Grameen Foundation showcases new mobile application for community health
Grameen Foundation, an international non-governmental organisation, has showcased its new mobile application called “mobile technology (MOTECH) for community health solutions” at an open house event.
The foundation focuses on providing aid and advice to pregnant women and mothers with children below two years through the mobile application.
The event held in Accra aimed to educate participants on the uses of the application and how it helps mothers to protect both their unborn babies and children.
Speaking at the event, Ms Karen Romano, Ghana Country Director of Grameen Foundation said “MOTECH Mobile Midwife” services sends behaviour change voice messages in local languages to poor rural women during pregnancy.
It continues to send messages “for the first year of newborn’s life to tackle harmful myths and traditional practices while promoting healthy behaviour,” she said.
Grameen also introduced another project called “No Yawa” which means have no regrets.
Ms Romano said the project works with DKT and Marie Stopes International to promote safe sex and reproductive health.
She said more than 180,000 Ghanaian youth have signed up for the mobile services and are receiving text messages or voice educational messages and a voice mini drama series delivered in eight languages amongst which are Twi, Ewe, Hausa, Gonja.
She said the messages spark dialogue about sensitive issues related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH).
“Two interactive mobile-web based resources, SmartSex (www.noyawa.mobi) and No Regrets (www.noregrets.mobi), have been launched to provide platforms for youth to access in-depth, relevant content on SRH topics of interest and discuss relationships and sexuality,” she said.
The foundation used the occasion to educate the attendee’s on Care Community Hub Innovation (CCH), a project that has been in existence for a year for Community Health Nurses (CHN’s).
Ms Akuba Dolphyne, Project Manager of CCH said Grameen has made it possible for CHN’s to have mobile applications that run on android devices to boost their performance.
The application referred to as “CHN on the Go” includes a mobile learning platform with maternal, newborn and child health courses and quizzes for continuous learning, work planning and target tracking tools, wellness support for nurses and many more.
She said a related reporting application was developed for supervisors including a dash board that enables them to monitor their nurses’ progress on monthly service targets and professional development.
Mr Alfred Yeboah, Project lead for mobiHealth Volunteer initiative, said in partnership with Ghana Health Service staff in the South Tongu District, Grameen developed the mobiHealth Volunteer application for android phones.
He said it was designed for low-literacy users to empower community health volunteers to recognise danger signs in pregnant women or newborns.
He said: “It is loaded with the Mobile Midwife messages in local languages and with educational videos that volunteers can use to promote health practices among pregnant women and mothers of infants during home visits.”
Source: GNA