In low- and middle-income countries, millions of women want to plan their families but face stigma or lack access to reliable information. Over 100 million unintended pregnancies occur yearly, contributing to tens of thousands of maternal deaths. 

To enable informed family planning, FEM produces evidence-driven, regionally tailored radio campaigns. Our content addresses misinformation and stigma with storytelling, Q&A shows, and programmes with religious and health authorities. 

Read Rethink Priorities’ evaluation of FEM’s work here. 

After a pilot in 2021, FEM conducted 16 months of campaigning in Kano, Nigeria, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. We have since conducted proofs of concept (POCs) in 11 more Nigerian states and three more countries.

In the past year, FEM and its partners:

• Launched a two-year campaign in Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria
• Completed a successful POC in Benin, where we are preparing to launch a two-month learning-focused radio campaign
• Interviewed 1,000+ listeners in Niger to inform an upcoming two-year campaign
• Redesigned our RCT to launch in two waves (in response to supply-based state reselection post-USAID).

Our funding gap for this giving season is 1.1 million USD, for work in Nigeria, Niger, and Benin. This figure reflects our goal of securing at least 70% of funding for our multi-year radio campaigns prior to launch. Additional funds beyond this target would allow us to pursue work in a fourth country. 

We invite you to join us in this work. You can support FEM's campaigns here. Your support translates to airtime, content production, and rigorous evaluation. Even modest contributions can make a meaningful difference and help us reach more women with evidence-based, locally crafted campaigns with life-saving information.  

More information: familyempowermentmedia.org