In this special edition of the Leader podcast we’re in Malawi to look at how a 24-year-old music student has become a hero in the country’s fight against Covid-19.

Maggie Mkandawire had to return to her home village from the capital Lilongwe when coronavirus restrictions fell in March 2020. Finding herself at a loose end, she started making affordable facemasks from a traditional cotton textile for those struggling to afford disposable ones. Soon she was embroiled in the fight against vaccine misinformation, tackling rumours and falsehoods from the injections making people infertile to claims they’re connected to Satanic cults. In this incredible story we hear from Maggie herself and the health official who credits her work for increasing vaccination take up and getting more people to wear face masks.

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The Malawi music student who became a Covid hero