On Air and Underway: FEM’s Half-Year Report (Jan-Jun 2026)
- Aug 7
- 10 min read
TL;DR
FEM enters the second half of 2026 with several major initiatives ready or nearly ready to launch, after six months of significant progress. In Kaduna, we continued broadcasting and have now aired eight months of content, reaching ~500,000 potential listeners. In Niger, we launched a two-year campaign across 22 stations, reaching ~400,000 potential listeners. In Benin and Togo, we secured institutional review board (IRB) approval for formative research. In Benin, we conducted qualitative formative research and launched a three-week ad campaign ahead of a 750-person audience survey. We began applying for IRB approval ahead of a proof of concept in Senegal, and further researched expansion in nine additional countries. We also brought our evaluation technology to launch readiness, ahead of a multi-state, two year campaign in three regions in Nigeria, evaluated by an RCT. The baseline survey is scheduled for Q3. We also standardised and adjusted the way we model reach and impact, with external review by Rethink Priorities.
Strategy at a Glance
FEM is focused on three strategic priorities: delivering family planning radio campaigns now, expanding our family planning campaigns to new countries, and strengthening the evidence base for our model through a large randomised controlled trial (RCT). Over the first half of 2026, we made substantial progress on all three priorities: we are airing to more potential listeners; we advanced new country programmes toward launch; and we brought our RCT evaluation technology to launch readiness.
Delivering family planning radio campaigns
Airing in Kaduna, Nigeria
We have now aired our campaign in Kaduna for 8 months, reaching ~500,000 potential listeners in this northern state. We air talk shows with health professionals and religious leaders, first-person narratives, drama shows and ads. You can listen to this ad. In it, Sheikh Malam Ibrahim Khalil explains that, in Islam, using effective contraception to protect the health of mothers and children is a responsible, faith-consistent choice.
We track the campaign with an on-air monitoring device which records station output at the station, Invicta FM. This technology allows us to verify that content is delivered as planned and identify any problems quickly. In Q1 and Q2, 96% of FEM ads and shows were aired at the agreed frequency and time slots. The station also aired an average of six ads per day beyond our contract.
Launching in Niger
In the first half of 2026, FEM launched a two-year radio campaign in Niger, broadcasting through 22 stations across the Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua regions. The campaign is reaching ~400,000 potential listeners, including many women in rural areas with limited access to commercial radio.
Before launching, we conducted formative research with 1,014 women and men in Niger to understand the local experiences, motivations, and concerns that should shape the campaign. Patterns were similar to those in northern Nigeria: participants often connected birth spacing with child health, their ability to care for existing children, and household prosperity. We also identified similar barriers. Among the 1,014 women and men surveyed in Niger, 52% of non-users believed contraception could cause permanent infertility, while 56% said religious leaders they admired did not encourage its use.
These findings gave us confidence that much of FEM’s Hausa-language programming from northern Nigeria could be adapted for Niger. At the same time, stakeholder research highlighted the importance and potential impact of using Nigerien voices. As a result, we plan to produce approximately one-third of the campaign specifically for Niger and adapt the remaining content from northern Nigeria.
Our Niger campaign launched in phases, beginning with two commercial radio stations in mid-March. We added 17 community stations by mid-April and three commercial stations in May, bringing the campaign’s total reach to 22 stations and ~400,000 potential listeners.
To assess whether the campaign is reaching its intended audience and influencing family planning knowledge and attitudes, we launched a new evaluation activity: phone pulse surveys. These surveys re-contact formative research participants at 3, 6, and 24 months after launch to assess whether they have heard and remember FEM’s campaign and to measure changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour related to birth spacing. The earlier surveys help us identify whether people are hearing and remembering the campaign and whether we are seeing expected shifts in knowledge and attitudes, so we can adjust the campaign if needed. At 24 months, we expect to see changes in behaviour. We completed the first survey round with ~500 respondents in areas where the radio campaign has been airing for three months, and will follow up with participants again at six and 24 months after launch. We’re currently analysing results.
Because radio stations in Niger were reluctant for us to record what they air, we adjusted our approach. Our engineering partner, UNITRONIC, is currently developing a software upgrade to install on the recording devices to verify whether FEM content was broadcast without recording the station’s wider programming. The software upgrade is currently being tested in Nigeria, and may provide a way to gather this data without creating any data concerns for radio stations.
Nigeria Multi-State Season 2 Production and Federal Ministry Partnership
We are preparing to launch a two-year radio campaign across 10–12 states in North, South East, and South West Nigeria, evaluated by an RCT. The campaign will launch in two cohorts; the first will reach ~14.9 million potential listeners in five states.
In the first half of 2026, we completed the Season 2 fiction scripts for this campaign and began Season 2 production. We also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Ministry of Health, an important formalisation of our collaboration and the Ministry’s support of our work.
Testing and Expanding into New Countries
Our expansion portfolio now spans several stages, with formative research underway in Benin and under preparation in Togo, a proof of concept (POC) planned in Senegal, and research shortlisting additional expansion countries.
Launching Formative Research in Benin
In the first half of 2026, FEM moved Benin from an initial learning-focused campaign into full formative research, laying the groundwork for a larger campaign that could reach ~2.1 million potential listeners across seven regions.
We began with a nine-week learning-focused campaign with our local partner, ONG Éclosion. During the campaign, we spoke with participants each week to gather preliminary qualitative insights into how audiences received the content. We were encouraged that several participants reported discussing family planning with their spouses, and that one woman encouraged relatives to speak with their daughters about contraception. While these conversations do not demonstrate broader campaign impact, they provide promising early indications that the content can prompt discussion about family planning.
Building on these early learnings, we developed a detailed plan for the full campaign, specifying the regions, languages, formative research sample, and number of ads and shows. We signed our first full campaign agreement with ONG Éclosion and obtained institutional review board (IRB) approval for the formative research. This will also be FEM’s first campaign produced with a single partner across three languages, testing a more streamlined partnership model that we could potentially use in other countries. ONG Éclosion has experience working in all three languages.
We then began the deeper formative research needed to ensure that the campaign responds to local beliefs, motivations, and information needs. We held interviewer training in Cotonou and conducted qualitative data collection with 18 listeners, three health professionals, and three local leaders across the three research regions. Transcription, translation, and analysis are now underway.
In parallel, we are re-airing two ads 10 times daily for three weeks on two stations ahead of the quantitative phase of the formative research. This will allow us to assess recall and gather feedback on our content at a larger scale than the learning-focused campaign conversations. In the upcoming quantitative survey, we expect to ask ~400 of the ~750 formative research participants whether they heard FEM’s radio programming, how much they enjoyed it, what they remembered, and how strongly it resonated with them.
Togo Campaign Progress and Funding the Next Phase
Following a successful POC in Togo with our local co-implementing partner, FEM moved into preparations for a two-year campaign that could reach ~2.3 million potential listeners.
We refined the campaign’s scope, regions, and languages, and plan to broadcast across five regions through seven community and commercial radio stations. We received IRB approval for formative research, signed an agreement with our partner ISCOME, and began preparing a five-day qualitative research training. Our partner reviewed the proposed survey clusters to confirm that the selected locations are safe and accessible.
We are now fundraising 850,000 USD to unlock production and launch of this high-impact campaign once formative research is complete.
Prep for a Proof of Concept in Senegal
A future full-scale campaign in Senegal could reach ~800,000 potential listeners across five regions in the west and central west of the country. As a next step, FEM began preparing for a POC to assess the local partnership, better understand the stakeholder landscape, and gather further information on contraceptive supply.
We selected OFAD/Nafoore as our local co-implementing partner and held a kick-off meeting. OFAD/Nafoore works on human rights, women’s empowerment, and sustainable community development.
In Senegal, we’ve already begun preparing our IRB application ahead of the POC. This reflects how we’ve adapted to differences in the ethics review process across countries. In Benin, the IRB was closely involved, requesting the inclusion of married minors aged 15-17 and both verbal and written consent. In Togo, the IRB provided limited feedback, while the national data protection authority played a more active role and will participate in the qualitative research training training. Learning that governments want varying levels and kinds of involvement, and that the timeline of approvals can be difficult to predict, we will begin IRB review before POC activities going forward.
Researching Future Expansion
Alongside preparations in Benin, Togo, and Senegal, FEM continued assessing additional countries for potential expansion. We completed contraceptive supply briefs and broader country research in nine countries; we analysed factors including potential reach, cost-effectiveness, implementation partnerships, and whether contraceptive supply is sufficient for a demand-generation campaign to translate into use.
We are considering Burundi, Mali, and The Gambia for potential expansion. These countries combine promising co-implementation partners, strong projected cost-efficiency and impact, and relatively favourable indicators of contraceptive access.
Strengthening our Evidence Base
Generating robust evidence about our work is central to FEM’s long-term strategy, even as we deliver impact based on strong preexisting evidence. We are preparing a large randomised controlled trial across North, South East, and South West Nigeria to measure how our radio campaigns affect contraceptive beliefs, attitudes, and uptake.
Preparing the First RCT Cohort
The first cohort will cover five states — Abia, Katsina, Nasarawa, Ogun, and Ondo — where FEM’s campaigns will reach ~14.9 million potential listeners.
In the stations’ broadcast areas, FEM and our academic partners selected 75 study clusters centred around health facilities. Forty-five clusters will receive the campaign as usual, while specialised transmitters in 30 control clusters will detect and replace FEM content. A data collection company will conduct a baseline survey with ~3,375 women before the campaign begins. Participants will be surveyed again at the end of the two-year campaign and one year later, allowing us to measure both immediate and longer-term changes.
Bringing the Evaluation Technology to Launch Readiness
By the end of Q2, we had improved the transmitter technology to the level of reliability needed to launch the RCT, clearing the main technical barrier to beginning the baseline survey in Q3.
We completed upgrades across all 30 control locations. Twenty-five transmitters achieved reliability of at least 90%, and we identified solutions for the remaining five.
The first round identified improvements that we will carry forward into our process for the second cohort:
We adjusted the coding system/FEM content detection system to ensure it works even for stations with low FM signal quality.
We upgraded the transmitters’ software and hardware.
We will install higher antennas, making the system more reliable in locations with weaker signal conditions.
These improvements will make the second round of installation smoother and faster.
Planning the Second Cohort
The RCT will expand to 5-7 additional states in 2027. Changes in global health funding may affect contraceptive supplies unevenly across Nigeria. We therefore revisited the selection of states for the second cohort, seeking to anticipate where supplies are most likely to remain strong enough to meet increased demand generated by the campaign. During the coming year, we will complete cluster selection, transmitter installation, and the other preparations required for launch.
Independently validated estimates of reach and impact
Over the past year, we adjusted how we estimate our cost-effectiveness and our reach. We now estimate our work as more cost-effective than previously reported. Rethink Priorities independently reviewed and validated our revised methods, as well as resulting cost-effectiveness and reach figures.
Under the revised approach, cost-effectiveness improved by as much as 3 USD per Couple Year of Protection (CYP), with Nigeria moving from about 5 USD to 2 USD per CYP (see table below). Niger was the exception; its cost-effectiveness slightly worsened under the revised methodology, with cost per CYP increasing by about 1 USD.
The improved numbers come mainly from a shift in how we model health impact. We now scale the campaign's effect using actual radio listenership rather than radio ownership. Listenership is the more conventional measure of exposure, since hearing our campaign requires only that someone listens to the radio, not that they own one. Because listenership in most of the regions we work in runs higher than in the Burkina Faso DMI study our campaign is based on, more people may be exposed to the campaign per dollar spent than the ownership-based model assumed, which is what drives the improved cost-effectiveness.
FEM's revised cost-effectiveness numbers compare favorably to GiveWell's best-guess benchmark of ~20 USD per CYP to meet its cost-effectiveness bar. GiveWell notes that this estimate is highly uncertain.
Our estimates also involve uncertainty, particularly regarding programme costs and impact. For current and prospective campaigns, we review cost assumptions at least quarterly and revise them where needed. For prospective campaigns, we may also reconfigure the mix of partner radio stations in response to updated cost and listenership data.
Our impact estimates currently draw on evidence from an RCT of a similar intervention implemented by another organisation in a different context. FEM’s ongoing RCT in Nigeria is intended to provide stronger causal evidence on the impact of FEM’s own campaigns in that setting.
We also standardized how we estimate reach. Due to lack of reliable third-party media services specific to each country, we now use DHS radio listenership estimates across all countries, which allows for more consistent comparisons across our campaigns. This change produced more conservative estimated reach numbers in Nigeria than previously reported (see table above).
Funding the Next Phase of Impact
We raised 1.3 million USD in the first half of 2026, enabling us to launch in Niger and begin full campaign development in Benin.
Our next funding priority is 850,000 USD for Togo. Reaching this level of committed funding will give us the confidence to proceed with the launch and support approximately 1.5 years of a full campaign, including creative development, production, research, and airing.
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