Our Approach

Our big idea is a community-driven distribution of self-injectable contraception.

Our model is simple:
1. We recruit and upskill female health workers (“Lafiya Sisters”) in family planning counselling.
2. We procure DMPA-SC (”Sayana Press”), a self-injectable contraceptive, and transport it to the most underresourced areas.
3. The Lafiya Sisters identify and reach out to rural women with unmet need for family planning
4. The Lafiya Sisters provide family planning counselling and free contraception to those women.

  • Trust-Building

    Our Lafiya Sisters are midwives, nurses, and CHWs employed in public health facilities while also livin in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

    Thanks to their unique position at the nexus of healthcare and local communities, they are in the best position to reach our target audience.

    Learn more about Lafiya Sisters here

  • Cost-Effective

    Lafiya Sisters inform women about their family planning options and teach them how to administer DMPA-SC (Sayana Press), a self-injectable contraceptive recommended by the World Health Organisation.

    The contraceptive costs USD $0.85 to manufacture and lasts for up to three months.

    Learn more about Sayana Press here

  • Scalable

    Our model leverages existing healthcare infrastructure by employing health workers already active in government facilities.

    This simple, effective approach is designed for seamless scalability, allowing for expansion through local and national government partnerships—our ultimate goal.

    Learn more about our impact here

Our Theory of Change

Lafiya Nigeria theory of change

Our theory of change is a visual representation of how we want to achieve our health impact: reducing maternal mortality and morbidity in Nigeria. We want to do this in the most cost-effective way possible and focus on scaling our solution in a neglected area. Our theory of change depends on several assumptions, highlighted in blue, and is underpinned with evidence, highlighted in pink.

Why Sayana Press?

  1. Quick and Discreet: Use of Sayana Press is not visible in the body, unlike an implant, female condom or IUD. Further, it is easily self-injectable and only has to be used four times per year. An injection protects for 13 weeks and doesn’t require a cold chain to transport.

  2. Cheap: Through a pricing agreement with supplier Pfizer, the price is capped at only $0.85 per dose.

  3. Greater Effectiveness: Sayana Press is easy to use and has high effectiveness. Specifically, Sayana Press has 94% efficacy with typical use, and >99% with correct use. During our pilot, 56% of surveyed users cited wanting to use Sayana Press due to its high effectiveness (n=349).

  4. Self-injectable: This feature will allow us to maximize the cost-effectiveness. In 2024, our Lafiya Sisters will hand out four doses per person, rather than one, so our users can self-administer the next doses at home providing them with contraceptive coverage free of charge for a year. We will send out SMS reminders to remind women when to take the next dose. Women who do not have mobile phones will receive a calendar.

  5. Preferable to other methods:

  • Condoms leave the agency to the man and many condoms are needed to prevent pregnancy for the long term.

  • The pill has more side effects and needs to be taken daily to be effective. Its daily use makes it less discreet.

  • The IUD is complex to administer and there is a shortage of trained providers.