Post a comment 
The Network Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (NMDHR) has conducted an interactive sensitization session with school pupils and health club members across various schools in Waterloo on the importance of the upcoming Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Multi-Age Cohort (MAC) vaccination campaign.
The awareness initiative, part of NMDHR’s ongoing support to the Ministry of Health’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), aims to educate adolescents particularly girls aged 11 to 18 about the HPV vaccine’s role in preventing cervical cancer and promoting women’s health. The engagement was supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Addressing the pupils, Nabieu Kamara, NMDHR’s Program Director, underscored the significance of the HPV-MAC campaign in reaching girls who missed out on previous routine immunization exercises targeting 10-year-olds.
“We want our pupils and health club members to become advocates for the HPV vaccine,” Kamara said. “They can help educate their peers, parents, and communities that this vaccine is safe, free, and saves lives.”
The interactive sessions included question-and-answer segments where pupils expressed their views and pledged to spread the message within their schools and communities.
School health club coordinators commended NMDHR for its proactive approach, noting that educating young people directly helps counter vaccine myths and misinformation.
The HPV MAC vaccination campaign, scheduled for November 2025, will target girls aged 11 to 18 years across Sierra Leone. NMDHR’s engagements form part of a broader nationwide effort to ensure widespread community awareness and acceptance.
With sustained collaboration between NMDHR, the Ministry of Health, and development partners, it is hoped that Sierra Leone can make significant progress toward eradicating cervical cancer in the coming years.
