MIT Solve

Solution Overview & Team Lead Details

Solution name.

Zomujo Mental Health

Provide a one-line summary of your solution.

Uber for mental health but free. Providing free, personalized, and confidential mental health services through our trained and certified peer counselors who leverage our AI-powered technology platforms (web and apps).

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

This is a national project. With approximately 17 million internet users in Ghana (• Ghana: number of internet users 2017-2022 | Statista), our technology solution can be accessed by these persons. Relative to the WHO benchmark of 1 psychiatrist per 100,000 population, Ghana’s psychiatrist-to-population ratio is 0.058 per 100,000 population and 0.065 psychologists per 100,000 population (WHO Global Health Observatory Data Repository: Human Resources Data by Country. GHO | By category | Human resources - Data by country (who.int)) In Ghana, about 13 % of the adult population is estimated to be affected by mental health disorders of varying forms. (Oppong et al., 2016). More than half of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment.

Research conducted by Addy et al in 2021 to study mental health issues among school-going adolescents in Ghana reported that qualitatively, financial challenges, spiritual influences, intimate relationships, bullying, and domestic violence were the main contributors to mental health disorders. Coping strategies among the participants included isolation, substance use, and spiritual help. The main school-based support system was the guidance and counseling unit, but there were complaints of it being ineffective due to trust and confidentially issues, and the non-engagement of qualified counselors. (Addy et al., 2021)

Currently, the country has only three centers (Accra psychiatric hospital, Pantang hospital, and Ankaful Hospital) to handle advanced mental health issues, and yet not much has been done to nip these issues in the bud before a referral is required. Mental health remains one of the overlooked aspects of health in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa. This may be due to inadequate government attention, scarcity of mental health services, and low level of knowledge of existing services among many others.

Elevator pitch

What is your solution?

Zomujo is a telehealth startup that provides a wide range of medical services, including mental health. The startup's mental health service, called Joponi, is a free, personalized, and anonymous service that aims to address the issue of mental health among students at universities by identifying early signs and providing support. The service is based on a web and app-based platform where clients can log in, fill out a complaint form, and be referred to one of the peer counsellors for assistance. The peer counsellors are individuals of various age brackets trained by board-certified psychologists and psychiatrists and are meant to bridge the gap of limited certified psychologists and psychiatrists in the country. They are trained to offer professional help and are notified within three minutes to attend to clients when a request is made. The service is free, anonymous and secure, and clients can choose an anonymous name during their enrolment. If a client's case is beyond the scope of the peer counsellors, they can refer the client to clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. The service is accessible to anyone with an internet connection, and there are no service charges or hidden fees.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

This project targets students who are mostly youth studying in universities across the country. Often these youth are at risk of mental health challenges because of academic stress, traumatic events, negative family environment, poverty and lack of proper guidance. Youth-related mental health issues include low self-esteem, perceived incompetence, substance use, community-level/school-level stressful or traumatic events, negative family environment, poverty etc. Addressing mental health problems early in life can lead to decreases in emotional and behavioural problems, functional impairment, and even contact with all forms of law enforcement. It can also lead to improvements in social and behavioural adjustment, learning outcomes, and school performance.

There will be better and healthy relationships with Family and Friends. When teenagers and youth with mental illness develop uncontrollable behaviours, these effects will affect the patient’s relationships and well-being. Great counsellors will help them feel less alone and deal with their feelings better.

Suicide rates amongst the youth related to deteriorating mental health may see a decrease since early pointers will be identified more promptly and adequate interventions instituted too.

Several studies show the gender disparity exhibited by mental illness where the proportion of females experiencing mental health issues exceeds that of males. Considering that the university of Ghana for example has a female-to-male ratio of 51:49 with a student population of over 50,000 this mental health initiative stands to benefit a significant number of females. Improved access to mental health will increase productivity in school and the workplace.

Only one research so far has been done in the country to assess the barriers to addressing mental health issues in childbearing women in Ghana, some of the barriers found were heavy workload, fears and lack of health facilities. (Adjorlolo & Aziato, 2020)

Females in tertiary institutions are expected to excel as much as their male colleagues. In universities, almost all females fall into the bracket of women in fertility age (WIFA), the female reproductive span is relatively short and for this reason, some women need to attend school while having children. Such women are faced with the double burden of academia and motherhood and this greatly affects their mental health. A woman should not be deprived of education just because she is pregnant, emotionally drained and does not have access to proper mental healthcare.

In some male-dominated courses such as engineering, one may expect a sense of pride among females enrolled in such courses. However, on the contrary, negative comments from an unjust populace may be extremely discouraging and affect the woman’s mental health. The woman stands therefore to greatly benefit from this project.

The young coping with her reproductive cycle and sexuality will receive professional help from trained peer counsellors instead of following negative influences on other social media platforms.

How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?

Considering the scope of the Zomujo project we believe our team, while very youthful, is well equipped in the aspects of finance, health, research, communications and technology that are relevant for the excellent delivery of our services. The team has personal with extensive expertise in healthcare delivery. This team also comprises of personnel that have consulted for financial firms across continents, personnel that have led huge health awareness program, and health data science savvy researchers.

Our Project Director, Dr. Teata Duut, is a medical doctor and public health practitioner who has been involved in healthcare delivery in various levels in the country. He is responsible for overall project management.

Our Finance Officer, Edwin Edem Abini, is a chartered accountant (ACCA) and a graduate holding a first class honours degree in Mathematics and Finance. He has worked with various firms like Ernst &Young.

Frank Erzoah-Cudjoe, our Research Officer is a data scientist focusing on health. Frank has worked with various mental health institutions like mymdoc, Aya and KaraAgro AI.

Dr. Ohenewaa Adjoa Koranteng, our Communications Manager is a medical doctor who has worked on various medical projects across the country like the MoMic Cervical Cancer Awareness Program.

Emmanuel Duut Esq, our Policy Advocate is a lawyer who has consulted for various local and international health organizations.

Kenneth Topp Yankah is a full-stack software engineer who has worked with various social-impact start-ups.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

As a medical student, I experienced firsthand how the demanding academic curriculum can take a heavy toll on students. It was disheartening to lose a dear friend to suicide because of the stress of medical school.

We founded Zomujo because we needed mental health support at some point, but had a hard time actually getting it. And paying for it was an even bigger challenge. Add the lingering stigma attached to mental health, and you're left with a lot of people who either don't—or can't—get the support they need. We want to help change that. After a survey involving 500 students, we realised we had to build a solution to that effect. Feedback from our survey participants were useful in helping us refine the product.

Our platform provides free, accessible and culturally-sensitive mental health peer-counselling services to the student population with the click of a button. With a waiting time of less than 5 minutes, a user is connected to a professionally trained peer counsellor to attend to their personal mental health needs.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Improving healthcare access and health outcomes; and reducing and ultimately eliminating health disparities (Health)

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community

In what city, town, or region is your solution team located?

Accra, Ghana

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Teata Duut