We are excited to announce that MSI has secured a $6.3M grant from GiveWell for our family planning outreach services. This investment will go towards MSI’s mobile health teams in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, delivering contraceptive options and care to women with no other way to access it.
In addition, we’ve been granted $2.25M to strengthen the distribution of family planning commodities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Zambia. This is funding to address supply chain logistics gaps that have emerged following global aid cuts.
GiveWell is an independent, nonprofit research organisation dedicated to finding and funding outstanding opportunities in global health and development.
GiveWell is newly investing in family planning and have said that they believe the value of contraceptive access in low- and middle-income countries could be substantial, noting a range of potential benefits including improved health, autonomy and earnings for women, and better health and educational outcomes for their existing children.
“GiveWell is known for its rigorous, evidence-based approach to philanthropy, and we’re proud that MSI Reproductive Choices has been selected for these grants.
“Our mobile outreach teams bring life-changing reproductive healthcare to some of the most underserved communities, enabling more women to make informed choices about their bodies, their families and their futures.”
– MSI Reproductive Choices’ CEO, Simon Cooke
Chosen for being cost-effective
A key reason that MSI’s Nigeria and Sierra Leone outreach programmes were selected is for their cost-effective approach. GiveWell estimates that these mobile health teams are 10-14x as cost-effective as GiveWell’s benchmark for cost-effectiveness.
This is because providing modern contraception comes at a low cost, plus we focus on reaching communities where a high percentage of women have no other access. For these women, MSI is not simply another provider; we offer an essential gateway to healthcare that might otherwise remain entirely out of reach.
A pivotal time for new funding
These grants come at a time when funding for family planning is on the decline globally – while demand is rising.
80M
women in low- and middle-income countries had an unmet demand for contraception in 2024
136M
women of reproductive age want to avoid a pregnancy but are not using a modern contraceptive method
We estimate that the new $6.3M grant for mobile outreach services will allow our teams to reach 416,000 women and girls with modern contraception in Nigeria and Sierra Leone – changing and saving lives, and expanding access to this essential healthcare.
“MSI’s outreach teams provide counselling alongside a range of methods, so people can choose what works for them. We think their programme has the potential to be highly cost-effective, and we’re funding independent monitoring alongside the grant to learn more about how it works in practice, and about family planning more generally.”
– Dilhan Perera, GiveWell’s New Areas Senior Program Officer
More details on what the grants fund ⬇️
Two new mobile health outreach teams in Enugu and Kwara States, Nigeria
– operating over three years to bring high-quality family planning services to more than 151,000 women and girls, many of whom have no other access. In Nigeria, MSI estimates that the grant will prevent 270,000 unintended pregnancies and 1,331 maternal deaths, while saving $19.2 million in direct healthcare costs.
Support for five existing mobile health outreach teams in Sierra Leone
– over 30 months, ensuring continuity of care and expanded access for women in hard-to-reach communities. By supporting these health teams, MSI estimates that the grant will enable family planning services for more than 265,000 people in Sierra Leone, which we estimate will prevent an estimated 286,000 unintended pregnancies and avert 375 maternal deaths, while saving $17.7M in direct healthcare costs.
A second $2.25M grant will strengthen distribution of family planning commodities in Malawi, Zambia and DRC
– addressing critical logistics gaps following reduced donor funding of supply chain support. This will help ensure that contraceptive commodities reach health facilities and the women and girls who depend on them. Through targeted investments in transportation, warehousing, fuel, redistribution, and logistics coordination, MSI expects this project to support the movement of more than 7.3 million contraceptive commodities, generating an estimated 7.2 million couple years of protection, preventing 3.5 million unintended pregnancies, and averting more than 6,700 maternal deaths.
Learn more
Read about MSI’s mobile outreach teams reaching rural communities with reproductive healthcare.
Cost-effective investment
Learn why MSI is a smart choice for high-impact, cost-effective philanthropy.
Donate now
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