This project has been shortlisted for the DPH 2025 Innovation Prize – Best Scale-Up
Team: Vanessa Mitchell, Kim Martin and Marla Shaivitz (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
Outline: TCI University (TCI-U) is a cutting-edge digital learning platform and mobile app that empowers local governments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to scale up high-impact family planning (FP) and maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) interventions. Originally launched as a web-based hub by The Challenge Initiative (TCI), TCI-U has rapidly expanded into a robust, mobile-first solution supporting real-time, on-the-job capacity strengthening across 214 cities in 13 countries.
What sets TCI-U apart is its demand-driven, systems-integrated design. It supports government-led implementation through self-paced learning, interactive coaching, and performance-based planning tools tailored to local priorities. With more than 22,000 registered users – including community health workers, health facility-based staff, and local health officials – the platform is widely accessible via both the App Store and Google Play. In the latest quarter ending March 31, 2025, nearly 60% of users accessed TCI-U via mobile devices, extending its reach even in low-connectivity settings.
TCI-U’s scale-up success is tied to measurable public health outcomes. TCI-supported countries with higher engagement, including Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, demonstrate better family planning outcomes compared to less-engaged TCI countries. Globally, TCI’s model, supported by TCI-U and trained coaches, has contributed to 5.6 million additional FP clients since its launch.
TCI is a global platform funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bayer AG, and other donors to support the rapid scale-up of high-impact interventions in urban areas. TCI empowers local governments in 13 countries across Africa and Asia through a demand-driven model implemented in collaboration with regional hub partners – international and locally based NGOs with deep contextual knowledge and technical expertise. TCI is led by the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which serves as the global coordinator, strategic lead, and aggregator of learning, data, and funding across the initiative.
As countries seek to institutionalize digital learning and strengthen public health systems, TCI-U stands out as a scalable, data-driven platform that delivers real impact while placing local governments in the driver’s seat to lead their own public health programs.
