Reaching the Unreached: Digital and Voice Solutions for Inclusive Health Engagement

Tunza Afya chat is a WhatsApp chatbot delivered as part of a broader SBCC campaign including radio and television, in Tanzania focused on child survival and maternal health. The chatbot is run in partnership between Development Media International (DMI) and the Ministry of Health and was launched in November 2023, with 64,039 ever users to date. Tunza Afya Chat covers topics related to child health and development and maternal health – using text based as well as Audio Visual (AV) content. The chatbot is promoted via several channels including radio and television as well as community health workers and clinics.  
Our mixed-methods process evaluation of Tunza Afya chat includes 90 (n=896) focus group discussion (FGDs) between January 2024 and April 2025 across rural, peri-urban and urban areas. Quantitative data is collected automatically on chatbot use and engagement, including metrics on sections of the chatbot used, number of messages sent, and self-reported responses to questions on healthcare seeking behaviours. 
FGD Results found high levels of acceptability of Tunza Afya chat, and that participants found the content accessible and informational. Quantitative data found good levels of engagement, and a high self-reported level of care seeking following chatbot advice to seek treatment. These findings together provide strong evidence for continued development of Tunza Afya chat, integrating suggested feedback from the FGDs such as expanding content, and developing further metrics to explore behaviour change as a result of chatbot interactions.  

Generative AI is the latest buzz in international development and SBCC. Every week brings a new WhatsApp bot, mobile app, or "AI for Good" tool promising to revolutionize how we inform and influence behavior. The potential is real, but the assumptions behind most solutions are not.
Despite claims that "almost everyone in the Global South is online," the data says otherwise: 3.4 billion people remain offline, 93% of them live in LMICs; and at current trends it will take 39 years to close this gap (GSMA SOMIC 2025). In Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than 25% of the poorest 40% own a smartphone, with rural and female-led households even further behind (World Bank Digital Connectivity Tracker 2025). When digital SBCC tools depend on smartphones, apps, mobile internet or literacy, we design for the connected few - not the offline many.
My session will make this design gap impossible to ignore and demonstrate what inclusive GenAI can look like. Through a live call-in experience, participants will interact directly with Ask Viamo Anything (AVA),a voice-first GenAI system accessible on any basic phone, toll-free, with no literacy or internet required.
AVA already reaches hard-to-reach audiences across Africa and Asia, delivering personalized SBCC guidance via voice while generating real-time, social listening–like insights from communities traditional digital tools miss.
The session lets participants experience a proven voice-based GenAI system firsthand to inspire SBCC experts to move beyond internet-dependent approaches and adopt solutions that serve the unconnected many, not just the connected few. 

The TB Family Caregiver IVRS & WhatsApp Campaign shows how mobile technology and simple storytelling can make TB communication more inclusive and supportive. The service supports persons with TB and their caregivers through the six-month treatment period, sending 49 short audio messages with medication adherence nudges every week, complemented by messages on nutrition, follow-up reminders, caregiver roles, stigma reduction and mental health.
The messages are voiced by Vijeta, a TB survivor, and her husband and caregiver, Vikram. Their names, both meaning "victory" or "warrior", reflect the fight they have lived through. In each message, they speak directly to the listener, sharing what they experienced and struggled with. Their warm, conversational tone makes the content feel approachable rather than instructional. Messages are delivered through IVRS, with WhatsApp texts and audios for users who have access, helping the service reach people across different literacy and technology levels.
The service is currently active in three Indian states, in three Indian languages. These states reported a total of 61,945 TB patients in 2024 (India TB Report 2024), underscoring the scale and relevance of the intervention. The service also allows two-way interaction: listeners can record questions at the end of each call or send them on WhatsApp, and a team of doctors and nurses responds personally, seven days a week.
Early queries mostly relate to side-effect management, nutrition, medication adherence, and stigma. By combining storytelling, empathy, and technology, the campaign treats communication as a right, offering patients and caregivers support across their TB journey.