iDevPro-Africa & Family Empowerment Media (iDevPro-FEM) Partnership: This project is funded
by Charity Entrepreneurship U.K with FEM as the principal recipient and iDevPro as a sub recipient,
supporting Kano State Ministry of Health to eliminate maternal deaths and other health burdens
due to unintended pregnancies through a proven strategic Family Planning SBCC Intervention. The
partnership is an evidence-driven nonprofit that enables informed contraceptive decisions through
clear, compelling, and accurate communication. It enables couples to access modern
contraceptives as one of the most cost-effective ways to avert maternal deaths and improve lives.
iDevPro-FEM produced, deploy and monitor radio ads and shows that shift knowledge, attitudes,
and behaviour around family planning. Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effects
that radio-based social and behavioural change campaigns can have on empowering women and
men to realize their contraceptive intentions. It is expected that, the FEM will be able to avert
maternal death in 10 Nigerian states and reaching 20 million women and men by 2026. The radio
shows provide education on family planning to 5.6 million listeners in Nigeria (including Kano)
through more than 500 radio ads and shows. In Kano state our campaign deployment tactics
entailed broadcast of ads 140 times on two radio stations – Radio Freedom and Arewa Radio and
reaching approximately 5 million listeners, who could be remembered by about four out of five
radio listeners, according to our quarterly intermediary rapid survey. So far, the iDevPro-FEM have
been able to achieve a 9 out of 10 score from listeners (on the likelihood that they would
recommend a show or ad to a friend), we have expanded the impact of our intervention through
a partnership with Marie Stopes International’s call centre.
In the implementation of iDevPro-FEM partnership, we are working closely and providing support
to Health Promotion Units (HPU)/Social mobilization department – HECTIC to co-create, co-develop
and implement the iDevPro-FEM’s mass media campaign. We also provide support and technical
assistance to Health Promotion Officers at PHC at LGA levels, we plan and monitor activities of
community structures -CHIPS agents, religious and traditional leaders and WDCs conducting and
monitoring community sensitization in catchment areas of selected Health Facilities in close
collaboration with the state Ministry of Health, Ministry of Budget and planning, State Radio
stations, and the 44 LGAs iDevPro scope is on “improving knowledge and related practices among
mothers and caregivers of children.
The Partnership received another grant to support the implementation of the Initiative for
Evidence-Driven Social Behaviour Change, through the use of Multiple-Black Boxes (BBs) Radio
Transmitter Monitor. The Project is funded by the Canadian government under its Grand Challenge
Canada (GCC) grant. Grand Challenges Canada provided grant support to iDevPro-FEM Partnership
for our bold ideas with significant impact in health. Through well-articulated partnership with kano
state government we co-created and developed bold ideas that integrate science and technology,
social and business innovation. Our strategy focused on co- defined challenges around critical
public Health program for saving Lives at Birth in Kano state. Our major role on this project as the
local implementing partners, include strategic advocacy with the state government, supporting program planning, training and capacity building, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of
the program and management of the Multiple-Black Boxes (BBs) Radio Transmitter to monitor
programs and evaluate impact by creating test and control groups to monitor exposure of target
population to various childbirth spacing campaign materials in the state.
iDevProNet’s mobilization approach was essentially to initiate social change through active
engagement of grassroot community level players. iDevPro’s approach to mobilizing grass-root
communities was developed and honed through our years of practical experience which shows
that the most effective community mobilization efforts engage with the attitudes, norms, and
practices of both individuals and groups. Our evidence-Driven and proven methodology promotes
community members’ ownership of decision-making and builds their knowledge and skills to carry
out those decisions around contraceptive use. Our approach incorporates principles, and practices
that can be adapted to any context or program.
