MCSP-HelloMama Activity in Nigeria Quarterly Report

The program operates in Ebonyi and Cross-River States, with the goal of complementing the national healthcare system by aligning with health priorities, policies, and systems. HelloMama delivers vital health information to pregnant women, new mothers, and their families through mobile phones with messages specifically designed for behavior change. The program uses an 'ages and stages' model, where messages correspond to what a woman is experiencing in her pregnancy or in her child's development, creating a trusting relationship between the end user and the MAMA service. The program is locally led, planned for scale, and draws upon key lessons learned and best practices from other MAMA country programs. The core partners and stakeholders have agreed to their responsibilities, with MCSP playing a coordination role, Pathfinder responsible for content development and localization, and Praekelt Foundation leading on technology design, development, and testing. The program's objectives are to establish an operational, nationally scalable platform that makes age- and stage-based mobile messages available to the target population and linked to existing health information systems, and to complement supply-side MNCH interventions by improving knowledge and adoption of healthy and safe MNCH practices. In the second quarter of 2018, the program's implementation progress was as follows: the HelloMama platform was operational, and mobile messages were being delivered to the target population. The program's monitoring and evaluation activities were ongoing, with data being collected and analyzed to assess the program's impact. The program management and performance charts were being regularly reviewed to ensure that the program was on track to meet its objectives. The program faced implementation challenges, including network interruptions and technical issues with the mobile messaging platform. However, the program's stakeholders were actively involved in addressing these challenges and ensuring that the program continued to operate smoothly. The program's lessons learned highlighted the importance of having a clear understanding of the target population's needs and preferences, as well as the need for ongoing monitoring and evaluation to assess the program's impact. The program's planned activities for the next quarter included continuing to deliver mobile messages to the target population, conducting regular monitoring and evaluation activities, and addressing any implementation challenges that may arise. The program's budget for the second quarter of 2018 was $301,743, with a total estimated expenditure to date of $3,490,925. The program's geographic coverage was limited to Ebonyi and Cross-River States, with plans to expand to other states in the future. The program's reporting period was from January 1 to March 31, 2018.