NORTON, Zimbabwe (AP) — Lesotho’s Lishosho soccer club was down four goals at halftime against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in a regional under-17 girls’ final in Zimbabwe to promote a cervical cancer vaccine. At full time, the gap had stretched to 5-0.
However for Lishoeshoe winger Nteboheleng Leticia Sooane, the result felt beside the point.
For the 16-year-old, the most important outcome of the tournament had little to do with goalmouth scrambles or final-whistle disappointment. Instead, it was about believing in the HPV vaccine and instilling confidence in girls to prevent the disease, which kills a woman every two minutes worldwide – with the most acute burden in Africa, according to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, one of the organizers of the competition.
“Participating in the tournament was great because even if we didn’t win the final, we had to learn and spread (the message). So it was a good experience,” Sune said as she waited to collect her finals medal at a rain-soaked stadium in Norton, on the outskirts of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
Soone was among some 200 girls from six countries who took part in the CAF Under-17 Girls tournament in December, organized by CAF, Africa’s football governing body, in association with the European football body, GAVI, and the health ministries of several African countries.
Dubbed the Goal Getters campaign, the initiative was demonstrated in Tanzania and Eswatini earlier last year before moving to Zimbabwe in December, using football to build awareness and confidence in the HPV vaccine.
According to GAVI, the HPV vaccine, offered free to girls aged 9 to 14, can prevent 90% of cases of cervical cancer, saving families thousands of dollars in treatment costs later in life if girls are not vaccinated.
The campaign combines sports and health
After disruptions caused by the COVID-19 lockdown and uneven national vaccination programs, Africa has intensified HPV vaccination campaigns in recent years. Coverage of at least one dose of the HPV vaccine increased from 28% to 40% in 2023, behind only North, Central and South America, driven by expanded campaigns supported by governments and GAVI, according to the World Health Organization.
The girls’ soccer tournament is a key part of that effort, said GAVI spokesman Ollie Cann.
“One of the great things about the Targeting campaign is that it enables us to combine two things that teenagers are passionate about, one is sports and the other is health,” Cann said. “It creates a really safe space where girls can trust, they can feel safe, they can feel empowered.”
The launch of the campaign was a medley of dances and songs before the eight-team competition began. On the sidelines, mothers streamed into nearby clinics, some with the chance to see famous women’s soccer figures, as well as get their babies vaccinated against HPV.
HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a common sexually transmitted virus and the leading cause of cervical cancer. While most infections clear up naturally, some persist and can lead to cancer years later.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, killing about 350,000 women each year, according to the WHO. Africa accounts for nearly a quarter of global deaths, and 19 of the 20 most affected countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, Cain said.
Zimbabwe is one of the five most burdened countries on the continent. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women in the country of 15 million people and kills 2,000 women annually, according to the National Cancer Registry.
Ahead of the girls’ tournament, Zimbabwe introduced a single-dose HPV vaccine, a shift officials hope will boost uptake after the two-dose regime rolled out nationally in 2018.
‘There are too many misconceptions’
Misinformation and stigma about reproductive health are major barriers. On a recent weekend in January, only two 10-year-old girls showed up for vaccinations at Budiriro Polyclinic in Harare’s densely populated slum — a pattern health officials say is common, forcing most HPV vaccinations to be delivered through schools.
“Many families are not bringing their children to the clinic to be vaccinated,” said Barbara Masonga, nurse in charge of community mobilization at the clinic. “Even when we follow in school, some refuse. The biggest challenge is religious belief.”
“Some parents think that needles are a secret family planning method to prevent their children from having children,” she said. “There are a lot of misconceptions, so health education is a key part of the campaign.”
Officials say soccer-based initiatives can help bridge that gap.
“We embrace these opportunities so that our communities can become better because of football,” said Nkobile Magwizi, president of the Football Association of Zimbabwe, as celebrations got underway for tournament winners Mamelodi Sundowns.
To be heard, the message went beyond the final score.
“Cancer is a big disease, so every child should be vaccinated so they can be protected,” she said. “That’s why we’re all here to learn about it so we can keep our health intact.”
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