco Executive Produced by: Arsenio Manhice, Rebecca Alban and Tom Foot HPV vaccination, Mozambique, adolescent health, cervical cancer prevention, peer-to-peer learning, co-creation, community health, VillageReach, Ministry of Health, Gates Foundation, immunization coverage, health systems strengthening, public health innovation. Visit: www.villagereach.org