Suvita
Introduction
Founded in 2019, Suvita is a non-profit organisation dedicated to increasing immunisation rates among children in India. In 2023, Suvita signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Maharashtra to roll out SMS reminders for pregnancy care and routine immunisation across the state. They are currently working across mainly two states using a mix of SMS reminders and immunisation ambassadors to increase vaccine uptake in children.
Impact
Cost per child vaccinated: Less than INR 170 (US$2)
Cost per child death averted: Less than INR 420000 (US$5,000)
INR 5000 : Support 30 children to receive vaccinations
INR 10000 : Support 60 children to receive vaccinations
INR 25000 : Support 150 children to receive vaccinations
(Source: GiveWell’s cost-effectiveness analysis)
What does Suvita do?
Suvita works to increase the uptake of routine vaccinations with two main programs:
SMS Reminders: Suvita sends personalised and timely reminders to parents about vaccination schedules via SMS, significantly increasing adherence. This method is highly cost-effective and ensures parents are consistently informed about upcoming vaccinations, reducing missed appointments.
Ambassador Program: Every community has its ‘influencers’—those who are well-networked and have strong knowledge of the people and goings-on in their community, the ones who serve as crucial information nodes. Suvita systematically identifies and leverages these influencers as community ambassadors to promote immunisation within their social networks. This peer-driven approach amplifies the reach and impact of Suvita's efforts, creating a sustainable and community-based solution to improving immunisation rates.
The organisation works in close collaboration with the state government and other partners to execute their mission, primarily in the states of Maharashtra and Bihar. Currently, Suvita is sending SMS reminders across all 36 districts in Maharashtra and across 4 districts in Bihars, reaching more than 30 lakh families. They have also recruited more than 9700 ambassadors in the two states.
Why we partner with Suvita?
They are recommended by one of our evaluators, GiveWell, for their impact on childhood vaccination rates.
They have been identified to be highly cost-effective in increasing vaccination rates.
They have demonstrated transparency in operations and impact measurement.
Additionally, their programmes have also been supported by organisations like Azim Premji University, D-Prize, Mulago, and N-Core.
Suvita’s partnerships with the Maharashtra and Bihar state governments also highlight these partners’ trust in Suvita’s ability to deliver the programmes effectively.