Vodacom, SHOPS Plus launch microinsurance product for low-income individuals

Vodacom, Jubilee Insurance, Edgepoint Digital, and SHOPS Plus partnered to launch a mobile phone-enabled microinsurance product for low-income individuals.

Jamii, which means “community” in Swahili, provides inpatient and outpatient benefits, including HIV prevention and treatment, to supplement government-sponsored schemes. Nearly 1.5 million people in Tanzania live with HIV.

In June, SHOPS Plus helped launch Jamii using a marketing campaign that involved distributing marketing materials at private health clinics and holding group sessions at promotional events. SHOPS Plus staff trained sales agents and helped with reporting. The promotional events drew 65,000 individuals. More than 1,600 enrolled in the microinsurance program.

“I am happy with Voda-Jamii,” said Margaret Tito Mwanguku, a Jamii customer. “I went to [a] health facility, they asked for my number and . . . found that I was in the system. They provided me with services without any problem and they informed me that I had been provided with services worth Tsh 39,000 [$17.42] and I had spent only Tsh 7,000 [$3.13] to purchase the coverage. I got good medications and . . .  I am happy with the service.”