Innovation in a Pandemic: Huru Launches Its Menstrual Health App, Free2
Huru’s timely launch of its app, Free2, made reaching girls during the Covid-19 pandemic possible.
In 2019, Huru was in the running for a grant from UK-based, AmplifyChange, to develop, design, and curate a sexual and reproductive health app. Our team was really enthusiastic for the opportunity to innovate and expand Huru’s curriculum in this manner, but we were admittedly a bit nervous since developing an app sounds a bit intimidating. Fortunately we had wonderful app developers lined up who were ready and excited to help us should we be awarded the grant.
And, well, you already know how this story ends. We got the grant.
The ins and outs
First things first: what do we call it? Well, Huru means “free” in Swahili, and the idea of freedom really motivates Huru’s work. Freedom to go to school, freedom to play with friends, freedom financially, freedom to be whoever you want to be. So that was how Free2 became the name of Huru’s first-ever app.
From there, our Programs team worked diligently with the app developers to make sure the app was fun, interactive, and engaging for whomever was using it. In short, Free2 takes Huru’s sexual and reproductive health curriculum and condenses it into 28 lessons (representative of the average 28 days of the menstrual cycle of course). And just like Huru’s standard curriculum, there is content tailored specifically for girls, boys, parents, etc. Lessons cover general hygiene (like handwashing), menstruation, adolescence, consent/gender-based violence, self-confidence, how to support your adolescent child, and more.
Although most girls do not have access to their own phone, they do have access to a shared family phone, giving Huru the opportunity to engage with parents and guardians even more, which is really important for sustained support. It also means that girls are taking Free2’s lessons at all hours of the night when the phone isn’t being used by someone else. Oftentimes logging on between 8:00PM and 4:00AM. So that really emphasized for us just how much girls want (and need) this important information.
As of writing, the app is accessible via Android and the web in Kenya, but don’t worry… steps for expansion are underway.
Free2 and Covid-19
When Huru was forced to rethink our distribution strategy at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Free2 came to the rescue. Access to sexual and reproductive health information became even more critical as schools and clinics closed in Kenya. And per Huru’s ethos, we needed to ensure that girls continued to receive the health education they deserved despite the circumstances. But we had to rethink our distribution strategy since in normal times, our education sessions for girls and their peers take place in group settings.
You can read more about our Covid-19 response here, but in summary, we utilized Free2 to disseminate our health education across the country. After girls completed the lessons, our team then took the Huru Kits door-to-door to the girls’ homes. And while movement and shipping restrictions were in place because of the pandemic, Huru partnered with courier companies to get Huru Kits to the far parts of Kenya that were inaccessible to our team at the time.
Basically, we can’t begin to express how happy we are that Free2 launched at the beginning of 2020. Because it truly made it possible for us to continue helping girls who needed it.
What’s next for Free2?
Free2 is in a constant state of development and evolution. We are continuously updating the app to ensure relevance and to meet the needs of various partners. Free2 has been so well received by the girls who use it, and we want to make it accessible to as many girls, boys, and parents as possible. How can you help? Continue to spread the word about menstrual health and Huru’s work. With support from donors and partners, we can continue disseminating important health information across Africa. So holding a fundraiser, telling a friend about Huru, posting on social media…Every little thing counts. Because when you support Huru, you are making a long-term impact in girls’ lives and giving them back the freedom to chase their dreams.
