Women Football Stars Use WAFCON Spotlight to Push Polio Campaign
African women football stars have joined forces with health advocates to strengthen efforts to protect children from polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases across the continent.
The “Kick Out Polio” campaign, launched by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) during the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, is calling on governments, families, communities and partners to ensure that every child can access life-saving vaccination.
The campaign comes as Africa continues to make progress against polio. According to GPEI, detections of all types of variant poliovirus fell by 50 per cent during the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
However, children living in conflict-affected, displaced and underserved communities remain particularly vulnerable. Limited access to health services, misinformation, outbreaks and declining resources can leave children unvaccinated and create immunity gaps that allow poliovirus to spread.
From a child protection perspective, ensuring access to vaccination is more than a public health responsibility. It is part of protecting children from preventable illness and disability and ensuring they have the opportunity to grow, learn and thrive.
Women also play a critical role in reaching children, particularly in communities where trust in health services can determine whether families accept vaccination.
The campaign features 11 African women footballers, including Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie and Francisca Ordega, alongside players from Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire.
With football commanding a huge audience across Africa, organisers hope the campaign will turn the visibility of WAFCON into action that reaches children who are often hardest to reach.
