• There has been significant disruption to the delivery of essential health services at our facilities in Malawi as most health care providers shifted their attention to COVID-19 from March 2020.

• Due to social distancing measures, there has been a reduction in the number of in-person educational events for health workers on COVID-19 and related issues.

• Outreach clinics (i.e. vaccination and antenatal care services) were suspended because of concerns of COVID-19 transmission.

A rapid needs assessment in March 2020 highlighted a need to develop education for healthcare workers and managers on COVID-19 and maintaining essential health services.

In order to respond to this need in the context of social distancing measures and other restrictions, short animated videos were developed on key priority areas. This comprised of a series of fourteen educational videos addressing topics related to maintaining essential health services and COVID-19 specific training.

Areas included palliative care, antenatal care and general principles on the delivery of essential health services during the pandemic.

The videos reached 30 African countries and were viewed by more than 2 million people. This was in part due to the dissemination strategies employed, with a coordinated social medial campaign. The video series provided health workers with an informative, digestible format to learn about key principles of delivering essential health services during the pandemic.

• It was not possible to assess objectively whether knowledge had improved or behaviour had altered among health personnel or institutions viewing them. A parallel survey would be useful to assess change at the facility / institutional level.

• Dissemination was initially slow when relying on individuals and local networks. The use of geo-targeted advertising on social media improved dissemination greatly.

• An integrated approach by incorporating the videos into webinars and workshop could be used for a blended approach to learning in the future.