WOHLA: Shaping a sustainable ecosystem to secure women’s health and financial well-being

Reproductive health and economic security are essential for women’s flourishing, with both elements deeply interconnected. Access to quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and family planning (FP) services empowers women to enter the workforce, while economic security provides the resources necessary for better health outcomes. In India, where many women lack access to modern contraceptives and economic participation remains low, the need for action is urgent: we must accelerate and sustain women’s access to both reproductive health and job opportunities. The Women’s Health and Livelihood Alliance (WOHLA) is pioneering an innovative, multi-sectoral approach to address this critical issue. As a joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Frontier Health Market Engage project and Samhita’s Collective Good Foundation, WOHLA seeks to align government and private sector efforts around women’s health, especially promoting investment in women’s health innovation and developing new partnership models that demonstrate catalytic utilization of USAID funds. WOHLA will combine USAID funding for SRH/FP with matching grants from non-USAID sources for adjacent areas, like young women’s skills and livelihoods, to spur an integrated and inclusive approach to social and economic prosperity.

A powerful multi-sectoral coalition…

The WOHLA alliance, a first-of-its-kind initiative anywhere, currently has 27 partners, including government and private players from across sectors, such as finance, contraceptive manufacturing, digital platforms, philanthropy, and civil society. These partners are united in their commitment to women’s empowerment by synergizing efforts, mobilizing resources, leveraging digital initiatives, improving credit accessibility for women and new-to-credit entrepreneurs, and implementing innovative solutions that speak to the aspirations and needs of today’s young women.

…to create a vibrant women’s health marketplace

WOHLA’s ultimate goal is to create a thriving marketplace that offers women a continuum of support during their career and health lifecycle. Achieving this requires reshaping both existing and new investments of WOHLA partners, with a focus on better targeting market growth. WOHLA is providing reliable market intelligence that encourages the marketing and distribution of a wider range of contraceptives, particularly short-acting methods (SAMs) and long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), which align more closely with the needs of the youth. WOHLA has already forged partnerships with manufacturers, such as Senador Labs (formerly Mylan), Organon, and Pregna, to diversify suppliers for hormonal contraceptives, enhancing accessibility for women across different demographics.

… by using innovative digital approaches

WOHLA is establishing a technology network to facilitate the streamlined onboarding of customers and service offering by multiple partners. The digital channels and platforms of alliance partners are being innovatively utilized to disseminate information on SRH/FP, education, and jobs to young women; make health products/services, such as contraceptives, menstrual hygiene products, and supplements, more accessible; and promote digital literacy/skills to empower young women to safely and effectively navigate digital technologies for health. The partner channels include Common Service Centers (CSCs), Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC); NGOs working on social inclusion, workplace initiatives, and skilling centers`. WOHLA is also capitalizing on digital innovations, such as Nivi Inc and digital financing intermediary Appreciate, to broaden access points and create further momentum. Through collaboration with government agencies, technology companies, and youth organizations, WOHLA is also advocating for youth-friendly digital health policies and their application in e-commerce and mHealth.

….and demonstrating a sustainable, scalable model.

WOHLA’s efforts are currently focused on five states -Assam, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Meghalaya- with plans to expand to other priority areas. The alliance is forging partnerships to enhance product marketing and distribution with commercial partners, such as Senador Labs, Organon, Pregna. It is also working for distributor financing through private banks to improve FP working capital; for leveraging digital channels and artificial intelligence (Nivi) to connect young consumers with chemists and providers; for layering FP demand mobilization activities with social inclusion and livelihoods promotion services (CSCs); for credit access to health entrepreneurs through financing initiatives (Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises [CGTMSE]); and for wider and fairer access to digital markets (ONDC). NGO partners (such as Mann Deshi, Spherule Foundation, TISSER, SESTA, SEWA, and Digital Empowerment Foundation) are accelerating the reach of these interventions. Private partners (such as JSW Foundation, DXC Technologies, S&P Global, Adidas, Bajaj Finserv, Microsoft, Google, Samsung) are mobilizing funds to co-design market development interventions.

By leveraging these diverse strengths and resources, WOHLA aims to expand young women’s access to choices and opportunities. By investing in entrepreneur-led channels within the contraceptive value chain and targeting women as both consumers and suppliers, WOHLA is well-positioned to significantly enhance access to SRH/FP services across India and foster an enabling ecosystem where women can thrive.