Love Matters Recommended as a Top Digital Tool for Family Planning

At the Global Digital Health Forum 2021, FHI 360, an international nonprofit working to improve the health and well-being of people worldwide presented the results of a recent analysis of digital tools providing information on family planning (FP). In their assessment of the quality of the content of 11 online tools, Love Matters was selected as one of the recommended tools.

Comprehensiveness and accuracy
After conducting a broad landscape analysis to identify client-facing digital platforms designed to share information on family planning, technical staff reviewed and scored 11 tools, assessing their comprehensiveness and accuracy in 11 key content areas. The tools that were reviewed all had content in English or French and were developed for low- and middle-income countries. The static content included SMS, chatbots, and websites and promise for scale was interpreted as implementation in more than one country or ability to be adapted to a new context (geographic or population). Keeping in mind the implementation in a particular context, certain content areas were given elevated importance such as discreetness, which is of particular concern to unmarried adolescents in many regions. In line with the Principles for Digital Development to reuse and improve, Love Matters together with other top tools by organisations such as PSI, MSI, Nivi Inc. and Praekelt Foundation/UNFPA was selected as well-suited for adoption or adaptation. You can find out more about the assessment carried out by FHI 360 in this paper.

Honest, fact based and positive
For RNW Media the recommendation by FHI 360 is an important recognition of the work of the now independent members of the Love Matters Global Network, which was first initiated in 2011 as RNW Media’s flagship sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) programme. The seven country members of the global network all utilise the innovative Love Matters approach to reach young people with open, honest, fact-based and pleasure-positive information on love, sex and relationships in places where such information is often censored or taboo.

Omnichannel strategy
Love Matters’ great figures on reach and impact show how the presence on a variety of digital channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and others, pay off. Together, the members of the network have 9,7 million social media followers while the website attracts 37 million page views. More significant though are the data telling us that 69% of the returning users experience a positive change through engaging with Love Matters. 47% of them report to have gained knowledge, while 33% say to have changed their attitude and 13% their behaviour.

10 year anniversary
2021 marked the 10^th anniversary of Love Matters, which we celebrated with the creation of a documentary to chronicle some of Love Matters most inspiring achievements and impact on young people around the world – delving into topics ranging from body positivity to online censorship to supporting young people.

Global Digital Health Forum
The Global Digital Health Network hosts the annual Global Digital Health Forum every year in December. Previously, the meeting was hosted in Washington, DC. However, in 2020, the first virtual forum had more than 2,000 participants from over 110 countries. The Forum features diverse and engaging sessions to connect government stakeholders, digital health developers, researchers, donors, implementers and field experts from across the globe.