Shaping the Future of Maternal Health in Rwanda — Reach Digital Health and CIIC-HIN’s Transformative Partnership
Reach Digital Health (Reach), South Africa, and The Center for Impact, Innovation and Capacity Building in Health Information Systems and Nutrition (CIIC-HIN, “Seek-in”), Rwanda, are pleased to announce their strategic partnership aimed at advancing the Government of Rwanda’s targets and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for improved maternal and newborn outcomes. Together, they will work towards strengthening Antenatal Care (ANC) services, empowering mothers, promoting healthy behaviours, and improving mental health outcomes.
The collaboration between Reach and CIIC-HIN represents a significant milestone in achieving global healthcare objectives. By combining their expertise, technologies, and resources, the partners are committed to bridging maternal and newborn healthcare gaps, ultimately ensuring healthier outcomes for mothers and their babies in Rwanda.
Reach’s proficiency lies in building people’s agency to optimise health and well-being, engaging pregnant and postpartum women on a large scale through mobile messaging platforms, personalised information, and connections to health services. By integrating its technology into existing national health infrastructure, Reach adopts a systems-level approach, facilitating long-term change.
Reach leverages its successful track record in digital health solutions, contributing valuable technical expertise to the partnership. The organisation has led the design, development, and scale-up of the maternal, newborn and child health platform MomConnect South Africa in collaboration with the South African government, showcasing its ability to create impactful digital platforms. MomConnect South Africa is a groundbreaking digital health initiative that provides pregnant women with prenatal, during and post-natal information and prioritises maternal and child health using mobile phones.
CII-CHIN brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the partnership. With a team of medical doctors experienced in maternal and postpartum health research, providing valuable insights for effective interventions. Their deep understanding of the local context in Rwanda allows them to tailor the project to address the specific needs of pregnant and postpartum women in the country. The team’s research specialists ensure methodological rigour and data-driven decision-making, while their membership in a regional research network provides access to additional knowledge and collaborative opportunities.
“The strategic partnership aligns with our vision for revolutionising maternal health in Rwanda. The collaboration marks a pivotal step towards using technology to bridge the gap between research and policy.” Prof. Jeanine Condo, CIIC-HIN CEO
In pursuit of their shared vision, Reach Digital Health and CIIC-HIN have prioritised understanding the needs of their target audience, specifically pregnant and postpartum women in Rwanda. Thorough user research and needs assessments will be conducted to adapt Reach Digital Health’s digital healthcare solutions to meet these women’s unique requirements and preferences effectively — enhancing the overall experience and engagement with the services provided.
“Our partnership will help us reach mothers in Rwanda with direct, comprehensive health support and guidance. This collaboration will ensure we reach the last mile and improve Antenatal Care compliance, uptake, and quality.” Debbie Rogers, Reach Digital Health CEO
Recognising the significance of financial support, the partners will also actively engage with potential funders and seek funding for the project’s implementation. Reach Digital Health and CIIC-HIN are establishing a network involving key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and other relevant parties, to ensure seamless collaboration and coordination.
Reach Digital Health and CIIC-HIN look forward to solidifying their partnership by leveraging previous baseline results and evidence to develop clear strategies, ensuring a broader impact on maternal and newborn health in Rwanda.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Gugulethu Makhubo, Communications Manager, Reach Digital Health
Email: gugulethu@reachdigitalhealth.org
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Zuki Chiwandire, Director of Partnerships and Communications, CIIC-HIN
Email: zchiwandire@ciichin.org
About the organisations:
Previously known as Praekelt.org, Reach Digital Health builds on 16 years of experience scaling digital health programmes to allow faster and more cost-effective implementations in various health domains. Reach has connected the health system with people and communities in over 200 countries and territories through highly available mobile technology.
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CIIC-HIN is an organisation that was founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to bridge the gap between research and policy implementation in healthcare. The organisation improves health outcomes through rigorous research and offers training programs to empower local communities.
