Nana, a Teacher at the Heart of a Community United by Vaccination
In May 2025, Niger launched a national polio vaccination campaign that reached nearly 3.9 million children under five. Behind this success are thousands of local champions like Mahamadou Nana, a primary school teacher in Niamey. Her story shows how trust, community relationships, and everyday leadership can break down hesitancy and bring vaccines closer to the people who need them most.
In the Aéroport 2 neighborhood of Niamey, walking through the gates of the local primary school is enough to feel the energy that animates the place. For 19 years, Mahamadou Nana has taught there with quiet devotion. But beyond notebooks and blackboards, another mission lies close to her heart: protecting her students—and more broadly, her community—from preventable diseases like polio.
A mother of four—two daughters and two sons—all fully vaccinated, Nana speaks from experience. She has seen her own children grow up healthy thanks to vaccines, and she witnesses every day in her classroom the impact this can have on the education and lives of young people.
“Vaccination gives children a chance to stay in school, to learn without interruption, without being held back by illness. It’s a real shield, especially for families who don’t have easy access to healthcare,” she explains.
For a long time, school-based vaccination caused mistrust. Parents demanded prior authorization, and some simply refused to let their children be vaccinated outside the home.
But one day, everything changed. Nana attended an information session led by community relays in her neighborhood. Moved by their message, she decided to share it in her own way, in her own words.
“I spoke with the parents who came to the school. I explained why it was important, why I myself had vaccinated my children. Little by little, they listened. They understood.”
Thanks to her commitment, parents began to accept vaccination in schools—and then actively support it. More children attended, absences decreased, and the school became a place of trust—for both learning and health.
“I saw the looks change. I saw hesitant mothers become convinced mothers. It’s a small victory every time.”
Today, Nana has become a true pillar of her community, a trusted reference point for families. Her story shows that national efforts—like Niger’s massive May 2025 campaign, which mobilized over 24,000 agents and reached nomadic, displaced, and transhumant populations—depend on everyday champions like her.
Photo: Mahamadou Nana, a primary school teacher in Niamey, has become a trusted advocate for vaccination in her community—helping turn hesitancy into support and schools into safe spaces for health and learning. ©UNICEF Niger/ Niamey Mai 2025/Pie Roger
What Nana’s journey reminds us is that national health campaigns alone are not enough. What’s also—and perhaps even more—important are familiar faces, close voices, and trusted individuals who share the right messages. And in that role, Nana excels. With kindness, she has woven a link between the school, families, and public health campaigns. Hers is the story of an ordinary woman who, through her everyday actions, creates extraordinary change.