What is FMEG?

ZanaAfrica is not gatekeeping this concept. It wants other organizations to adopt it so critical health information reaches as many people as possible. Founder Megan Mukuria told me the model could work for all kinds of products. Imagine a hotline and chatbot printed on a box of condoms, and all the sexual and reproductive health questions it could answer. 

ZanaAfrica's key differentiator from other nonprofits is its use of FMEGs -- Fast Moving Educational Goods. These are products paired with access to relevant education. ZanaAfrica does this with its Nia pads (pictured), which include a QR code and phone number that connect users to a hotline and a WhatsApp chatbot.  

The NiaLearning team, which runs both, walked me through how the process works, and I was impressed. For example, a girl who receives Nia pads at school can dial the number on the package and speak to one of the many hotline operators to get her questions answered. These range from "Why do my private parts smell?" to "If I don't want to have sex, how do I say no?" The operators are based in counties across the country and speak various indigenous languages. With more funding, ZanaAfrica would like to add even more languages so that every girl who calls can speak to someone in her native tongue. 

Although a simple concept, FMEGs meet people where they are and gives them trustworthy information in a discreet, reliable way.