By Dennis Munetsi
Dennis Munetsi is a PhD researcher from Malmö University, Sweden, currently attached to the ZNFPC HQ at the ASRH Department. Dennis’ research tackles the issues of technological emergence, governance, and politics. Specifically, Dennis looks at the everyday politics of menstrual health applications and their implications for the peripheral communities in technological innovations.
Despite technological advances to address sexual reproductive health (SRH) unmet need gaps, young people and adolescents in Zimbabwe still face significant barriers to accessing SRH services. From cultural taboos to inadequate health infrastructure, young people – especially girls – often struggle to get the information and care they need. Though not fully realized, the nascence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies can address some of these challenges if strategically adopted.
Private spaces for public health – In a society where discussing women’s reproductive issues, especially menstruation remains taboo, digital technologies like menstrual tracking apps and AI are emerging as discreet yet powerful tools for empowering young girls – providing safe spaces for managing periods and deliberating on sensitive topics. Menstrual tracking apps are digital tools, often downloadable on smartphones and computers, allowing users to monitor their menstrual cycles, predict fertile windows, and receive health tips related to their reproductive health. These apps also provide reminders for taking medications or seeking medical advice, offering safe, autonomous and private healthcare decision-making spaces for girls to manage their health without fear of judgment. Conversely, AI can be integrated into these apps to deliver personalized and individualized advice, monitor health patterns, and offer virtual consultations based on user data. Hence, digitization can facilitate evidence and data-driven approaches to SRH services and inform culturally situated and punctuated policy interventions.
My experience working with SRH digitization research and the hands-on experiences with the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) highlighted, on the one hand, the need to bridge the gaps in SRH service delivery and, on the other, the critical role digital tools can play in alleviating these existing barriers. For instance, during an outreach event at Arcturus Mine, I observed how limited access to SRH information was a significant challenge for young women to engage in dialogues with service providers regarding their sexual behaviors, contraception and related SRH subjects due to cultural taboos, fear and shame. In this context, digital interventions can offer a potential solution by creating a private, accessible platform for young girls to learn, understand and discuss their reproductive health. Particularly in settings where face-to-face interactions with service providers may be limited, girls may feel ashamed to ask questions openly. In essence, digital tools can act as educational resources, empowering young women to take control of their bodies, which could significantly improve ASRH outcomes.
Community Mobilizations for Menstrual Hygiene Management
Power dynamics and socio-cultural influences – While digital tools hold great potential for SRH, offering opportunities to personalize health interventions and streamline service delivery, integrating digital tools into SRH services in Zimbabwe must be handled carefully, particularly due to cultural beliefs and practices in the target settings and the inherent power dynamics in technology access, development, and governance. Societal factors shape how people perceive, use, interact, resist and advocate for technological adoption. Hence, dialogues regarding socio-cultural factors should be central to the digitization drive discourses.
In conclusion, critical questions remain unanswered – who will control these digital tools, who will own the data, and who will benefit? For AI to democratize healthcare, these fundamental issues need to be addressed for equitability, sustainability, and full realization of the potential of ASRH digitization. Equitable and sustainable SRH digitization will ensure that communities and marginalized populations are not left behind – rather, they should form the core of the digitization political economy and have a stakeholder ownership of the digitization programmes and norms.