23 May 2012

More than one billion women in the developing world already own a mobile phone, making these devices an ideal way to deliver vital health messages to pregnant women and new mothers, and to connect them with local health services.

As the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) marks its first anniversary this month, its mission remains just that—to deliver this information via mobile phones, particularly to those new and expectant mothers who live in remote communities.

A public-private partnership between USAID, Johnson & Johnson, the United Nations Foundation, BabyCenter, and the mHealth Alliance, MAMA's free messages have already reached millions of mothers across the globe. Once registered for the service, women begin receiving weekly health messages during pregnancy and through their child's first birthday.

MCHIP has awarded a sub-agreement to Development Research Network (D.Net) to support specific service elements of MAMA in Bangladesh under the brand name "Aponjon." 

To learn more about the Alliance, read the blog on The Huffington Post by Patricia Mechael, Executive Director of mHealth Alliance and MAMA's new Secretariat.

And for more information about MAMA, visit its website: www.mobilemamaalliance.org.