PSI ETHIOPIA SHARES EMPATHY-DRIVEN PROGRAM INSIGHTS AT THE 3RD NATIONAL SOCIAL SUMMIT.
Author: Fana Abay, Marketing and Communications Director, PSI Ethiopia
In the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, meaningful change requires more than just medical treatments — it requires profound social behavior change. Population Services International (PSI) Ethiopia recognizes this importance and recently presented at the 3rd National Social Summit in Ethiopia on how empathy-driven social behavior change can effectively address pressing health issues.
An empathetic approach to social behavior change
At PSI Ethiopia, we know that changing behaviors is challenging, especially when they are deeply ingrained. It requires a deep understanding of the communities we serve, their unique circumstances, challenges, and perspectives. This is where we rely on human-centered and empathy-driven design and co-creation methods. By actively involving target audiences and their communities in the design process, we ensure that our interventions are tailored to their experiences and needs. This empathetic approach fosters responsiveness and increases the effectiveness and likelihood of success of our interventions.
Insights from PSI Ethiopia
One notable presentation at the SBC Summit was the USAID MULU KP program’s innovative Social Behavior Change Counseling (SBCC), which was developed using an empathy-based design to address gender-based violence (GBV) among sex workers. The new SBCC led to a remarkable increase in the uptake of GBV services, which increased twelvefold from 201 in 2022 to 2,531 in 2023.
This success underscores the critical role of empathy-based programs in increasing service uptake and meeting the needs of marginalized communities.
Another compelling presentation highlighted PSI Ethiopia’s initiative to digitize Smart Start family planning counseling for married adolescent girls and young women in rural Ethiopia.
The shift from traditional paper-based counseling to digital methods not only improved the accessibility and consistency of services but also empowered clients to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. The digital tool significantly increased client and healthcare provider engagement, interest, and satisfaction. For example, clients counseled with the digital tool opted for contraceptive methods 74% of the time, compared to 64% in the group counseled with paper. In addition, the digital group showed a higher preference for long-acting contraceptive methods (89%) than the paper-based group (72%), underlining the potential of digital solutions for health counseling.
The final presentation focused on transforming the sale of sanitation products and services through the DQ approach. Launched in Ethiopia in 2021 as part of USAID’s Transform WASH initiative, the DQ sales and management tool revolutionizes sales strategies by putting decision-making at the forefront. This approach empowers customers to make informed decisions about sanitation solutions that meet their needs through meaningful conversations and sales pitches, significantly increasing sales. Trained masons/installers using the DQ approach are now responsible for 80% of total sales, compared to just 5 previously. This presentation shows the success of this method: with the sale of over 200,000 toilets, the targets for access to sanitation have been exceeded, and a contribution has been made to the global sanitation goals.
In conclusion, PSI Ethiopia’s participation in the SBC Summit reaffirms its commitment to transformative healthcare through empathy-driven SBC strategies. With innovative approaches such as the empathy-driven interventions of the USAID MULU KP program, the digitization of Smart Start family planning counseling, and the revolutionary DQ sales approach, PSI Ethiopia underscores the profound impact and effectiveness of empathic design in addressing pressing health challenges.
