In Pakistan, religious leaders can play an important role in shaping how families understand and make decisions about their daughters’ health. During the early rollout of the HPV vaccine, concerns about fertility and religious objections became a major barrier to vaccination in several communities, even where the vaccine was available.
AMAN recognised that medical information alone would not address a barrier rooted in belief and social influence. Instead, senior members of the organisation engaged directly with religious leadership, meeting Maulana Rashid Mahmood Soomro and other JUI-F representatives in November 2025. The discussion addressed concerns about fertility, morality, and foreign influence, explained the vaccine’s role in preventing cervical cancer, and connected prevention with shared values around protecting health and life.
Following the meeting, JUI-F Sindh leadership communicated support for HPV vaccination and pledged to vaccinate his daughter publicly. After the meeting, barriers to AMAN’s team operating in his area were also removed, and he stopped publicly speaking against HPV vaccination.
For AMAN, the shift was not simply about changing one person’s view. It created space for health teams to engage communities more effectively where religious influence could otherwise reinforce resistance to vaccination. The experience showed that some barriers to vaccination are not medical problems that can be solved with more medical information alone. They require understanding who communities listen to and engaging those voices directly and respectfully.
When a health barrier is rooted in belief, changing the conversation can be as important as delivering the vaccine.