Empowering Action: Lessons from India’s Data Capacity Accelerator for Climate and Health

Data Capacity Enhancement for Suvita’s Vaccination Initiative

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Fellow: Vinoj P A Raj
Host Organisation: Suvita

About the Host Organisation
Suvita addresses the global challenge of vaccine-preventable diseases by implementing SMS reminders for caregivers and community-driven immunization promotion through volunteer ambassadors. These interventions, grounded in J-PAL-led randomized controlled trials, aim to boost vaccination rates and ensure equitable access to immunization.

Problem Statement and Project Objective

Suvita faced inefficiencies in its manual data workflows, suboptimal communication systems, and a lack of metrics to evaluate ambassador recruitment methods. The project aimed to:

  • Automate data workflows for efficiency.
  • Optimise communication systems to reduce costs and improve outreach.
  • Establish metrics to assess and enhance programme strategies.

Data Sources and Methodology

Data Sources:

Reproductive and Child Health Data (Maharashtra), hospital birth registers (Bihar), and survey data from caregivers.

Methodology:

  • Automated data workflows with SurveyCTO plugins and AppScript batch jobs.
  • Enhanced communication via a WhatsApp chatbot, SMS failure analysis, and integration of region-specific Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers.
  • Designed data pipelines and conducted pilot studies to evaluate information-sharing methods.

Tools and Technologies Used

SurveyCTO, PostgreSQL, BigQuery, AWS EC2, Telerivet, Kaleyra, Exotel, Stata, Python, JavaScript, and Google Suite.

Results and Impact

Automated Data Workflows:

  • Reduced manual intervention and improved operational efficiency.
  • Processed over 4,000 applications through an automated recruitment platform.

Communication System Optimisation:

  • Decreased Permanent SMS errors by 50%, saving more than USD 10,000 annually.
  • Enhanced SMS Throughput Per Second (30 TPS to 2000 TPS), reducing costs by approximately USD 7,000 per month.
  • Introduced WhatsApp chatbots, which tripled engagement rates compared to SMS, registering 1,000+ new users.

Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) Preparation:

  • After data pipelines were set up for all information formats and diffusion methods, a pilot study was conducted and the insights below were generated.
  • Conducted pilot studies revealing WhatsApp chatbot and personalised vaccination calendars as the most effective tools for caregiver engagement.
Insights from Suvita’s Vaccination Initiative

Outputs

  • Pilot Study Report
  • Plugins for SurveyCTO-Telerivet and SurveyCTO-Tata Communications (digital public goods)
  • Web-based recruitment and management platform (digital public good)

This initiative represents a significant step forward in leveraging data-driven approaches to enhance immunization outreach and programme efficiency at Suvita.

Impact and Way Forward

The project has laid the groundwork for scaling Suvita’s interventions, optimising impact per dollar while reducing operational costs. The RCT pilot metrics will enable ongoing programme evaluations, and the planned A/B testing platform has the potential to serve as a digital public good.

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