Women Self-Inject Initiative

The specific problem we are addressing within the 4herpower Innovative Challenge is the limited access to modern injectable contraceptives for underserved women of reproductive age in Uganda. The scale of this problem is substantial, both locally and globally.

In Uganda, a significant portion of the population, particularly in remote or underserved areas, faces barriers to accessing reliable family planning methods.

In southern Buganda, modern contraceptive use among women of reproductive age is at 35% which is still below the targets set by MoH Uganda and implementing partners (FPCIP II 2021). Furthermore, inequities in access to information, quality and services have been highlighted as limitations to achievement of the set targets (FPCIP II). Masaka district which lies in this region is no exception to this trend. 

 This limited access to modern contraceptives contributes to high maternal mortality rates, unintended pregnancies, and a lack of control over reproductive choices. It's a problem that directly affects the health and well-being of women and their families.

Globally, this issue extends beyond Uganda and is prevalent in various regions, especially in low-resource settings. Millions of women around the world lack access to family planning, leading to adverse health outcomes and perpetuating cycles of poverty.

Local and global statistics highlight the severity of this issue. In Uganda, for example, the maternal mortality rate is relatively high, and a significant portion of maternal deaths can be attributed to unintended pregnancies and limited access to contraception. Furthermore, the unmet need for family planning services remains significant.

Our solution, the Women Self-Inject Initiative, directly addresses this problem by training and distributing self-administered injectable contraceptives, empowering women to make informed choices about their reproductive health. By leveraging the existing healthcare infrastructure and collaborating with local partners, we aim to bridge the gap and contribute to reducing the adverse effects of limited access to contraceptives in Uganda and potentially serve as a model for addressing similar challenges globally.

Our solution, the Women Self-Inject Initiative, serves underserved women of reproductive age in Uganda. This target population includes women of reproductive age (15-49years) who are currently facing significant challenges in accessing modern injectable contraceptives due to various barriers. They are often underserved in the following ways:

1. Geographic Isolation: Many of these women live in remote or underserved areas of Uganda, far from centralized healthcare facilities, making access to reproductive health services difficult.

2. Lack of Autonomy: Limited access to family planning services hinders their ability to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. They often lack the autonomy to choose when and how many children to have.

3. Health Risks:The absence of reliable family planning options puts these women at higher risk of unintended pregnancies, which can lead to maternal health complications and negative socio-economic consequences.

Our solution directly impacts their lives in the following ways:

1. Increased Autonomy: By providing training and access to self-administered injectable contraceptives, we empower these women to take control of their reproductive health, allowing them to make informed choices about family planning.

2. Improved Health: Access to reliable contraceptives reduces the risk of unintended pregnancies, maternal health complications, and unsafe abortions, thereby improving the overall health and well-being of the women we serve.

3. Economic Opportunities: By managing their reproductive health, these women can better plan their families and education or work opportunities, leading to improved socio-economic outcomes.

4. Community Well-being: The positive impact extends to their families and communities by contributing to lower maternal mortality rates and improved family planning practices.

Our solution is tailored to directly address the specific needs of underserved women in Uganda, ensuring they have the tools and knowledge necessary to lead healthier, more autonomous lives.

Our team is uniquely well-positioned to deliver the Women Self-Inject Initiative in Masaka district and to meaningfully impact the underserved communities in this region. Several factors illustrate our proximity and understanding of the communities we serve:

1. Local Roots: Some of our co-founders hail from Masaka district, which is the project's location. This local connection provides an intimate understanding of the culture, challenges, and specific needs of the communities.

2. Practical Experience: Other co-founders have worked within healthcare facilities in the district, giving them firsthand experience of the healthcare infrastructure, challenges, and the needs of the population.

3. Community Engagement:We are actively engaging with the local communities throughout the project's development. This includes conducting surveys, holding community meetings, and seeking input from women directly to ensure our solution aligns with their needs and desires.

4. Cultural Sensitivity: Our team is sensitive to the cultural nuances of the region, which is crucial in addressing reproductive health issues. This sensitivity allows us to design and implement the solution in a manner that respects local customs and values.

5. Collaboration:We have registered as a community based organization and established partnerships with local healthcare providers, local government authorities in Masaka district and other community organizations, creating a collaborative approach to ensure the solution is well-received and integrated into the existing healthcare ecosystem.

Our Team Lead and co-founders collectively represent the communities we aim to serve, making our approach more authentic and community-driven. The design and implementation of our solution are meaningfully guided by the input, ideas, and agendas of these communities. This ensures that the Women Self-Inject Initiative is not only a solution developed for the people but also by the people it seeks to serve, promoting long-term sustainability and positive impact.

The Women Self-Inject Initiative currently serves a network of 30 private healthcare providers who are who have been training on how to offer comprehensive family planning counselling, guidance and training on self-injection with contraceptives to women. These providers will play a vital role in training and enhancing access for approximately 500 women in remote villages within Masaka district, Uganda.

The Women Self-Inject Initiative (WSII) introduces innovation through its unique Private Health Care Provider (PCP) model. Unlike traditional approaches, this solution leverages local healthcare providers to not only distribute but also train women in the proper self-administration of injectable contraceptives. This approach is significantly improved because it empowers women with the knowledge and means to take control of their reproductive health in their own hands.

By employing local PCPs, the initiative taps into the existing healthcare infrastructure, catalyzing broader positive impacts by strengthening local healthcare systems and creating income opportunities for providers. This approach can change the market by increasing access to contraceptives in underserved areas, reducing the dependency on centralized healthcare facilities, and promoting women's autonomy in reproductive health decisions.

In terms of technology, the initiative harnesses existing healthcare infrastructure, making it more accessible and cost-effective for women. The innovation lies in the novel application of this model to the distribution and education surrounding self-injectable contraceptives. By building on local resources and expertise, the Women Self-Inject Initiative is making a significant contribution to improving women's access to modern contraceptives in Uganda.

Our impact goals for the next year and the next five years are:

Next Year:

1. Reach 2,000 women of reproductive age in underserved areas, providing them with access to self-administered injectable contraceptives.

2. Strengthen partnerships with local healthcare providers and community organizations to expand our reach and impact.

Next Five Years:

1. Reach 10,000 women of reproductive age in Uganda, ensuring they have unobstructed access to injectable family planning methods with full autonomy.

2. Collaborate closely with the government of Uganda and other implementing partners to scale our program across different regions.

3. Lobby for additional funding, aiming to secure $140,000 to support the expansion and sustainability of our initiative.

4. Reduce the unit cost for services and products, making them more affordable and accessible to a wider range of women.

5. Align our impact goals with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 5 and 10.

These impact goals reflect our commitment to making a transformational impact on the lives of underserved women in Uganda, and we will achieve them by building strategic partnerships, advocating for financial support, and continually improving the affordability and accessibility of our services.

Women Self-Inject Initiative theory of change

We expect our solution to have a meaningful impact on the problem through a clear theory of change:

1. Activities: We train and empower a network of private healthcare providers to deliver self-administered injectable contraceptives to women in underserved communities.

2. Immediate Outputs: The trained providers facilitate access to contraceptives, ensuring women receive proper training and access to the necessary resources.

3. Intermediate Outcomes: Women gain the knowledge and autonomy to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. They are more likely to use contraceptives effectively.

4. Long-Term Outcomes: With improved access and autonomy, women can plan their families and lives more effectively, leading to reduced unintended pregnancies, maternal mortality, and improved socio-economic well-being.

5. Evidence: We gather evidence through monitoring and evaluation, including data on contraceptive use, maternal health outcomes, and feedback from women in the communities we serve. This data supports the logical links between our activities and the long-term outcomes, demonstrating our solution's effectiveness.

By following this theory of change, our solution empowers women with the tools and knowledge they need to take control of their reproductive health, ultimately reducing the negative consequences of limited access to modern contraceptives.

4 full-time workers.

Women Self-Inject Initiative kick started the pilot in August 2023.

3 months now.

Our approach to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into our work is foundational to the Women Self-Inject Initiative. Here are some key aspects of our approach:

1. Diverse Leadership: Our leadership team is intentionally diverse, comprising members from various backgrounds, including gender, age, and local and international experiences. This diversity ensures that a range of perspectives informs our decision-making processes.

2. Inclusive Decision-Making: We prioritize inclusive decision-making within our organization. We actively seek input and feedback from all team members, regardless of their roles, to ensure that everyone's voice is heard and valued.

3. Local Representation: We are committed to hiring locally and engaging community members in our project. This not only ensures that our team is representative of the communities we serve but also brings valuable local knowledge to our solution.

4. Community Involvement: We engage directly with the communities we serve to incorporate their perspectives and feedback into our work. We actively seek out the needs and ideas of the women we aim to empower through our solution.

5. Ongoing Education: We are dedicated to continuous learning and education on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our team participates in training and workshops to deepen our understanding and ensure our actions align with these values.

6. Transparent Reporting: We maintain transparency by reporting on our progress regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. This includes tracking metrics and sharing our achievements and areas for improvement with our stakeholders.

Our organization is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion as core principles in our work, ensuring that our solution is more effective, authentic, and responsive to the needs of the women and communities we serve.

Our business model is centered around delivering value to underserved women in Uganda while promoting sustainability and impact. Here's an overview of our model:

Key Customers and Beneficiaries:

1. Women of Reproductive Age: Our primary beneficiaries are women in underserved areas of Masaka district, Uganda. They benefit from access to self-administered injectable contraceptives and education on reproductive health.

Products and Services:

1. Training and Distribution: We provide training to a network of private healthcare providers who then train women on self-administered injectable contraceptives. This ensures women have the knowledge and means to manage their reproductive health.

Delivery Mechanism:

1. Local Healthcare Providers: We collaborate with local private healthcare providers who play a central role in delivering training and contraceptives to women in remote villages.

Value Proposition:

1. Empowerment and Autonomy: Women gain the autonomy to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, leading to improved overall well-being and life choices.

Revenue Model:

1. Partnerships and Grants: We seek partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders to fund our initiative. Grants and donor support play a crucial role in financing our activities.

Why They Want or Need It:

Women want and need our services to have control over their reproductive health, reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies, and improve their overall well-being. By providing access to contraceptives and education, we address a critical need in underserved communities.

Our business model ensures that we provide valuable services to our target population while seeking financial support through partnerships and grants to sustain and scale our impact.

Our plan for becoming financially sustainable involves a combination of revenue streams to cover our expected expenses and continue our work effectively:

1. Grants and Donations: We will continue to seek grants and donations from organizations and individuals who align with our mission. Grants like the $14,000 grant from d-prize will play a crucial role in funding our activities, especially for pilot projects and initial stages.

2. Government Partnerships: We aim to establish partnerships with government agencies to secure funding for scaling our initiative. These partnerships may include service contracts for providing reproductive health services, which can contribute to financial sustainability.

3. Community Contributions: We will explore the possibility of involving the communities we serve in a sustainable manner. This could include nominal fees for our services, where feasible, to ensure that the project can generate some revenue while remaining affordable.

4. Social Enterprise Initiatives: In the long term, we may consider social enterprise initiatives, such as selling related products or services to generate income that can be reinvested into the initiative.

5. Investment Capital: While we are currently grant-funded, in the future, we might explore investment opportunities or partnerships with impact investors to support the growth and sustainability of our solution.

By diversifying our revenue streams and maintaining transparency and accountability in our financial management, we aim to achieve financial sustainability while continuing to provide essential services to underserved women in Uganda.