Vaccines are a critical public health intervention responsible for saving millions of lives each year. However, vaccine hesitancy driven by anti-vaccine movements, has affected vaccine uptake globally. The vaccine that protects against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been particularly affected by hesitancy and uptake remains low across the world. Much of the hesitancy about this vaccine can be attributed to stigma, misinformation and a lack of knowledge about what it is for.

The Girl Effect and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance forged a partnership in 2016 to address the barriers preventing girls from accessing the HPV vaccine in Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda and Tanzania. As part of their partnership, they implemented social and behaviour change communications interventions in these countries. One of their most successful and compelling interventions was the integration of HPV messaging and storylines in Yegna – Girl Effect’s edutainment TV show in Ethiopia. 

This research sought to understand how Girl Effect and Gavi used edutainment and participatory communications to encourage HPV vaccine uptake in Ethiopia. To answer this question, this research applied a case study approach and used a combination of interviews and content analysis to understand how Yegna Season Two integrated HPV messaging. 

The research found that Girl Effect and Gavi placed a significant emphasis on meaningful and authentic participation in the development of this edutainment intervention. They employed robust safeguarding principles and thoughtfully engaged their Youth Advisory Panel throughout the production process. To further amplify their impact, Girl Effect and Gavi partnered with UNICEF, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education to inform their edutainment programming, increase the reach of the show in remote, rural areas and align with government-led vaccination campaigns. This contributed to an increased intent to receive the vaccine amongst their target audience and girls who viewed this season were 1.6 times more likely to intend to receive the HPV vaccine compared to those who had not (Effect 2022: 12).

This research suggests that it is critical that edutainment interventions like this are set up for success by investing both time and money in understanding their audience – what their lives are like, what motivates them, the structural barriers they face in receiving health services and how they consume their entertainment, including the growing popularity of user-generated content platforms. Going beyond a transactional audience insight relationship, this case study suggests that organizations embarking on edutainment interventions should employ meaningful, robust participatory methods that bring their audiences into the production process, invest in strategic government partnerships to overcome structural barriers to behaviour change, and ensure that edutainment interventions feel both authentic and respectful.