Teeka Talk is an initiative to support parents, adolescents and communities with trusted information on HPV vaccination and prevention against Cervical Cancer

The Department of Health & Family Welfare in collaboration with Girl Effect India launched ‘Teeka Talk’, an initiative to strengthen awareness and engagement around Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination across the state held at the Conference Hall, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Kohima on 17th September 2026.

At the launch, Principal Director, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Keveduyi Theyo said that Nagaland is committed to ensure that adolescent girls and their families have access to accurate, trusted information on HPV vaccination so they can make informed decisions about their health. Strengthening awareness requires close coordination across Health, Education and Women and Child Development, along with meaningful engagement with schools, communities and frontline workers. The collaboration with Girl Effect India through Teeka Talk will support these efforts by bringing credible, youth-friendly information closer to girls and families across Nagaland.

State Immunization Officer, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Imkongtemsu Longchar stated that Cervical cancer remains an important public health concern for women in India, but vaccination offers an opportunity to prevent the HPV infections that cause most cervical cancers. In Nagaland, ensuring that adolescent girls and their families have the right information at the right time is an important part of building confidence in HPV vaccination. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to support eligible girls in receiving the HPV vaccine at the recommended age, helping protect them from cervical cancer later in life. Through stronger engagement with schools, communities and frontline health workers, Nagaland is working to make trusted information on HPV vaccination more accessible to families across the state.

Director, Girl Effect India, Kavita Ayyagari informed that, for parents and adolescent girls, questions about a vaccine can be natural, particularly when it is new to them. Teeka Talk aims to make trusted information on HPV vaccination easier to access and understand, through schools, communities, parent engagement and digital platforms. In a state like Nagaland, where communities are diverse and many families live across geographically dispersed areas, reaching people with information in formats and languages that work for them is especially important. Through Teeka Talk, the aim is to help girls and their families feel confident and supported in making decisions about HPV vaccination.

The Teeka Talk Nagaland launch marks a step forward in strengthening coordinated communication and engagement around HPV vaccination. Perspectives from Kohima and Dimapur districts informed the discussions on implementation, while representatives from the Health, Education and WCD departments discussed opportunities to strengthen outreach across communities.

The next phase will focus on coordinated implementation across departments and districts, with a focus on school, parent and community engagement and ensuring that eligible adolescent girls and their families can access trusted information about HPV vaccination.

The initiative was launched during a state-level meeting chaired by Principal Director, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Keveduyi Theyo. The meeting brought together over 60 stakeholders from the Health, Education and Women and Child Development (WCD) departments to strengthen coordination and community engagement around HPV vaccination.

The Government of Nagaland is taking an important step to safeguard the health of its daughters by providing free HPV vaccination to girls aged 14 years at government health facilities. HPV vaccination, like other important childhood and adolescent vaccinations, can help prevent the HPV infections that cause most cervical cancers. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, with 78,499 women diagnosed and 42,392 lives lost (NCRP–ICMR, 2024). Vaccinating girls at the recommended age offers an important opportunity to protect them from cervical cancer later in life.

Teeka Talk strengthens this effort by enabling informed conversations on HPV vaccination across schools, communities and families. Its Teeka Talk -WhatsApp based chatbot provides parents, clear, credible information and answers to common questions about HPV vaccination and cervical cancer.

Teeka Talk is a Girl Effect India initiative that supports HPV vaccination awareness and informed decision-making among adolescents, parents and communities. Through school and community engagement and its WhatsApp chatbot, Teeka Talk provides clear, credible and easy-to-understand information on HPV vaccination and cervical cancer, helping families find answers to their questions and make informed choices about vaccination. The initiative complements India’s effort to safeguard the health of our young girls.

Girl Effect India is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to unlocking the potential of adolescent girls and young women in Asia and Africa. Girl Effect India advance their health, education, and economic opportunities by connecting them with life-changing information, digital tools, and trusted support. Whether it's helping girls access vaccines, stay in school, make informed reproductive choices, or engage with safe, relevant media and technology our mission is to empower them to thrive and redefine what’s possible.

Girl Effect has been working in India since 2019 on adolescent health and wellbeing, designing social and behaviour change programs that leverage media, mobile technology and AI powered platforms on immunization, adolescent health, mental wellbeing, online genderbased violence, anaemia and SRH. Bol behen, GE’s much awarded AI-powered chatbot and ChhaaJaa, the youth facing digital platform are Girl Effect’s flagship digital interventions. The Gully youth labs and Tipi Tipi Talk are Girl Effect’s signature on ground programs being rolled out in the country.

Through locally rooted media and digital interventions, chatbot, dramas, and youth labs, Girl Effect creates safe and resonant spaces for girls to gain confidence, knowledge, and agency. For more information about Girl Effect - please visit https://www.girleffect.org/

(Kazihito T Kibami, IA)