Girl Effect

Girl Effect is a not-for-profit creative social enterprise with a mission to create a New Normal with and for girls. Originally launched by Nike Foundation, Girl Effect became independent in September 2015, continuing to focus on breaking the inter-generational poverty cycle by empowering adolescent girls. Girl Effect builds locally rooted media brands that reframe the value of girls in society – the portfolio of regional brands and global platforms includes magazines, radio dramas, talk shows and two-way digital content.

Girl Effect is an investor and implementer in Gavi’s mission to drive increased uptake of the HPV vaccine. Since 2016, Girl Effect has committed approximately US$ 13 million, including US$ 12 million in cash and US$ 1 million in brand equity, matched by an additional US$ 13 million through the Gavi Matching Fund, bringing the total partnership value to approximately US$ 26 million. The partnership supports Gavi and Vaccine Alliance partners to drive uptake of the HPV vaccine and other routine vaccines through trusted media, community mobilisation and digital engagement. Additionally, Girl Effect’s work underpins the HPV vaccine programme’s integration agenda by promoting health-seeking behaviour among adolescent girls and young women, with broader benefits for their families and communities.

In 2022, Girl Effect and Gavi signed an expansion of the partnership in Ethiopia and the United Republic of Tanzania through a US$ 4 million commitment, again matched by the Gavi Matching Fund. In 2023, an additional phase was added to expand the scope of the project in UR Tanzania, as well as to support the Government of India to design, test and scale content in support of its HPV vaccination communications campaign. Girl Effect has invested US$ 4 million in the expansion, which was matched by the Gavi Matching Fund. The India programme now includes digital engagement tools such as chatbots, websites, school-based content, voice AI solutions and crisis communications support to government counterparts.

To date, the partnership has reached 48.4 million people, including 7.4 million adolescent girls and young women with HPV vaccine content and 1.2 million people with routine immunisation content. HPV coverage increased from 7% to 87% in intervention areas in Ethiopia; girls reached in Nigeria were more than twice as likely to be vaccinated (84% versus 40%); and out-of-school girls reached in UR Tanzania were more than three times as likely to be vaccinated (58% versus 19%). More than 500 champions, including 203 community health workers, have been trained; and elements of the approach have been institutionalised within Ethiopia’s community health worker programme.