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Background

Family Empowerment Media (FEM) is an evidence-driven non-profit that enables informed contraceptive decisions through clear, compelling, and accurate radio-based communication. 

Enabling couples to access modern contraceptives may be one of the most cost-effective ways to avert maternal deaths, in addition to providing a host of other benefits. Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effect that radio-based social and behavioral change campaigns can have in empowering women and men to realize their contraceptive intentions.

FEM is committed to making our content informative, culturally appropriate, and entertaining. While we bring the funding, a proven model, and research capabilities, we are looking for a local partner to provide deep insights into their local communities and support us in stakeholder engagement. 

 

By partnering with FEM, you will get the opportunity to co-implement an impactful campaign reaching thousands of families. Additionally, you will receive capacity building on qualitative and quantitative research, budgeting and planning, storytelling, and creative production. At the end of the Proof of Concept (POC), you will know how to develop effective social behavior change campaigns. 

 

If the initial POC is successful, our plan is to follow up with a larger-scale campaign. We are looking for a partner which is keen to grow with us as we scale our programs to their communities. 

Scope of Work

FEM seeks to engage a local NGO partner or grassroot organisation to accelerate its growth into new target locations.   

The local organisation will:

• Conduct formative research (focus group discussions and in-depth interviews)

• Organize a stakeholder workshop

• Conduct health facility visits

• Identify radio production companies

• Develop two scripts and ads 

• Negotiate a rate card with 1-2 radio stations. The rate card would be applicable for ten 60-second advertisements over the course of one week (70 total advertisements per station) 

• Pre-test adverts with the target audience and adapt adverts as appropriate

• Distribute the final radio files to the radio station(s)

• Monitor that ads are broadcasted on the radio station(s) as agreed upon

• Conduct mini-survey at the end of POC with 40 target listeners

 

Eligibility criteria

We are looking for a local organization which is: 

• Registered in the country and can provide evidence of official, current registration

• Led by a passionate leader with a deep understanding of the cultural context and stakeholder landscape

• Interested in co-implementing larger projects with FEM by the end of the POC training period

In Nigeria, we are looking to scale to two to three of the following states (Abia, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Imo and Anambra) and the strength of the local partner will be a factor in our choice of location. In Ghana, organizations from all states can apply, and a scale up will entail work across all states.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. FEM will not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, or disability.

 

Project Duration

The entire project is expected to last for about eight weeks, from mid-September to November 2022, with the actual airing expected to last one week.

 

Selection Criteria

The successful team applying must be inspired by our mission and demonstrate a commitment to our core values of ambitious altruism, evidence-based decision-making, cultural sensitivity, humility, and transparency. 

Furthermore, FEM will select the organization based on:

• Depth of understanding of the local context and stakeholder landscape in the location where they work

• Demonstrated ability to implement projects and to source the right individuals for the various activities

• The strength and experience of the organization's leadership. Previous work in family planning or maternal health is a plus but not a necessity

• The bidder's capacity to adjust to shifts in schedule

• The competitiveness of the bidder's proposed pricing

 

Submission Timelines 

You can express your interest in partnering here by the 26th of August. We respect your time, and we have designed our application process to reflect this. The first step of the application process should take about 30 minutes, and we only ask for more time from organizations we think would be an excellent fit for the project.

 

More information about FEM 

FEM’s leadership team is ambitious and impact-driven. We are passionate about creating a world where all women and men can make informed childbirth spacing decisions and families live happy, healthy, and self-determined lives. We have a diverse team with expertise in global health, international development, social entrepreneurship, social behavior change, research and M&E, and more. 

Meet the team here.

Established in September 2020, FEM is an early-stage organization with significant potential for growth. Since our founding, FEM has come a long way. We have:

• Broadcasted a 3-month pilot campaign in Kano State, Nigeria, in partnership with the Kano State Ministry of Health

• Reached up to 5.6 million listeners over 860 times

• Conducted extensive listener research, including interviews, surveys, and focus groups with more than 2300 women and men

• Pioneered a new approach to evaluating radio-based programs using a transmitter that replaces campaign content in randomly selected areas

This year, highlights of what we are accomplishing include:

• Producing, airing, and evaluating a nine-month campaign in Kano State

• Conducting feasibility studies in three to four additional Nigerian states with the support of local implementation partners

• Preparing and fundraising for an RCT in 2023 - 2027

Our efforts have been recognized by experts in philanthropy and entrepreneurship. This includes Charity Entrepreneurship’s largest-ever seed grant for a global health-focused organization and the Distribution Foundation’s D-Prize award. Most recently, we were awarded the Stars in Global Health grant from Grand Challenges Canada.