Breaking Barriers: How Gender Equity is Transforming Immunization in Malawi

Just three years ago, Malawi faced a daunting challenge. A wave of emergencies including COVID-19, cholera, cyclones, floods, and even a wild polio virus outbreak that strained the health system. Immunization rates dropped, and thousands of children missed critical vaccines. Behind these numbers were real stories, of fathers that are unaware of the importance of vaccines, and of cultural norms that hindered women from seeking health care services.

Recognizing these barriers, WHO with funding support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance joined hands with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Gender to do something different. Instead of focusing only on vaccines, they focused on people, their realities, beliefs, and struggles. Through community dialogues, gender analysis, and advocacy, they uncovered why some families were left behind: myths about vaccines, male-dominated decision-making, and the heavy burden of women's daily responsibilities.

The response was bold and inclusive. Over 1,260 champions of change included community leaders, peer advocates and over 820 health workers were trained to spread accurate information and challenge harmful norms. These efforts reached fishing communities with irregular schedules, remote villages with poor roads, and schools where parents once feared vaccines. Slowly, trust grew. Zero-dose children who had never received a single vaccine dropped from 11% in 2022 to just 5.9% by October 2025. Families who once hesitated are now bringing their children to clinics. Men are joining conversations about health. Districts have developed gender-sensitive immunization plans to keep progress going.

Our journey in mainstreaming gender in immunization showed that when communities are truly heard and gender barriers are broken, resilience thrives and hope is restored-proving that by putting people at the heart of health, every child can be reached with the protection they deserve.