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For Djadji Joanna, a 28-year-old nurse aide in Abidjan, the journey to motherhood wasn’t a choice, it was a surprise.
“I didn’t realize it until I was four months pregnant,” Djadji recalls. “It was too late to do anything. I had no choice but to carry the pregnancy to term, having been unable to plan it in advance.”
Djadji loves her children, but that first experience taught her a hard lesson: to build the life she wanted, she needed control over her reproductive health. This realization led her to the local clinic to replace her contraceptive implant. But as she walked to the facility, an anxiety shared by millions of women across Côte d’Ivoire weighed on her:
“I was afraid that the implant might be out of stock,” Djadji shares.
The Paradox of Free Care
Djadji’s fear highlights a critical paradox. In Côte d’Ivoire, the government’s “Gratuité” initiative has made family planning services free. But a free product is only valuable if it is available.
For women like Djadji, a “stockout” means a lost opportunity to stay in school, to work and to space her pregnancies safely. This is where VillageReach stepped in to increase women’s choices.
Scaling for Systemic Change
In November 2024, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and funded by the Gates Foundation, we launched the Family Planning Supply Chain Strengthening Program.
The program aims to ensure that when a woman like Djadji walks into a public health facility everywhere in Côte d’Ivoire, the product she needs is waiting for her. The scale of this mission is large:
- A National Footprint: We are working across 56 health districts covering over half the country.
- Strengthening the Frontlines: Supporting 2,072 public health facilities to ensure they never run out of essential supplies.
- Supporting Millions: Directly improving access for over 5.4 million women of reproductive age.
Visibility Means Availability
To make this work, we are digitizing the “last mile.” Through mSupply, an open-source, offline-first Logistics Management Information System, we can see stock levels in real-time to forecast needs and prevent stockouts before a woman even leaves her home.
But for Djadji, the “return on investment” isn’t a chart, but her freedom to choose; it’s her life.
After navigating the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy when her implant expired, she is now a fierce advocate for the system we are supporting:
“Thanks to family planning, one can do many things: continue studies, work and organize one’s life,” she says. “I say thank you for the methods made available to us. It does us a lot of good—to us women, to young girls and to our families.”
Delivering on a National Promise
Côte d’Ivoire aims to increase family planning coverage to 30% by 2030. Already, 5.4 million women now have better access to care, and medicine stockouts are down by 50%. The next step will require a supply chain that is as resilient as the women it serves.
By investing in digital integration, improved distribution and long-term sustainability, VillageReach is ensuring that the fear of an empty shelf becomes a thing of the past. We are delivering more than just contraceptives; we are delivering the life choices and peace of mind that allow 5.4 million women to dream, plan and thrive.