Our Results

At Living Goods, we are obsessed with data. We use data to improve our programs and drive insight and innovation. Living Goods uses a detailed model to identify and set targets for key metrics that drive reducing child mortality and increasing access to family planning methods. These measurements include the number of children treated, pregnancies supported, newborn visits, follow-ups, family planning methods distributed or referrals confirmed, and in-stock rates. Community health workers (CHWs) log every patient interaction on their smartphones with our cutting-edge app.

This enables health supervisors to see results against health targets for any CHW, in real time, on any device. Real-time data enables our teams to ensure performance across all levels and to quickly focus on problem areas in need of improvement. We also provide governments with immediate access to data, and provide other stakeholders with detailed quarterly reports. Learn more about our work in mHealth.

To determine our key performance indicators, we rely on two core foundations: our randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluations and the existing body of research and evidence. We assessed the major changes that occurred in the intervention group during the randomized controlled trial that ran during our Uganda scale-up. Variables that changed significantly served as key data points for understanding the factors that would drive the overall drop in childhood mortality shown by the RCT.

We have also worked with independent analysts to determine which of these variables were tied to existing research and evidence around decreases in mortality and morbidity. This allowed us to narrow our set of health metrics to specific metrics based around direct client service (examples: sick children under one assessed and treated, sick children under five assessed and treated, pregnancies registered, referrals to health facilities, postnatal care, and newborns visited in the first 48 hours), and one reflecting our overall reach and growth (number of community health workers in a Living Goods-supported network). We adjust our impact focus areas based on the context and burden of diseases, and as child mortality comes down in the countries we work, we are increasingly focused on ensuring children both survive and thrive. As we add new health impact areas like Family Planning and Immunization, we add new program health metrics to track progress in delivering impact in each of those areas.  Finally, we also track the per capita cost as we work to deliver at scale since this is also a key driver of lasting impact.

Why We Measure

Once a pregnancy is registered in our system, it activates a host of activities to support the pregnant mother—from additional pregnancy visits and nutritional counseling to text messages we send to her phone reminding her of important behaviors like breastfeeding or attending her antenatal visits. Pregnant women receive education to watch for danger signs and about the importance of attending ANC visits, and delivering in a health facility. The CHWs we support track the pregnancy through to birth and beyond, aiming to visit each newborn within 48-hours of delivery and again within the first week to reinforce and support key newborn behaviors like breastfeeding, cord care, and recognizing danger signs that require immediate referral.

Why We Measure

We focus on children under one because over 65% of under-five child mortality occurs during the critical first year of life, and children at this stage are particularly vulnerable to diseases such as pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea, which can both be fatal but can also be easily cured if the child is diagnosed and treated in time.

Why We Measure

Accurate diagnoses and treatments drive health impact. The first five years are a critical developmental period, and children remain at especially high risk for both disease and undernutrition.

Why We Measure

The work we do at Living Goods wouldn’t be possible without a large cadre of dedicated, motivated, and effective community health workers. This is a measure of our scale of impact.

Why We Measure

Total number of clients reached by Living Goods-supported community health workers in Uganda and Kenya. This is a measure of the scale of our impact.

Why We Measure

 The cost per capita of delivering quality health care is a measure of scalability and sustainable impact as we recognize that high quality but lower cost community health systems are more likely to be financed and sustained at scale.