Improving maternal and child health through mobile technology
Sierra Leone’s maternal and child mortality rates are among the worst in the world. The country’s already overburdened health system was hit hard by the Ebola emergency, which diverted resources and claimed the lives of many health workers.
Improving maternal health is a central plank of Sierra Leone’s post-Ebola recovery plan. The country’s 10,000 community health workers (CHWs), who provide basic health advice, are key to achieving this goal. They bridge the gap between trained health professionals and communities with scarce access to doctors or nurses.
To help community health workers reach those in need, BBC Media Action trialled two mobile health services, Welbodi Tok and Welbodi Campus.
Welbodi Tok, which loosely translates as ‘health talk’, is an audio-visual aid consisting of interactive voice response technology and a deck of illustrated cards. Using a basic mobile phone, health workers are able to dial a phone number to access recorded information on topics ranging from the treatment of diarrhoea, to breastfeeding and good hygiene. The advice is dispensed by means of a Q&A between a fictional “village woman” and two authoritative, yet friendly “doctors”, Dr Abi and Dr Morlai.
Welbodi Campus uses the same technology to trained community health workers. On registration, digital bookmarking technology enables users to complete the course at their own pace. After each nine-minute lesson, they are quizzed to test their knowledge. Those with a pass score would receive a printed certificate of completion.
A national BBC Media Action survey conducted in 2015 found that mobile phone usage is widespread in Sierra Leone and that 52% of mobile phone owners own a basic model. Welbodi’s low-tech voice response services can be accessed by even the most basic mobile phone, making training and family health advice potentially available to a large number of users.
The initiative is based on a similar BBC Media Action mHealth (Mobile Health) service ‘Mobile Kunji’ and ‘Mobile Academy’, which are being rolled out nationally in India.
Project information
| Project name | Welbodi Tok and Welbodi Campus - mHealth Sierra Leone |
| Funder | Paul G. Allen Family Foundation |
| Dates | June 2015 - January 2016 |
| Themes | Health |
| Outputs | Mobile services (IVR) |
| Broadcast partners |
MNOs (Mobile Network Operators), Concern Worldwide, GOAL and the Freetown WASH consortium. |
Our projects in Sierra Leone
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Empowering adolescent girls in Sierra LeoneThere are 32,500 girls in Sierra Leone aged 13-17 who are not in school. Our project called Every Adolescent Girl Empowered and Resilient (EAGER) aims to aid in their transition to education, training or employment and inspire hope for their future.
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Kicking out EbolaBBC Media Action responded swiftly to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone with life-saving information, relevant radio programming and comprehensive training for broadcasters.
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