ABSTRACT
In 2010, FHI 360, with support from the USAID PROGRESS project and in partnership with several in-country governmental and non-governmental entities, designed and launched Mobile for Reproductive Health, or m4RH, in Kenya and Tanzania. m4RH is a mobile phone, text-message-based, opt-in service that provides users with essential information about nine different short and long acting family planning (FP) methods. m4RH has helped fill a critical gap for women, men and young people of reproductive age who have limited access to accurate and comprehensive FP information. Three years after the launch, m4RH has been promoted by in-country partners in Kenya and Tanzania and has had more than 150,000 unique users access the system. Additionally, m4RH has been adapted to target youth in Rwanda to include information on puberty, pregnancy and sexual relationships, and HIV and STIs, in addition to the standard information about FP methods. With rigorous evaluation efforts underway, m4RH has already demonstrated its reach and feasibility, and thus its potential to improve reproductive health for millions around the globe.
