3 minute documentary
In Malawi, where cervical cancer claims countless lives, mentor mother Josephine Kalombola walks from village to village empowering young girls to protect themselves through the HPV vaccine — transforming awareness into hope for an entire generation.
About the project
This short documentary is part of the World Health Organization’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the importance of vaccination in preventing life-threatening diseases. Focusing on Malawi, one of the countries most affected by cervical cancer, the film follows mentor mother Josephine Kalombola from Mothers2Mothers as she guides young girls toward protection through the HPV vaccine.
By blending personal storytelling with public health advocacy, the project amplifies WHO’s global campaign to eliminate cervical cancer and ensure that no woman dies from a preventable disease. It highlights how trusted community voices—like Josephine—play a vital role in empowering families, building vaccine confidence, and shaping healthier futures for generations to come.
↓ Photography
Why this film?
Malawi is one of the countries most affected by cervical cancer, a disease the HPV vaccine can prevent. But a vaccine only protects the girls it reaches, and in rural villages that depends on trust. Josephine's story shows how one mentor mother, walking from home to home, turns information into confidence, and why community voices are at the heart of WHO's goal that no woman dies from a preventable disease.
↓ Moodboard (created in field)
Distribution plan
Produced as part of WHO's global campaign to eliminate cervical cancer, the film is made to travel where the conversation happens: health campaigns and social media, partner organizations like Mothers2Mothers, and community screenings with families, schools and health workers.
Impact of the Film
By centering a trusted community voice, the film shows how vaccine confidence is really built: person to person, family by family. It aims to encourage girls and parents in Malawi and beyond to choose HPV vaccination, and to recognize mentor mothers and community health workers as essential allies in ending cervical cancer.
Crew
Director & DoP: Francisco Galeazzi
Producer: Zelmira Zavalia Lagos
For the World Health Organization, in collaboration with Mothers2Mothers
↓ BTS
