Mama Care

Many women around the world go through prenatal and postpartum mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression  among others which sometimes go unnoticed or even untreated. This causes  negative effects on both the mother and child.

Life Redefined International aims to provide  mental health and Psycho social support to women during pregnancy and the first year after giving birth through counselling services, awareness on maternal metal health through sensitization about its existence.

Creating a platform where mothers are informed  and supported  will ease the tension that is associated with pregnancy.

Depression is a common mental illness among pregnant women. According to World Health Organization, 10% of pregnant women and 13% women who have given birth suffer depression.

In developing countries this is even higher at 15.6% during pregnancy and 19.8% after child birth. In severe cases the mothers’ suffering might be so severe that they may even commit suicide.  In Uganda,12.7% women have a depressive disorder.

Depression in pregnant women can be caused by lack of or Inadequate information about mental health challenges.

In addition, cultural norms such as demand to have children of both sexes contributes to increased anxiety and depression.

Unwanted or unplanned  pregnancies that sometimes come as result of rape,defilement and failed family planning methods can cause depression among the victims.

HIV/AIDS increases susceptibility to depression among women. It should be noted that HIV Positive pregnant women are more likely to be depressed as compared to their HIV negative counterparts.

Poverty, migration, extreme stress, exposure to violence (domestic, sexual and gender-based), emergency and conflict situations, natural disasters, and low social support generally increase risks for specific disorders.

Virtually all women can develop mental disorders during pregnancy and in the first year after delivery.

Our solution is to develop an App that has a number of mental health prenatal and postnatal care packages. This will be done by;

Developing a mental health Ante Natal and Post Natal care curriculum which midwives and health workers will use during the mothers’ visits to the health facility. 

We will work closely with the ministry of health to roll the curriculum out in 10 health centers and measure its success

Develop Information Education and Communication materials through pictorial booklets, brochures that mothers will receive during the visits at the health centers. We will have short online versions for wider dissemination

We will periodically produce online short videos that provide information on dealing with mental health issues including physical and mental exercises, nutrition, spiritual strength to mention but a few.

IECs will be produced in English, Luganda and Swahili languages to reach a wider audience

The package will also enable women to subscribe for one on one counselling sessions from specialized maternal health counselors at a relatively low cost. 

The solution is directly targeting mothers and health workers in urban and peri-urban areas. The app will be open to the users through downloading and subscribing to receiving updates. 

Many of these mothers are subject to the pressures of balancing work, new borns, family and community work. Some are adolescents who have been cast aside by their families and significant others and have little support system and economic means. Much as health workers are providing information during the Ante Natal and Post Natal Care sessions among mothers, they don't tackle issues of mental health.

We are engaging our key target groups to compile information that is relevant to their mental needs. Moreover, it is through engaging them that we have realised the need to increase timely access and support for their mental health as well as health workers providing it.

The solution is also indirectly targeting care givers and different support systems to understand the mental health needs of mothers and hence work with them through this challenging time.

The challenge aims at increasing access to mental health care for mothers and pregnant women in urban and peri-urban areas. The service will connect health workers and mothers who will provide counseling. Mothers will access the information and support.

We are bringing mental health care in three languages that will ensure that many mothers on different education levels can ably access it. Our competitors are the different online services but most of them are in English which limits their usage among non-English speakers. 

We will also use pictorials, videos, popular science articles. The app will also provide space for online counseling. Users who want to get face to face counseling will make appointments at an affordable cost.

The core technology is an online app where information will be uploaded. The app will provide space for interaction between health workers and mothers. 

The technology is going to mainstream Mental Health in the already existing Ant Natal and Post Natal curriculum which has manually been successful and adopted allover health centers in Uganda. The rate of success is projected at 99% given that it is just an addition to an existing successful practice.

Mothers will better mental health as they access information, support and help through the online app. Information will uploaded on a weekly basis to ensure that it is current. Information includes videos, pictures, popular science articles.

At least 20,000 mothers and 30 health workers will use the app in one year. In five years, 100,000 people will be using the app.

We have an opportunity of engaging the ministry of health to include a mental health package in Ante Natal and Post Natal care so that mothers in both urban, peri-urban and rural areas can access mental health services at this critical time. More so, this will enable mothers across the country to get mental health services in their language.

The lack or limited awareness, appreciation and stigma attached to mental health makes it difficult to diagnose and seek timely help. 

At times, internet access is limited and breaks down especially in a low income country like Uganda.

The poor reading culture many affect how women respond to the information.

Culturally, seeking mental health support is looked down upon and people especially women who experience it may be looked at as bewitched, not serious and probably not fit to be mothers. 

We also realised that the long distances to the health centres make it difficult for mothers to access services in a timely manner.

To address the stigma attached to mental health and the lack of awareness there of, we will carry out wide sensitization through mainstream media (TV and radio) and social media. This will be done through videos, popular science articles and pictorial messages in English, Swahili and Luganda. Our available resources include social media sites, video equipment and skills and expertise to address mental health. We part of mental health networks through which we will have synergies and share information.

To address the limited reading culture issue, messages will be mostly pictorial and motion, popular science articles will be used. Information will be in English, Swahili and Luganda to reach a wider range of people. 

A team of five full time staff will work on the solution including the project coordinator, ICT person, 2 psychosocial support officers and accountant.

We have the necessary knowledge and skills in mental health services, technology and using media to mobilize and sensitize.

We will work with The Association of Neuroscientists of Uganda (ANU), National Association of Social Workers Uganda (NASWU), International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) and International Brain Research Organization (IBRO).

The developed app will provide timely information and interaction between the mothers and health workers. 

The app will be amplified through word of mouth and networks with other organizations. 

Income will be generated through advertising, some content will be for sale, counseling fees will be charged for online. 

Solve will provide technical support and connect us with actors in the ICT as well as mental health. 

This is a solution technology to increase timely access to mental health information and support for mothers and pregnant women. 

We would like to partner with MIT faculty or initiatives, tech companies and mental health organizations. 

The solutions aims at increasing access to quality mental health care for pregnant mothers and new born mothers. We will use the price to develop and maintain the online app as well as carry out sensitization.