ARMMAN recently hosted leaders from Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) Global Health Equity team for an immersive visit to our Mobile Academy programme in New Delhi.
Mobile Academy is the world’s largest mobile-based training programme for frontline health workers, implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India.
Our Founder, Dr. Aparna Hegde, and senior team members shared the journey of Mobile Academy, highlighting key milestones, national scale-up, and the roadmap for the augmented version of the programme, designed to leverage WhatsApp and multimedia for richer, interactive learning.
“Johnson & Johnson backed ARMMAN at a time when we were very small and needed someone to believe in our vision,” said Dr. Hegde. “That early trust helped us build scalable, cost-effective mobile health solutions that now reach across 28 states.”
The team also interacted with the frontline health workers (Accredited Social Health Activists – ASHAs), the Medical Officer in Charge, the District ASHA Coordinator, and community members at the Ayushman Arogya Mandir in Sagarpur, South West Delhi.
The ASHAs shared how Mobile Academy keeps their technical knowledge up to date, sharpens counselling and communication skills, improves antenatal and postnatal care practices, and builds confidence in their day-to-day work.
Reflecting on the visit, Alice Lin Fabiano, Global Head of Social Impact and Partnerships, Global Health Equity, Johnson & Johnson shared: “I’ve seen the pride in the ASHAs’ faces today, they aren’t just delivering a service; they are part of the families and their communities. Johnson & Johnson and the J&J Foundation is proud to collaborate with organizations like ARMMAN, and with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to support these critical health workers and advance health for all.”
J&J Foundation will continue its support with the expanded implementation of Mobile Academy across five states: Odisha, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Through this expansion, the programme aims to upskill 100,000 ASHAs via Mobile Academy,
By building ASHAs’ capabilities in preventive healthcare, this engagement will benefit patients and the health system by strengthening primary care and referral systems, leading to fewer delayed or inappropriate referrals and reduced burden on tertiary hospitals in India.