The Ananya program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality significantly in Biha. With scale at the heart of an innovative approach, the project utilizes integrated and sustainable multi-channel communication and social mobilization strategies that can support increased demand for – and use of – family health services and the adoption of recommended family health practices. In addition, the project focuses on enhancing the capacity of Community Health Workers (CHWs) to drive positive health behaviors at the family level.
Project outputs such as Mobile Kunji – an audio-visual job aid – are designed for CHWs to use while interacting with the families. Combining a printed deck of cards with an audio-based mobile service, Mobile Kunji delivers multimedia content without the need for expensive hardware. Mobile Academy is an anytime anywhere training course for CHWs, accessed via a mobile phone. Both services are accessible from simple, widely used handsets. Additionally, mass-media campaigns, rural marketing and community-based outreach activities like listeners’ groups have been used to reach target beneficiaries.
