DMI

Location Family planning

Pour une famille saine et prospère

Objective

Following the success of our family planning randomised controlled trial (RCT) and subsequent national follow-on campaign in Burkina Faso, we designed a family planning radio campaign in the cocoa-growing regions of Côte d’Ivoire.

Locations

Côte d'Ivoire

Themes

Family planning – promoting the uptake of modern contraceptives, increasing birth spacing, and avoiding unplanned pregnancies.

Formats

14 x 60-second radio spots, broadcast in 5 languages.

Scope

Our spots were broadcast 10 times a day, every day, on 27 radio stations between May and November 2022.

Reach

2 million

Project at a glance

5
regions
27
radio stations

Our Approach

Science

SCALING UP OUR FAMILY PLANNING CAMPAIGNING

Côte d’Ivoire has some of the highest rates of population growth and maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The Gender Equality Index ranks Côte d’Ivoire 43rd out of 52 countries in Africa and 136th out of 144 countries in the world (World Bank, 2017). 25% of Ivoirian women aged 20-24 gave birth before they were 18 (UNICEF, 2016), and the unmet need for family planning stands at 27% (World Bank, 2018). These figures are higher than those in Burkina Faso before the start of DMI’s family planning randomised controlled trial.

Our landmark trial in Burkina Faso increased the modern contraceptive uptake rate (mCPR) by 20% and is the most robust evidence possible that DMI’s family planning campaigning can be highly effective. We have since scaled up our campaign nationally and are subsequently used our lessons learned to scale up across the cocoa-growing communities of Côte d’Ivoire.

We conducted desk-based research to understand attitudes towards birth spacing and contraception in Côte d’Ivoire. Based on this research, we produced message briefs outlining the behaviours our campaign set out to change.

Stories

TACKLING MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

Pour une famille saine et prospère means “for a healthy and prosperous family”. The campaign’s main messages were integrated into dramatic and relatable stories. Following research into the main barriers to behaviour change, our spots were created and intensely pre-tested on target communities to ensure they were in line with the local context.

Spots specifically targeting women encouraged them to talk with their healthcare provider to understand their contraception options, as well as dispelling the myth that only mothers who have completed their families should use modern contraception. Spots targeting men taught them to encourage their wives to obtain advice on contraception and understand the health benefits for mother and baby of delaying another pregnancy until after the youngest child is 2 years old.

A radio on a wall as an example of DMI's use of radio

Saturation

14 spots, 5 languages, 6 months

In the south-western regions of Côte d’Ivoire, poverty levels are particularly high. DMI conducted a successful early childhood development campaign, Enfance, in these regions between 2019 and 2021. Through this campaign, we built and maintained a network of partnerships with trusted local radio stations with whom we worked again to broadcast the Pour une famille saine et prospère campaign.

We began broadcasting our spots in May 2022. Spots were broadcast 10 times a day, every day, and we continued to do so until November 2022.

Outputs

Project impact

Project Impact

Results

Alongside ASFI, the Ivorian Midwives Network, DMI conducted an innovative and in-depth evaluation to identify impact.

Using data from Performance Monitoring for Action for modern contraceptive prevalence (mCP) in the campaign region, and the Impact2 tool, our research team have modelled the numbers, extrapolating the impact from DMI’s family planning RCT in Burkina Faso.

Our conservative estimate is that the Pour une famille saine et prospère campaign will have increased the demand for modern contraception at a level that will have prevented:

  • Approximately 8,000 unintended pregnancies
  • Approximately 30 maternal deaths
  • Approximately 3,000 unsafe abortions

Partners & Funders

We are grateful to The Saul Foundation and a private philanthropist for funding this intervention.