Dr. Christopher Elias, The Gates Foundation
Impatient Optimists Blog
I was in Ethiopia recently and had an opportunity to meet two women – Tigist and Fayiza – who are part of an amazing new program using digital technology to improve the delivery of contraceptives and family planning services.
With strong leadership and a commitment to community-based health services and family planning, Ethiopia has dramatically reduced child mortality and nearly doubled the prevalence of modern contraceptives in recent years.
Now, Ethiopia is on the leading edge of an innovative effort, using mobile phone technology, to ensure more women have access to voluntary family planning services and a broad range of contraceptive methods, close to where they live.