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Agnes Bangali

Agnes Bangali - 2019 Nominee
Position: Programme Associate, Maternal Health and Family Planning
Organization: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Current Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Master of Science (MSc), Public Health for Development from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Additional Degrees and Certifications:
Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Gender and Women's Studies
Awards Received:
  • Award:
    50 Most Influential Young Sierra Leoneans
    Awarding Organization:
    Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development
    Date Awarded:
    April 26, 2017
  • Award:
    Best Female Photographer
    Awarding Organization:
    Sisters Choice Awards
    Date Awarded:
    April 29, 2017
  • Award:
    Susan J. Rose Prize for Distinction in Gender and Women's Studies
    Awarding Organization:
    Connecticut College
    Date Awarded:
    May 19, 2013
75 Public Votes Reached!
Agnes ‘’Mimi’’, a Chevener, leads a team working on improving last mile delivery of family planning commodities in Sierra Leone through an innovative platform called Firefly, designed to prevent stock outs of FP commodities at service delivery points – Chidera Chukwu, Doctor/Health Management Consultant at Solina Centre for International Development and Research
Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.

After discovering that 76% of health facilities in Sierra Leone experienced stock out of FP commodities, my team and I developed a proposal to ensure constant availability of contraceptives at service delivery points.
Our solution, Firefly, is an integrated platform used by service providers and medical stores to facilitate delivery of FP commodities to the woman at the last mile. Firefly was selected for the UNFPA and WFP Innovation Accelerator programme, and will receive funding of up to $100,000 for piloting between July and December 2019 in Sierra Leone. My team will receive guidance, training and funding from development, supply chain and FP experts to ensure a successful pilot phase and subsequent scale up of Firefly’s use.

What sparked your passion for family planning?

My country Sierra Leone has the highest maternal mortality ratio in the world: 1,360 deaths per 100,000 live births and 36% of all deaths among women are maternal deaths. I’ve been passionate about FP since discovering evidence that FP reduces maternal mortality. FP not only saves women’s lives, it improves their quality of life by giving them the power to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

Give one or two examples of how you display leadership in your family planning work.:

I lead the team developing the Firefly platform, a tool designed to facilitate Last Mile delivery of family planning commodities.
I also provide programmatic support to FP service providers as implementing partner focal point at UNFPA.
I facilitated the provision of FP information and services to adolescent girls through the National Girls Camp.
I engage in sensitization within my spheres of influence, providing information on how to access FP services through my social media platforms.

If you are named a winner of 120 under 40, how will you use this new platform and the $1000 grant to advance your work? :

I will develop a FP programme for adolescent girls in Freetown. I already have strong relationships with service providers, the media, local NGOs, government Ministries and adolescent networks. I have institutional support from UNFPA, and also have my own platforms such as Femme Collective, a women’s empowerment organization which I founded. I am perfectly positioned to use the funds and networks gained from 120 under 40 to strengthen FP outreach for adolescents in the country.

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