The Core project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is a groundbreaking three-year initiative (2018-2020) conducted in India, Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria. Using Human-Centered Design, Core aims to empower women and girls by exploring their sexual and reproductive health experiences across the life course for improved health and well-being. Through the lens of motivational states known as Need States, Core specifically delves into prevailing gender norms around family planning methods to reduce unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Kenya.

By taking a novel approach to understand qualitative data in Human-Centered Design, Core goes beyond tangible barriers to family planning and delves into the powerful psychological motivations that influence attitudes and behaviors. This approach allows the team to gain deep insights and empathy for people on a psychological level, uncovering the tensions between desires and expectations that influence sexual interactions and family planning attitudes. With its innovative methods, Core aims to create a positive impact by addressing not just physical barriers, but also psychological motivations, for improved sexual and reproductive health outcomes for all. For more information, visit thisiscore.org.