Product/Service Development

We are working to scale integrated Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) and Non-Communicable Disease(NCD) services for under-served rural communities where the burden is under-estimated and outcomes are poor. We are anchoring this intervention on our model of healthcare delivery: Ubuntu-Afya Medical Centers, which we seek to scale. The Ubuntu-Afya Medical Centers are unique in their co-ownership model with target communities and in the incorporation of complementary financial service enterprises, which cross-subsidize the cost of health service.

MomConnect is a National Department of Health program in South Africa that has used mobile phones to deliver stage-based maternal and child health messages and to provide helpdesk services to over 1.8M women. It is complemented by NurseConnect, which provides psycho-social support, a helpdesk, and training to 20,000 nurses. Both are integrated into existing health data systems so that administrators can identify and respond to service delivery gaps.

Iron deficiency is a major contributor to maternal death, that can be addressed by improving the iron status of women through iron fortification. Unfortunately, iron forms foul-tasting, coloured and non-biodegradable complexes with polyphenols in tea. We have developed technology that adds bioavailable iron to tea. We have shown the process to be effective in-vitro, and in-vivo. The proposed project is the critical first step in a comprehensive plan for large scale implementation of this technology.

Our innovation is transitioning a youth-led ECCE programme called LEAPS (Youth Leaders for Early Childhood Assuring Children are Prepared for School) to scale. The LEAPS programme is a cross-generational strategy supporting learning and development for young children (3.5-6.5 year olds) and female youth (18-24 year olds). In partnership with NCHD, the LEAPS programme recruits and provides vocational training to female youth, referred to as Community Youth Leaders (CYLs) to deliver a community-based preschool programme and a community engagement strategy to catalyse local demand for ECCE.

Our intervention integrates evidence-based approaches for maternal, newborn, and child health, focused on the "golden 1000 days" from conception through age two through two key components: 1) an integrated hospital-to-home healthcare model utilizing Community Health Workers (CHWs) for monitoring and increasing utilization of services, maternal and neonatal health knowledge, self-efficacy, social support, and emergency planning among mothers; and 2) Continuous surveillance of all pregnancies and children via an integrated electronic health record.

Access to basic health care remains elusive for the world’s poor, especially the rural poor in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). One key determinant is the weakness of health care systems to respond to the needs of the community in a timely, agile, and responsive manner. In Malawi, health systems infrastructure limits access in both directions. Those who support and manage health systems lack accurate and timely information about health care needs at the last mile.

In Cameroon, poor rural woman suffers inequitably from preventable, ill-health and death due to maternal related causes, with maternal mortality at 596/100,000 lives birth(1). These rural women, especially those with no formal education, make up the majority of the deaths. Most of the interventions currently being delivered do not address their needs(2). This results in a low demand by these women for, antenatal care, skilled birth deliveries, and family planning(3-5).

Group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-G) is a proven, simple and cost efficient community-based model to treat depression. Under the StrongMinds model, trained Mental Health Facilitators (MHF) lead IPT-G meetings using a structured model over a period of 12-16 weeks to help group members identify and understand the root causes and triggers of their depression, and then to formulate strategies to overcome those triggers.

Ujiplus is a highly nutrituous school meal with deworming properties that can be used for children at risk of parasitic worm disease, while also tackling malnutrition. During TTS funding, TEPAD will seek to: (1) Conduct an expanded clinical trial to demonstrate the efficacy of Ujiplus on A. lumbricoides and an additional three (3) common worm infections (est. 1,200 children across 6 schools.) (2) Make adjustments to product formulation as necessary to improve taste and texture.

The Mama River+ Program aims to address high maternal and neonatal mortality rates, starting in the Peruvian Amazon, by empowering community agents to act as first-level service providers for pregnant women, to ensure adherence to adequate maternal and newborn care. With $1M CAD in grant financing, the Mama River+ Program expects to enroll 1,150 mother-infant pairs living in the extremely impoverished and remote regions of the Peruvian Amazon.