Learn how we use evidence-based behaviour change campaigns to improve and save lives in low-income countries.
Learn about how DMI brings together two different worlds: demonstrable scientific practice and creative storytelling.
Location Child survival
Maternal and child mortality rates in Tanzania are among the highest in the world. Through our maternal and child health WhatsApp chatbot, known in Swahili as Tunza Afya Chat, we are exploring new and innovative approaches to deliver social and behaviour change campaigns.
Jointly developed with the Health Promotion Section (Elimu ya Afya kwa Umma) of the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, the WhatsApp chatbot aims to reach the growing segment of young caregivers who have smartphones in Tanzania. Our chatbot is designed for caregivers of children under-5 to instantly access engaging, MOH-validated information about child health and development, as well as maternal health.
Tanzania
Child survival, nutrition, maternal health, and early childhood development (ECD)
Multi-media messaging (audiovisual and narrative journeys) delivered via a WhatsApp chatbot.
Our chatbot – called Tunza Afya Chat (“take care of your health chat”) – was launched in selected districts in Mwanza, Mbeya, and Dodoma regions in December 2023. With the support of the Tanzanian MOH, the chatbot will be rolled out in all other regions in 2024.
Science
The media landscape is changing rapidly across the globe. In Tanzania, smartphone use is increasing particularly quickly. Of those who own a mobile phone, 40% of men and 30% of women living in urban areas now have a smartphone (DHS, 2022). This sizeable segment is expanding rapidly, with an average quarterly growth rate of 4%. DMI’s radio and TV campaigns reached over 20 million Tanzanians over the past five years. But what can we achieve with a chatbot?
In collaboration with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, DMI has developed a WhatsApp chatbot to deliver health information to caregivers of children under-5. Chatbot users are not passively receiving information, as they would with radio or TV, but are directly seeking the health advice they need, at a time when that information is most relevant. They can create a unique user experience by navigating to specific information tailored to their individual circumstances. Two-way communication like this can consolidate understanding and encourage caregivers to frequently and consciously engage in decision-making related to their child’s health.
Stories
DMI and the Tanzanian Ministry of Health jointly developed and defined the highest priority messages for family health for a national audience. The chatbot aims to support caregivers throughout their pregnancy and during their child’s early years of life, offering guidance to users about antenatal care, their baby’s development, delivery at a health centre, nutrition for infants and young children, and treatment seeking for major childhood illnesses (such as malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea).
Our story-based audiovisual and narrative content follows relatable characters, Dotto and Barige, who are parents of two young children. Users navigate a menu-based system where they can select topics related to their child’s health and development. Our bite-sized, brief multimedia content is integrated within the chatbot and provides informative, friendly advice to caregivers on a given topic. For example, nutrition sections include recipes and videos explaining the importance of a varied diet.
Saturation
This chatbot reaches our target audience with information about their child’s health, whenever they need it. Users can tailor their experience according to their specific needs at the time of engagement, and the chatbot’s multitude of themes ensures that the content is relevant across many milestones, from antenatal care to nurturing care behaviours during a child’s early years.
Every day, parents have the opportunity to engage in behaviours related to the chatbot’s focus areas, whether this be engaging in nurturing care behaviours or cooking a nutritious meal. Support is available 24/7, ensuring ultimate accessibility of information. This accessibility is crucial, especially in remote or underserved areas where access to other sources of information may be limited.
We would like to thank the Horace Goldsmith Foundation and UBS Optimus Foundation for funding this project.
What next
Our chatbot has generated significant support and enthusiasm from the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, who consider it an essential tool for health promotion and are eager for it to be rolled out nationally. In 2024, DMI is assisting the MOH to integrate the chatbot with existing infrastructure, such as the MOH’s national call-centre, as well as Tanzania’s growing network of community health workers.
We are actively seeking funding to continue to develop the chatbot. We hope to integrate more advanced technology and more interactivity into the chatbot, as well as expand thematically to include, for example, family planning content.