Using technology to address severe acute malnutrition in Chad

Something significant is happening in the meeting room of the Ouaddaï Provincial Health Delegation. All eyes are fixed on phone screens. Eighty-five health center managers and eleven nutrition focal points are discovering a tool that promises to transform the management of nutritional stock supplies and, consequently, help save lives. This SMS-based system, linked to mobile operators Moov Africa and AIRTEL, combines simplicity and innovation to address a critical challenge.

For several years, some health centers have faced delays and stockouts of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF), vital for treating severe acute malnutrition in children. These shortages result from various challenges, including funding, geographic accessibility, high transportation costs, and limited telephone and internet network coverage.

A concerning phenomenon is the presence of these therapeutic products in local markets, despite a Prime Ministerial decree strictly prohibiting their sale. This persistent issue severely compromises the care of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. For health center managers, dealing with stock shortages is also a significant time burden: reporting shortages or submitting monthly reports to district authorities is a tedious and lengthy process. Meanwhile, other stakeholders, such as nutrition program officers and focal points in district health centers, struggle to obtain up-to-date data on stock levels. These difficulties delay decision-making to resolve shortages and prolong response times. As a result, administrative procedures accumulate, consuming valuable resources that could be allocated to other priorities.

This is why RapidPro steps in — an innovative SMS-based solution designed to work even in remote areas with limited connectivity. The tool enables fast and efficient communication among all links in the supply chain: warehouses, transporters, health center staff, district officials, and partners.

Each time supplies are dispatched from a central or provincial warehouse, health centers on the delivery list receive an SMS alert with shipping details. Upon receiving the items, they simply send a confirmation by text.

But this system goes far beyond delivery tracking. It allows managers to report their monthly consumption and remaining stock levels. If a potential stockout is identified, the system triggers an automatic alert, ensuring a rapid response. The tool also helps collect data on new admissions and track program performance indicators — optimizing resource management and improving childcare outcomes.

The training, organized by the Health Delegation with support from UNICEF, focuses on the tool’s ease of use, free access, and effectiveness. Participants learn to send SMS using a unique code for each health center and respond to system notifications via a single short number on both Moov Africa and AIRTEL networks.

During the training, several health center managers expressed their satisfaction with having a tool that will finally make their day-to-day work easier. “Before, I had to call several people just to confirm a stock delivery. Now, I know exactly when the truck is arriving,” Roland shares with a smile.

Beyond the health centers, this innovation will help reduce time loss, improve stock management, and most importantly, ensure that children suffering from severe acute malnutrition receive timely care.

Thanks to this scalable system based on simple, free SMS, health workers and their partners are paving the way for a future where no child suffering from malnutrition is left without life-saving treatment.