2011 — With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, FHI 360’s Program Research for Strengthening Services (PROGRESS) project began developing the Mobile for Reproductive Health (m4RH) project, which developed a set of text messages on family planning methods that users can access via their mobile phones. This low-cost approach to reaching contraceptive users was deployed in Kenya and Tanzania as part of a research study aimed at determining the feasibility of family planning information via text message, the reach of this communication channel and the anticipated impact on family planning use. FHI 360 is now adapting the program for young people in Rwanda and scaling up the program in both Kenya and Tanzania.

m4RH Kenya: Results from Pilot Study

2012 — Working in partnership with K4Health, the Program Research for Strengthening Services (PROGRESS) project is producing an mHealth implementation guide, an e-learning course, and a high-impact practices (HIP) brief that provides a summary of the literature as well as lessons learned for how to implement various mhealth approaches to support family planning objectives. A draft version of the HIP brief is being disseminated at the Africa Bureau meeting and the mHealth Summit in Washington, DC, in December 2012.