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‘Girl Effect’ launches ‘Bol Behen’ chatbot on WhatsApp in India.

WhatsApp, in partnership with non-profit Girl Effect, on Wednesday announced that they will launch Artificial Intelligence (AI) based chatbot ‘Bol Behen’ in India to help women and young girls. Here women will get health related information. The app has been designed to provide content on topics related to women’s reproductive health, sexuality and relationships in a chat format on the instant messaging app. Users can talk in “Hinglish”, a mix of English and Hindi languages, with the chatbot. Users can also ask questions on various topics.

To use the Bol Bahan chatbot, users need to send ‘Hi’ on WhatsApp to the number +91-7304496601 or by visiting its profile on the web. WhatsApp said the new chatbot targets teenage girls and young women in India’s Hindi belt who typically use low-end smartphones with limited internet bandwidth. The chatbot is estimated to reach millions of girls across India to answer their health queries and concerns and connect them to the services tested in the future.

It has also come on Facebook in 2020


Earlier, Girl Effect first launched the Bol Bahan chatbot in India on Facebook Messenger in 2020. It reached nearly 100,000 million conversations, with over 1.6 million messages received. The chatbot was inspired by a similar chatbot called Big Sis in South Africa to provide non-judgmental advice on topics related to women’s sexual health and relationships.

What did the company’s country lead say?


Kanishk Kabirraj, Girl Effect Country Lead for Bharat, said, “The technology of WhatsApp gives us an opportunity to create a closer connection between girls and the healthcare they need, addressing their concerns and helping them through curated and vetted connections. encourages access to healthcare.

She also added, “This will help us provide more seamless, personalized healthcare in the future – for example, for girls to book appointments, receive reminders and share feedback within Bol Behen.”

Girl Effect works to reach girls and young women in Africa and Asia to inform them about their bodies and health through chatbots, chat shows and TV dramas. Targeting young girls in India, this new chatbot will undoubtedly lead to faster transmission of authentic information about women’s health.

By line: Divya Thearia

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