Samawat Energy 'Afiya'

Africa has some of the world’s highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world. In Somalia – one out of every twelve women die due to pregnancy related complications. Access to maternal health services is severely low.

The ‘Afiya’ health kit is a solar-powered kit containing tools to support midwives in administering child births. The portable solar-powered kit includes a lantern, blood pressure meter, blood glucose meter, pulse oximeter, thermometer, ultrasound device, body weight scale and smart phone.

‘Afiya’ will improve access to healthcare services amongst expectant and post-natal women. Our target communities will also benefit from an integrated approach that is inclusive of knowledge dissemination and awareness campaigns. Target communities will be enrolled to our roster, so that our midwives on the ground can provide them with pre- and post-natal healthcare, information on healthy pregnancy, nutrition, and best practices for mother and infant care both pre- and post-partum.

Maternal and infant mortality rates are unacceptably high. As reported by WHO-around 295,000-women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2017 globally. 94%-(WHO) of these deaths occurred in low-resource communities, and most could have been prevented. 85%-(WHO) of the maternal deaths were suffered by communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for two-thirds of the global maternal death rates in 2017.

Our pilot country Somalia – has one of the world’s highest child and maternal mortality rates in the world, with one-out-of-every-seven children dying before their fifth birthday and one-out-of-every-twelve women dying due to pregnancy related complications (Unicef-2019). Two-thirds of these deaths can be attributed to preventable causes with a third of these deaths occurring during the neonatal period. Somalia has been ravished by years of civil war, famines and extreme poverty. Amongst these populations, access to maternal health services is severely low, with 38%-of-births being carried out by skilled midwives. 85%-of-healthcare centers are located in urban areas, despite 58% of the population living in off-grid rural settings.

The extremely high mortality rates amongst infants and mothers are an important indicator of the healthcare status and the lack of access to healthcare facilities across the continent.

Samawat Energy has created the ‘Samawat Afiya’ app and On-the-go-healthcare-backpack geared towards health-workers, midwives and traditionally trained dualas in off-grid and rural communities – our innovation links solar energy with Smart Iot.

The Afiya backpack is a portable kit that is powered by a solar panel plus battery and includes a lantern, blood pressure meter, blood glucose meter, pulse oximeter, thermometer, ultrasound device, body weight scale and a smart phone plus satellite Wi-Fi capability- enabling remote examination and diagnosis of patients by doctors within 24 hours. Samawat Afiya’s adjunct app stores all the collected medical records on mobile devices, and automatically uploads this life saving information onto the Cloud upon obtaining network. While the app provides medical centers the ability to create coordinated medical systems through the collected data with our solar-powered medical clinics and pharmacies, this will link remote communities to healthcare professionals. Our innovation aims to bridge the gap of healthcare access, resources and equipment by providing the local trained healthcare workers with the ‘Afiya’ health kit and app.  We also believe our innovation can addresses other common health concerns in our target communities such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, undernutrition, malaria, polio, COVID-19, HIV and AIDS –more efficiently.

Decades of war, chaos, and disorder in Somalia, the national health system is poorly resourced, underdeveloped, and can only reach a limited percentage of the population due to low availability of hospitals, medical resources and skilled medical workers. Most of the country’s health centers are concentrated in urban areas, leaving communities in off-grid and rural areas without reliable access to outpatient health services. We estimate a demand of at least 3.3 million Somali women for our health backpack.

Amongst our target groups (rural and off-grid communities), we have tailored our ‘Afiya’ solution to future mothers, pregnant women, current mothers who reside too far away from health centers to receive any formalized medical assistance. In many areas, it can take days to reach a health centers through public transport which is often too expensive for much of the country’s rural poor, leaving travel by camel as the most viable option. By the time many pregnant women facing emergencies arrive at a health center, they are at risk of losing not only their unborn baby but their own lives as well.  

Samawat Afiya can help reduce the rate of infant and maternal mortality rates by bringing healthcare to rural and off-grid communities.

'Afiya' was created to help expand access to affordable and quality maternal and new-born healthcare. Our health kit and app will help medical workers provide much needed medical assistance to our target groups in rural and off-grid communities. Our target community in Somalia have the world’s highest infant and maternal mortality rates. ‘Afiya’ was created to target those communities to provide the healthcare needed throughout pregnancy and child birth to ultimately save lives. 

Our solution also relates to the health security and pandemics challenge. Our solution provides improved systems for disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment of curable illnesses.

Our innovation is created specifically to combat the high rates of mortality in our target communities. There are few healthcare backpacks in the market – but the ‘Afiya’ solution is not just a health backpack – but a solar-powered health backpack that allows for Bluetooth enabled medical devices to be charged. The ‘Afiya’ medical equipment are linked to our app that allows for medical workers to automatically upload patient vitals directly to their personal medical records. The medical records will only be accessed by medical professionals, medical centers/clinics and patients.

Our solution targets the needs of our target market directly. Access to healthcare, creation of medical records to establish medical history, links between rural medical professionals to medical centers in urban cities and to help medical professionals to detect, treat and cure efficiently.

The Smart IoT and Solar-powered solution will overcome the current difficulties faced by many in off-grid and rural communities.

As Samawat Energy – we also have solar-powered mobile medical clinics and pharmacies that can be placed in rural communities to provide the need medical assistance for childbirth and pre/post-natal services.

Our innovation is comprehensive and extensive and aims to build quality health facilities and capacity in rural and off-grid settings.

Our solution is built upon smart Iot and Solar energy.

Our solution relies heavily on Smart IoT to help gather information and create the systems needed to provide a seamless healthcare network between patients, community health-workers, professional medical workers and medical clinics/centers.

The solar energy is super important in our solution. The areas we are targeting are often rural and in off-grid areas with very limited access to electricity. The solar energy will ensure that medical devices and smart phones are charged in a reliable, sustainable and affordable method.

Our solution consists of two widely used and accepted technologies. Smart IoT has proven to be efficient in the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interactions. This system enables our medical devices to automatically measure our patient vitals and upload it to their medical records.

Solar Energy has been proven to work, benefit and provide sustainable electricity to many communities across the world. In our target community – Solar energy has assisted in the path towards eliminating the rural-urban energy fault line and increasing electrification through an affordable and clean method.

We believe our solution will significantly reduce mortality rates for infant and maternal patients.

Our target market currently has little to no access to healthcare. This has posed a risk not only to the mothers’ lives but also to infants. Our system will provide the pre and post-natal care to ensure preventable health concerns are addressed. Our systems will also provide much needed vaccines to children once born.

Our theory is based on providing a basic system that is detrimental in saving lives to communities who have lived without it for many years. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest level of mortality rates in mothers and infants. This is highly due to many communities living in impoverished settings with lack of access to quality healthcare, nutrition and sanitation. In Somalia – the lack of access to health care both due to location and finances is severely linked with the increasing rates of mortality amongst our target audience.

Our target population is rural, nomadic, and IDP Somali women who are either now pregnant or planning to get pregnant at least once within the next five years. Our preliminary market research reveals that this translates to a market size of at least 3.3 million girls and women throughout Somalia.

Amongst this target population, we will be using the following indicators to track our progress and measure results:

-      An increase in # of trained midwives (800 in year 1, 4000 over 5

years)

-        Increase in # of 'Afiya' backpack systems in use (800 in year 1

period, 4000 over 5 years)

-       Reduction in MMR (Maternal Mortality Ratio):The number of maternal deaths

per 100,000 live birth. (5% in year 1, 25% over 5 years)

-       Infant mortality rate (IMR): The number of deaths of children under one year

of age per 1000 live births. (5% in year 1, 25% over 5 years)

In addition to the indicators listed above, we will be tracking and collecting data on the most common pregnancy related complications that mothers in rural areas face.

The major complications that account for nearly 75% of all maternal deaths are:

-        severe bleeding

-        infections

-        high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia)

-        complications from delivery

Our trained midwives will collect data on each of the above complications, and this data will serve as an additional indicator in relation to how many pregnancy complications have been averted or alleviated as a result of the 'Afiya' backpack.

The first year of operation will entail repeated testing of our product to ensure that both the hardware and software components of the system serve the purpose of improving availability of maternal health care for rural, nomadic, and IDP women. We will also refine our go to market approach to ensure that the social and commercial aspects of our innovation are optimized. We will continuously test our product amongst our target populations and use the results to reiterate our design. If our analysis reveals that at least 35% of pre- and post-natal women in our pilot region have demand for the health kit.

We will partner with humanitarian agencies and other local NGOs to supply our solar health kits specifically to the IDP camps in which they are already working. As we’ve experienced during the past few years of selling our solar home systems, NGOs make great distribution partners as they are able to buy from us in bulk, and extend the kits to the people who need them most. We will also partner with local government agencies such as the Ministry of Women to conduct maternal health trainings.

We aim to have 4000 active ‘Afiya’ backpacks in the next 5 years which will cover 4 of the 6 regions in Somalia. We aim to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates by 25% in the next five years by simply providing healthcare services to communities who currently have little to no access to healthcare facilities and professionals.  

Somalia has been ravished by decades of civil war, famine and extreme poverty and therefore is a market that poses an extensive risk to any businesses. Our team have all had extensive experience working in Somalia in a health, security and communications environment. This has assisted our team in forming a realistic risk and barriers assessment.

Market entry risks and barriers:

-       Security

-       Affordability of products

-       Trust in our products

-       Privacy regulations

-       Policy regulations

-       Economic regulations

We aim to conduct training workshops on pre- and post-maternal healthcare which will double up as a recruitment exercise for midwives. Once recruited, these midwives will undergo detailed midwifery skills training using the 'Afiya' backpack. These women will pay back the cost of the health pack over time, through a remotely monitored PAY-GO mechanism. This will create income for midwives as they meet the large demand in rural and IDP areas of Somalia.

We will be involving rural and IDP Somali women throughout all phases of design and testing. The information gathered in the pre-market feasibility study that we conducted was sourced by asking rural Somali women about their experiences in maternal health care. Their responses informed the design of our first prototype. As we further refine our overall innovation and approach, we will continue to engage these women through focus groups, research surveys, and direct interviews.

Our innovation entails the collection of sensitive patient health records, we will be implementing a robust data security strategy that ensures the safety of this information. The health information system that will be integrated with our mobile app is of highest health industry standards, ensuring low susceptibility to external breaches and hacks.

We will also include anti-corruption and anti-bribery clauses within contracts that we sign with NGO and government partners, as well as with the midwives who will be administering services through our health kit.

We remote monitoring and location services inbuilt in all our systems to mitigate the risk of non-payment.

Full time: 6 

Part time: 2

Samawat Energy is a female-founded renewable energy company that is providing affordable, off-grid, solar home solutions in Somalia. Utilizing the pay-as-you-go model supported by mobile phones, Samawat is improving livelihoods throughout various regions of Somalia through the provision of affordable, solar power solutions. Based on our successful history in the region, we are well positioned to implement the Samawat ‘Afiya’ project.

The founders are energy, communications and project management experts with over 10 years of experience in the Horn of Africa. 

We have 2 software developers who have been incremental in developed the ‘Afiya’ app.

Our team has one doctor who has over 12 years of experience in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda.

Our part-time staff are software and healthcare professionals who work on testing and advising throughout the design and development phase of ‘Afiya”.

Our team has worked in our target communities – we understand their needs, requirements and culture.

None.

Samawat Energy has designed a prototype of ‘Afiya’, a mobile app plus solar health backpack containing health care tools to support midwives in monitoring pregnancies and administering child births.

Our aim is to provide affordable, quality and accessible healthcare to our target communities in rural and off-grid settings.

Midwives will pay back the cost of the health pack over time, through a remotely monitored PAY-GO mechanism. This will create income for midwives as they meet the large demand in rural and IDP areas of Somalia.

For market entry – we will partner with humanitarian agencies and other local NGOs to supply our solar health kits specifically to the IDP camps in which they are already working. We will also partner with local government agencies such as the Ministry of Women to conduct maternal health trainings.

Samawat Energy will collaborate with local radio stations, community leaders, community influencers and medical centers to promote the ‘Afiya’ within our target communities.

Model:

-       Samawat Energy will make a substantial profit margin from selling the ‘Afiya’ backpack and subscription to the app to medical professionals and medical centers that target rural and off-grid communities.

-       Multi-channel: Direct sales operations, independent local partners and distributors. Local and International NGOs and humanitarian agencies.

-       Money collection made through mobile payments – no transaction costs in Somalia.

-       Maintenance - Formed local partners who will be able to operate under the Samawat flag.

Samawat ‘Afiya’ is need of grants, equity or donations for the first 24-months of operations. Thereafter, revenue will be made from selling the ‘Afiya’ medical backpack and subscription to the app. This will sustain revenue streams in the long term.

Samawat Energy has developed the 'Afiya' app and health backpack to provide healthcare to rural and off-grid areas. We have developed a business model we believe in, designed our prototype and conducted extensive research in our target communities. 

We are applying for Solve to help us with much needed funds for investment, to connect with potential investors and experts within Health Tech and Solar energy. We are also extremely interested in connecting with mentors. 

Samawat 'Afiya' is currently in the prototype and testing phase. As a start-up we need capital to help us grow and implement our solution to our target communities. 

Our solution requires significant finance in the implementation stage - with using our PAYGO system - we understand that it takes a few more years to break even and therefore a larger investment amount is needed in the initial stage of implementation. 

We believe ideas grow and become great with the support of experienced persons, companies, faculties etc. 

We would like to partner with Tech specialists, investors, businesses development advisers and companies. 

Samawat Energy is a female-founded, youth-led renewable energy company that provide female-led households and entrepreneurs with solar home systems and solar-powered cooking stands. Our aim is to empower women with a sustainable source of livelihood and have access to affordable, clean and reliable electricity.

Our new ‘Afiya’ app and health pack was specifically created to prevent the increasing mortality rates of mothers and children in rural and off-grid communities in the Horn of Africa. 

As women we are extremely passionate about creating a world where women have access to healthcare services, facilities and advice without facing stigma, danger or potentially dying as a lack of the services needed.

With this fund – we aim to reduce mortality rates significantly by empowering midwives and trained traditional doulas to provide the much-needed health services to our target communities through the 'Afiya' healthcare backpack and app. Our ‘Afiya’ app will also ensure that a doctor is always a click away in providing life-saving assistance and advice.

‘Afiya’ is a mobile app plus solar health backpack containing health care tools to support midwives in monitoring pregnancies and administering child births. The portable kit is powered by a solar panel plus battery and includes a lantern, blood pressure meter, blood glucose meter, pulse oximeter, thermometer, and body weight scale. The Afiya app will support health workers in rural areas to record their patient’s identities and measure their vitals regardless of network status, as all the data collected will be stored onto an offline data storage system. Upon returning to network/WIFI, all of the data will automatically upload and save onto the cloud. The app will assist health workers and patients in sharing immediate results with medical centers and doctors remotely.

Training is also a crucial component of our intervention as we are targeting low-resource settings where users are not accustomed to new technology and have slower adoption rates. While Somalia is our pilot region, our preliminary market research findings have revealed that our proposed intervention is technologically, socially, and economically relevant across post conflict regions globally. We plan to train hundreds of thousands of women around the world in midwifery and vaccine administration through use of the ‘Afiya’. In addition to pre- and post-natal services, we will train midwives on healthy pregnancy, healthy nutrition, childbirth and postpartum months, as well as family planning, vaccination, breastfeeding, maternal, and infant care. The ‘Afiya’ program will save lives, create jobs, and save money for thousands of rural, nomadic, and IDP communities. 

‘Afiya’ is a mobile app plus solar health backpack containing health care tools to support midwives in monitoring pregnancies and administering child births. The portable kit is powered by a solar panel plus battery and includes a lantern, blood pressure meter, blood glucose meter, pulse oximeter, thermometer, and body weight scale. The Afiya app will support health workers in rural areas to record their patient’s identities and measure their vitals regardless of network status, as all the data collected will be stored onto an offline data storage system. Upon returning to network/WIFI, all of the data will automatically upload and save onto the cloud. The app will assist health workers and patients in sharing immediate results with medical centers and doctors remotely.

Training is also a crucial component of our intervention as we are targeting low-resource settings where users are not accustomed to new technology and have slower adoption rates. While Somalia is our pilot region, our preliminary market research findings have revealed that our proposed intervention is technologically, socially, and economically relevant across post conflict regions globally. We plan to train hundreds of thousands of women around the world in midwifery and vaccine administration through use of the ‘Afiya’. In addition to pre- and post-natal services, we will train midwives on healthy pregnancy, healthy nutrition, childbirth and postpartum months, as well as family planning, vaccination, breastfeeding, maternal, and infant care. The ‘Afiya’ program will save lives, create jobs, and save money for thousands of rural, nomadic, and IDP communities. 

‘Afiya’ is a mobile app plus solar health backpack containing health care tools to support midwives in monitoring pregnancies and administering child births. The portable kit is powered by a solar panel plus battery and includes a lantern, blood pressure meter, blood glucose meter, pulse oximeter, thermometer, and body weight scale. The Afiya app will support health workers in rural areas to record their patient’s identities and measure their vitals regardless of network status, as all the data collected will be stored onto an offline data storage system. Upon returning to network/WIFI, all of the data will automatically upload and save onto the cloud. The app will assist health workers and patients in sharing immediate results with medical centers and doctors remotely.

Training is also a crucial component of our intervention as we are targeting low-resource settings where users are not accustomed to new technology and have slower adoption rates. While Somalia is our pilot region, our preliminary market research findings have revealed that our proposed intervention is technologically, socially, and economically relevant across post conflict regions globally. We plan to train hundreds of thousands of women around the world in midwifery and vaccine administration through use of the ‘Afiya’. In addition to pre- and post-natal services, we will train midwives on healthy pregnancy, healthy nutrition, childbirth and postpartum months, as well as family planning, vaccination, breastfeeding, maternal, and infant care. The ‘Afiya’ program will save lives, create jobs, and save money for thousands of rural, nomadic, and IDP communities. 

‘Afiya’ is a mobile app plus solar health backpack containing health care tools to support midwives in monitoring pregnancies and administering child births. The portable kit is powered by a solar panel plus battery and includes a lantern, blood pressure meter, blood glucose meter, pulse oximeter, thermometer, and body weight scale. The Afiya app will support health workers in rural areas to record their patient’s identities and measure their vitals regardless of network status, as all the data collected will be stored onto an offline data storage system. Upon returning to network/WIFI, all of the data will automatically upload and save onto the cloud. The app will assist health workers and patients in sharing immediate results with medical centers and doctors remotely.

Training is also a crucial component of our intervention as we are targeting low-resource settings where users are not accustomed to new technology and have slower adoption rates. While Somalia is our pilot region, our preliminary market research findings have revealed that our proposed intervention is technologically, socially, and economically relevant across post conflict regions globally. We plan to train hundreds of thousands of women around the world in midwifery and vaccine administration through use of the ‘Afiya’. In addition to pre- and post-natal services, we will train midwives on healthy pregnancy, healthy nutrition, childbirth and postpartum months, as well as family planning, vaccination, breastfeeding, maternal, and infant care. The ‘Afiya’ program will save lives, create jobs, and save money for thousands of rural, nomadic, and IDP communities.