Family Empowerment Media (FEM) is an evidence-driven nonprofit that enables informed contraceptive decisions through clear, compelling, and accurate communication.
Enabling couples to access modern contraceptives may be one of the most cost-effective ways to avert maternal deaths and improve lives. Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effects that radio-based social and behavioral change campaigns can have on empowering women and men to realize their contraceptive intentions.
Progress
Established in September 2020, FEM is an early-stage organization with significant potential for growth. Since our founding, FEM has come a long way. We have:
140
Broadcast ads 140 times on two radio stations in northern Nigeria
2-3M
Reached up to
2-3 million listeners
300
Conducted extensive listener research with over 300 listeners
Production of a radio show
Focus group discussion with radio listeners
Plans
Our plans for the next year are ambitious. Key highlights include:
PILOT
Conducting a six-month pilot campaign in northern Nigeria in partnership with the state Ministry of Health
SURVEY
Administering a survey to 900 respondents before and after our campaign to assess our impact
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EXPANDING
Expanding our campaigns to a second state in Nigeria
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Model
Inputs
- Locally adapted content designed to meet the specific needs of families in the communities in which we work
- One minute information adverts on radio 10 times a day, 7 days a week
- One 1-hour long call-in show per week for families to ask their specific questions to experts
Outputs
- Families learn about the reproductive opportunities open to them
- Women who wish to take up a form of contraception know where they can find it
- Women who have previously used contraception are reminded of their options
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Outcomes
- Families who desire to take up new contraceptive methods get access to their desired form of contraceptives in local health clinics
- Families who desire to continue using the same method get access to their desired form of contraceptives in local health clinics
Impact
- Improved maternal health
- Reduction in fistulas, cesarean sections, postpartum anemia, and postpartum depression
-Increased subjective well-being
- Increased opportunities for children to attend school
- Families realize their contraceptive goals.
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Values
We strive to achieve optimal impact with the resources available to us. We define optimal impact as helping the largest number of women to realize their reproductive goals. We aim to have the following principles guide our organization:
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Evidence-based: Rigor and evidence have formed our organization from its inception. We aim to continue to use evidence to guide our decisions, and we will be highly critical in evaluating our impact.
Culturally sensitive: We recognize that beneficiaries in different countries and locations have different information needs. We aim to base our content creation on formative research that actively involves our beneficiaries.
Lean & experimental: We strive to remain a lean organization with a strong focus on testing and iteration as we improve and scale our model.
Humble and transparent: We aim to be humble and open-minded while learning from other actors in the space and from our beneficiaries. We also aim to reach the highest standard of transparency.
FEM’s work was awarded a D-Prize in recognition of its cost-effective, evidence-based approach.