Scaling Proven Mobile Maternal Health E-Vouchers in Western Kenya

Our plan is to scale up a proven e-voucher program covering the costs of maternity care and SMS reminders in order to reduce financial and informational barriers to care and to dramatically increase skilled facility-based deliveries. Specifically, we plan to (1) double the rates of institutional and skilled deliveries; (2) increase the rates of antenatal and postnatal care, particularly the number of women who receive four or more antenatal visits; (3) improve the quality of care delivered by incentivizing CHWs; and integrate our vouchers with a Government health financing plan. We hope to generate generalizable knowledge on: (1) the effectiveness of maternity vouchers; (2) the impact of SMS messages on the demand for care, (3) ways to reduce gender and cultural barriers by integrating husbands; and (4) the effectiveness of CHW incentives in improving the quality of care. Our development and delivery of a mobile phone based solution that is integrated to a mobile money solution is truly innovative