Ouépaké Aouehougon is project manager with GRET in Burkina Faso. An epidemiologist specialising in health information management, he works on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the health sector. Previously, he worked for the Burkina Faso ministry of Health, the German international cooperation agency (GIZ) and the World Health Organisation. Here he talks to us about AlloLaafia, a service created by GRET aimed at raising the awareness of the population in Burkina Faso on issues relating to maternal and child health, using mobile phones.
In 2015, as part of its MobiSan project (in french), funded by AFD and Fondation Bel, GRET participated in the development of an innovative communication tool for behavioural change in the area of health in Burkina Faso: the AlloLaafia service. The concept is the following: personalised text messages with health advice or prevention information, validated by the ministry of Health, are sent to people who have subscribed to the service.
What were the main challenges involved in setting up the AlloLaafia service?
The first challenge was strategic, it consisted of implementing an innovative tool that could be easily appropriated by populations and integrated into the country’s health policy.
Coordination was another issue: it was necessary for all stakeholders to be able to participate in the design of the tool by contributing their expertise. The objective was to ensure the highest level of quality possible and the most widespread use of the service.
We also met with conceptual and technological challenges. It was necessary for the project team to be able to summarise the different proposals and respond to stakeholders’ varied expectations. In addition, it was absolutely necessary to find sufficiently qualified local service providers to support the development of the technological system in order to ensure maintenance of the service.
It should be stressed that after the initial investment – which was relatively substantial – for design, operational costs of the AlloLaafia service are quite low, thanks to partnerships with mobile phone operators in the country (Onatel and Orange Burkina). An AlloLaafia message costs less than one cent (euros). In a context where the necessity to communicate no longer needs to be demonstrated, but where scarcity of human, financial and material resources limits traditional communication actions, AlloLaafia is one of the most appropriate alternatives over the long term.
What improvements has the AlloLaafia service contributed to?
AlloLaafia has contributed to demonstrating the multiplier effect that ICTs can bring to the communication sector for behavioural change. Significant improvements have been made thanks to AlloLaafia: substantial time saved for people who no longer need to neglect their activities to attend awareness-raising sessions; involvement of men, who had been rarely affected by these preventive processes, yet now represent 44 % of the service’s subscribers; the possibility of conveying information to populations that are isolated geographically, due to natural obstacles or increasing insecurity. In addition, this ensures a relatively low cost compared to common communication strategies.
So, over two years of experimentation on a small scale, more than 24,000 people benefitted from this service. But theoretically, AlloLaafia is capable of reaching ten times more. We can therefore imagine the effect this tool will have if we manage to upscale!
What future does the service have?
Given its success (almost 72 % of subscribers say they have applied the advice received and more than 90 % of subscribers say they are satisfied or very satisfied), some partners have decided to contribute their support to continue implementing the service, despite the end of the MobiSan project (in french). Fondation Bel will be supporting AlloLaafia until mid-2019 in the province of Gourma. The service has also been extended in the province of Gnagna, thanks to participation from Unicef. An extension in the region of the Mouhoun Loop is also planned, as part of the Premam project (in french).
Discussions are also underway with the ministry of Health in Burkina Faso, with a view to defining procedures for the transfer of a body of the AlloLaafia service. If we succeed in this, the ministry will be able to use the service to communicate with populations and health professionals. This would be a huge step towards making the service and its use sustainable at national level.
