In 2019, UNFPA Innovation launched its Global Innovation Pipeline to Ensure Rights and Choices for All, specifically to end unmet need for family planning among women, girls, and young people.
This innovation pipeline serves a few aims:
to scan, source, and test innovative impact solutions for women, girls and young people;
create a pipeline for the most promising models to move from experimentation toward scale,
and build staff capacity in human-centered design, rapid prototyping, and innovation.
Promoting Comprehensive Sexuality Education through Live Streaming
The UNFPA China Country Office spearheaded a design sprint project on “Promoting Comprehensive Sexuality Education through Live Streaming.” The team sought to create an innovative solution to provide comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) to young people in remote areas of China using live streaming technology, which reduces cost, ensures quality, and expands accessibility of CSE.
Social Media Data Tracker
The UNFPA Colombia Country Office prototyped a “Social Media Data Tracker,” which “scrapes” or extracts data from Twitter in a time-bound, location-specific, and disaggregated manner, and gathers insights to unveil myths and misconceptions regarding contraception. In Colombia, 1 in 4 women between 15 and 19 years don’t use modern contraceptives and prefer to use or only have access to “traditional” methods of contraception, which include withdrawal, rhythm, and methods stemming from local myths.
WAWA ABA Innovation, a Crowdsourced SRHR Mapping Platform
The UNFPA Ghana Country Office prototyped the “WAWA ABA Innovation,” which is a multi-channel crowdsourced, web-based platform that maps health facilities with Sexual and Reproductive Health/Family Planning (SRHR/FP) services in Ghana. The platform has been designed with and for vulnerable young people aged 10-19, and offers the ability to provide feedback on SRHR/FP services received at health facilities.
Digital Family Planning Coach for Nomadic Generation Z (a.k.a. Mandukhai AI)
The UNFPA Mongolia Country Office prototyped the “Digital Family Planning Coach for Nomadic Generation Z (a.k.a Mandukhai AI),” which is a digital and virtual SRH adviser that provides up-to-date information on family planning and referral services to the semi-nomadic adolescent and youth population in Mongolia. The team’s user research found that almost 97% of semi-rural adolescents in Mongolia possess smartphones, regardless of their location and socio-economic background.
A Digital Storytelling Toolkit for Comprehensive Sex Ed for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder
The UNFPA North Macedonia team is developing a digital toolkit with customized, highly visual stories about comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. This solution responds to the lack of reliable information and tools for CSE at the national level in North Macedonia, and that anything that is available is not tailored for young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Big Data Family Planning Inequalities Analysis
The UNFPA Philippines Country Office prototyped a data dashboard and platform that captures social media conversations about contraception and family planning, and analyses these insights on people's awareness and perceptions across all demographic groups and with disaggregated data at the provincial, city, and municipal levels in the Philippines. The team sought to address the challenge that there is limited data available on people's awareness and perceptions about family planning, especially in geographically isolated areas.
Firefly
The UNFPA Sierra Leone Country Office prototyped “Firefly,” a mobile application that facilitates consistent, accurate, and timely data reporting on family planning commodities at last mile facilities in Sierra Leone, for use by healthcare professionals. It is estimated that nationally, over 20% of facilities experience stockouts of at least 3 major contraceptives, which means that healthcare workers are not able to provide women with adequate family planning services.
DrugDash
The UNFPA Uganda Country Office explored the expansion of “DrugDash,” a web and mobile app for District Health Officers to access real-time information on family planning commodity stocks so as to make accurate and timely decisions on redistribution to avoid shortages and wastage.
Please feel free to contact innovation@unfpa.org for more information.