How the COVID-19 vaccine renewed hope for learners in Malawi
“When I heard that the COVID-19 vaccine for children had been introduced, I immediately took [it] …. it gave me a chance to focus again on my goal of becoming a doctor,” 15-year-old Callista Mpunga
Callista Mpunga, a Standard Eight student at Bolero Primary School in Rumphi District, northern Malawi, feared her dream of becoming a doctor was slipping away when schools abruptly shut down in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fifteen-year-old Callista, who was in Standard Five at the time, explains how she was affected by the four-month-school closure. “We were just about to take our exams before schools closed. I was so sad because I love learning and am determined to become a doctor. I feared that my dream was slipping further away,”
Once the schools opened, Callista still felt unsure as to how her learning would unfold as the number of cases of COVID continued to rise. It was only once the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination to children aged 12 years and upward that Callista began to feel more reassured. This rollout is thanks to the Vaccinate my Village campaign, a Ministry of Health and UNICEF initiative, with funding from the United States (U.S.) Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The campaign also provided training of school health and nutrition teachers.
“When I heard that the COVID-19 vaccine for children had been introduced, I immediately took [it], as I was assured of my safety at school and it gave me a chance to focus again on my goal of becoming a doctor,” Callista recounts.
Dumisani Jere, a Standard Eight learner at Bolero Primary School concurs with Callista saying the vaccine helped the learners to feel safe at school and it gave them peace of mind to focus on their studies.
Blessings Patsidya, School Health and Nutrition teacher at Bolero Primary School says that many learners were reluctant to take the vaccine, but with close collaboration with the Parent-Teacher Association and health workers, they managed to create demand for the vaccine.
“The major challenge we faced was misinformation about the vaccine. However, we used our routine meetings with parents and caregivers and local leaders to demystify the myths that allowed children to access the vaccine”, said Patsidya.
Headteacher for Bolero Primary School, Ronald Vitanda, hailed the collaboration among Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, UNICEF and other partners both at national and local level that helped them to work together in creating demand for the COVID-19 vaccine among learners.
John Kuwanda, Expanded Program on Immunization Coordinator for Rumphi district, says the reception of COVID-19 vaccine in the district did not encounter major resistance.
“When we introduced the COVID-19 vaccine to learners, we had already created demand for the vaccine in the communities. Through the Vaccinate My Village Campaign, UNICEF supported us in delivering vaccines in markets, bus depots and hard to reach areas. So, the uptake of Pfizer vaccines among school children aged 12 to17 years was high,” said Kuwanda.
UNICEF, with funding from U.S. CDC, supported Rumphi and Mzimba North districts in the scaling up of information about the COVID-19 vaccine for learners that contributed to the high uptake with 15,985 school children vaccinated between March and June 2023.
