NeuroSolve

Depression and anxiety are prevalent mental health disorders that significantly impact the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting over 270 million people globally and anxiety affecting over 260 million people in the world with both disorders affecting more women than men globally (It is important to note that this number may be an underestimate; many people may not seek treatment or formally diagnosed with depression). Our solution is working to solve the problem of depression and anxiety among youths, particularly in underserved communities like the ones in Nigeria (the country with the most cases of depression and anxiety in Africa).

In Nigeria, depression and anxiety is affecting about 7 million people, out of about 60 million people suffering from mental illnesses in Nigeria with only 10% receiving treatment, as reported by the President of Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), Dr. Taiwo Obindo.

Recent studies show that this problem is particularly prevalent among youths globally (with highest rates occuring between ages of 12-25).In Nigeria, youths make up a significant proportion of the population, with approximately 64 million individuals aged between 15 and 35 years. Unfortunately, many of these youths face numerous challenges, including illiteracy, unemployment, stigmatization and culture associated with mental health disorders, and many more challenges which cause a steady increase in the occurrence of clinical depression and anxiety.

 In Nigeria, there are only eight federal neuropsychiatric hospitals and a limited number of mental health professionals available to serve the population. Additionally, cultural beliefs and taboos surrounding mental health prevent many youths from seeking treatment.

The number of incident cases of depression worldwide increased from 172 million in 1990 to 280 million in 2023, representing an increase of 62.79%, with a notable increase in Western sub-Saharan Africa of more than 130.42. According to a study conducted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the prevalence of depression and anxiety increased significantly during the pandemic, with over 60% of respondents reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety.

In conclusion, the problem of depression and anxiety is a silent epidemic that affects millions of people globally, and especially in underserved communities. Currently, there are over about 29 million people in Africa suffering from clinical depression, including 16 million women. Our solution aims to address this problem, by utilizing AI and innovative technology to provide a platform involving accessible, affordable, and personalized mental health services, apt vocational training, and community support, looking out to the most affected underserved public (the youths) struggling with depression and anxiety. We believe that our solution can make a significant impact in reducing the prevalence of these mental health disorders and improving the quality of life of individuals and communities.

The number of smartphone users in Nigeria, is forecast to grow to more than 140 million by 2025; promoting the scalability of our solution even further. 

Our solution is a comprehensive mental health platform/organization that utilizes AI, teletherapy, mobile health units, peer support groups, vocational programs, volunteer services and gamification to provide accessible, personalized, and engaging mental health support to youths experiencing depression and anxiety.

The platform is accessible via a web or mobile app and consists of five key components: awareness/education, assessment, therapy, community, gamification and vocational/entrepreneurship skill acquisition.

Awareness/education: The platform gives an educational experience to the public in two ways; 

1. Offline; Through educational outreaches and use of mobile health units, we are taking our services to schools, homes and other institutions and locations where these users (youths aged 15-26) can be found. 
2. Online; done through our website and social media platforms, and other application softwares providing regular education globally.

Assessment: Users complete a comprehensive mental health assessment upon visiting the platform. This assessment uses machine learning algorithms to identify potential risk factors, provide personalized feedback, and recommend appropriate therapy options.

Therapy: We also offer teletherapy sessions with licensed mental health professionals, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Users can choose their preferred therapist and schedule appointments directly through the software app and our website.

Community: Our platform also includes a community forum where users can connect with others experiencing similar mental health challenges, share experiences, and receive support from peers. This forum is moderated by mental health professionals to ensure a safe and supportive environment online and offline.

Gamification: We also incorporate gamification components that use game-like features and rewards to encourage users to engage in self-care and therapy activities. These include setting and tracking goals, completing mindfulness exercises, and practicing healthy habits.

Vocational/Entrepreneurship Skill Acquisition: After noticing financial unsustainability be the precursor for depression and anxiety amongst most young adults, we have incorporated this crucial step into our services as we provide affected individuals with optimal skill training to build their resilience and hone their active partaking in communal growth.

AI in Corporate partnerships: We also partner with other organizations (governmental and private) to present a platform that utilizes natural language processing (NLP) and sentiment analysis to understand users' emotional states and provide personalized feedback and recommendations. It also integrates with wearable devices to track physical activity and sleep patterns, which are important indicators of mental health in diagnosis. 

Of notable mention in our solution also is our care for the larger mental health spectrum (involving cases like psychosis and dyslexia) and reaching out to the most vulnerable; through our mobile health units as we strive to integrate telemedicine kits to render on site medical care to even people in the most remote of areas, thereby reducing stigma and other barriers such as transportation difficulties in such situations.

We are dedicated to improving the lives of underserved youths who are (15-26 years of age) experiencing depression and anxiety (with our first beachhead being a state in Nigeria; Cross River State)

Through regular researches and/with focus groups, we realized existing mental health services in underserved communities like Cross River work effectively to provide mental health care to depressed individuals through therapy. Although effective to a small number of treated users, this method fails to address the under-root cause of the problem; financial support, leading to a large amount of the small percentage of treated people inevitably go through a problematic cycle of depression/anxiety. After various input from the public/users regarding suggestions, we aim to manage this problem by partnering with local entrepreneurs in bringing technological vocational training suitable to the demographic needs of the youths involved, so they could hone these skills and further take control of their mental health while achieving their potential and developing their resilience and financial capability.

Our proximity to the community helped us observe in addition to financial barriers, the significant challenges brought by illiteracy towards mental health care. Many individuals, particularly in such low-income communities, lack the education and resources necessary to fully understand and manage their mental health. Our organization aims to address this problem by providing accessible, easy-to-understand technological resources and information on mental health, through our online platform that includes informative articles, videos, and other resources that are designed to be easily understood by individuals with limited education. We also partner with organizations to incorporate AI-powered chatbots to provide personalized mental health support and guidance to individuals who may be unable to access therapy due to financial or other barriers.

Through multiple interview sessions with these youths and secondary research, we have noticed the problem of discrimination and stigma, hence we have created an online peer support network where individuals can connect with others who are experiencing similar challenges and receive peer support. We offer group therapy sessions and other social activities that help individuals build relationships and connect with others in a safe and supportive environment. To ensure the effectiveness of these programs, we will use data analytics to track the impact of community support on mental health outcomes.

Finally, to manage the challenge of accessibility, as many individuals are simply unable to access mental healthcare services due to distance, transportation issues, or other factors. We provide a range of services that can be accessed remotely, using technology to connect individuals with mental healthcare resources regardless of their location. We use teletherapy and video conferencing to provide remote therapy sessions, and create mobile mental health apps that provide on-the-go support and guidance. We will also partner with local community organizations to provide in-person support and resources to individuals who may be unable to access our services remotely.

By combining technology and regular user feedback to provide more personalized and tailored services, our solution empowers individuals to take control of their mental health and rise to achieve their potential.

At NeuroSolve, we believe that proximity to the communities we serve is critical to designing and delivering effective solutions for depression and anxiety and mental health in general. Therefore, our team is composed of individuals who have either personally experienced these mental health challenges or have worked closely with individuals who have. Our team members come from diverse backgrounds and possess a range of skills, including psychology, counseling, community organizing, and technology development.

As the Team Lead, I have personal experience with depression and anxiety (lived experiences and my experience working with an organization in helping about 4000 depressed youths here in Nigeria), and I have used my experience to help shape our organization's approach to mental health support. Additionally, our team members have lived (some raised from birth) and worked in the communities we serve, which has given us a deep understanding of the cultural and socioeconomic factors that contribute to depression and anxiety here in these communities.

We understand that designing a solution that works for everyone requires input from the communities we serve. That's why we have engaged in extensive community outreach efforts to understand the needs and experiences of those we are serving. We have held focus groups, conducted surveys, and engaged with mental health professionals, hospitals and community leaders to ensure that our solution is tailored to the specific needs of our target population.

Our solution is not only informed by the input we have received from the communities we serve, but it is also designed to be accessible and user-friendly. We have developed our platform with the goal of reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized members of our communities, including those who may not have access to traditional mental health services, hence our mobile mental health clinics. We have designed our solution to be available in multiple languages and accessible through a variety of devices, including smartphones, laptops, and tablets.

Moreover, our implementation approach involves partnering with local community-based organizations and mental health professionals to ensure that our solution is integrated into existing mental health care systems. This way, our solution can be seamlessly incorporated into the communities we serve, and individuals can access support without feeling stigmatized or isolated.

We have also incorporated a feedback systems for users, to ensure the effective monitoring of user satisfaction. This area gives room for improvement as we understand that some users are still prone to dissatisfaction, the implementation of this system to promote further growth and effectiveness. This data is expertly compiled and analyzed by our team of data analysts integrating AI to perfect our job. 

We believe that our approach will not only be innovative, technologically inclusive, feasible, scalable, and novel, but it will also deliver real, meaningful impact for those who need it most.

We are a relatively new organization, and we are still in the process of developing and implementing our solution. At this point, we are focused on building partnerships with schools, universities, and other organizations that work with young people, in order to achieve our vision.

We are working with a limited number of pilot groups to refine and improve our approach, gather feedback, and assess the effectiveness of our interventions. Our solution is approximately serving about 5000 people (number of youths significantly impacted by our solution). Over time, we aim to scale up our solution to reach a much larger audience, and to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young people struggling with depression and anxiety.

We face a number of significant barriers that we hope to overcome through challenges like this and it's network of opportunities.

One of the such barriers we face is in the necessary funding to expand our operations and reach more individuals in need of mental health support. As an NGO we rely on donations and grants to fund our programs and operations, but unfortunately, we have found that we are frequently disregarded by investors due to our relatively low profile. They typically allocate investment resources to entities with larger networks and established reputations in influential circles, rather than to organizations like ours, regardless of our close proximity to our user base. With regards to this, the challenge can help connect us with potential partners who may be interested in supporting our cause. The provision for non-monetary support, such as mentorship or training, can help us become more effective in securing funding as well.

Another significant barrier we face is the difficulty in accessing key resources due to our lack of connections with established individuals in the technological industry. We face a significant shortage of experts in machine learning development and AI integration. We believe Solve can also help us connect with technical experts in machine learning and AI integration as we may be able to collaborate with individuals or organizations who have expertise in these areas, helping us overcome the shortage of resources.

Additionally, we lack connections with medical experts in other countries, which limits our ability to expand our workforce in telemedicine. This is a particular concern as we believe that telemedicine is an effective way to reach individuals in remote areas who lack access to mental health services. As for this aspect, we believe the challenge may provide opportunities for networking and partnerships as we may be able to connect with individuals or organizations who have expertise in telemedicine and expand our workforce in this area.

Furthermore, we recognize that media engagement and publicity are essential components of reaching new users. Despite our growing reputation in the mental health space, we face challenges in securing media coverage and increasing our visibility. This is particularly challenging as investors often use media coverage and popularity as a yardstick for determining the effectiveness of an organization's work. Regarding this barrier, we believe Solve can help increase our organization's visibility and media engagement. By participating in the challenge, we may gain exposure to a wider audience and attract media attention. Additionally, it may provide opportunities for networking and partnership-building, which can help us increase our visibility and outreach efforts too.

We believe that these barriers although significant, can be overcome as the Solve challenge presents an opportunity for us to connect with partners who share our vision and can help us scale our operations. With the support of Solve and its partners, we are confident that we can leverage technology to improve mental health outcomes for individuals struggling with depression and anxiety.

As stated earlier, Nigeria and communities alike have (for decades) been at the bottom of receiving proper mental healthcare and are in dire need of intervention. By combining people power/collaboration and technology with traditional mental health care, we are addressing the unaddressed and unmet causes of mental health challenges in underdeveloped areas through groundbreaking approaches towards these communities. 

Financial incapability is a significant contributor to depression and anxiety amongst our targeted audience, and by providing vocational training, we are giving our users the opportunity to break free from this cycle. This unique approach has proven the potential to catalyze broader positive impacts from others in this space by highlighting the importance of addressing the social and economic determinants of mental health.

Our implementation of machine learning and AI to provide personalized care is another innovative aspect of our organization. While others have incorporated these technologies into mental health care, we have designed our platform to utilize these tools in innovative ways here in Nigeria; By analyzing data and using algorithms, we can tailor our therapy plans to each individual's specific needs, making our approach more efficient and effective than traditional therapy methods in these communities. This approach is highly scalable and has the potential to change the market for mental health services by demonstrating the efficacy of personalized care.

Telemedicine is another novel aspect of our organization's approach to mental health challenges. We recognize that traditional mental health services is not accessible to many in these communities, and our platform allows users to communicate with mental health professionals in real-time, reducing the waiting time for care and improving overall access. This approach can be implemented across different contexts to improve mental health outcomes. By leveraging technology to provide greater access to mental health care, we are breaking down barriers and increasing equity in this space.

Our focus on targeting specific ages in our audience, specifically youths through AI and related technology, is a highly impactful aspect of our organization's approach. Mental health issues can have a significant impact on a young person's future, and by providing early intervention, we hope to prevent the long-term effects of untreated depression and anxiety. This approach has the potential to change the market for mental health services in Nigeria by emphasizing the importance of early prevention through technology.

Finally, our team's lived experiences with mental health challenges give us a unique perspective that informs our approach. We understand the unique challenges faced by individuals who have traditionally been excluded from mental health care, and we have designed our platform to address these needs. By incorporating lived experiences into our approach, we are making mental health care more accessible and inclusive, potentially inspiring other organizations to adopt a similar approach.

 By incorporating these solutions and building the resilience of our audience, we believe we have successfully launched an impactful approach to solving mental health challenges in Nigeria (and related communities) that can catalyze positive change in the mental health space.

Our impact goals for the next year are to provide accessible and effective mental health resources to at least 250,000 people struggling with depression and anxiety. We plan to achieve this by spreading our website to as many people as we can and also improving massively other areas of your services, such as developing and implementing our AI-powered mental health chatbot that can provide personalized support and guidance to users 24/7. Our chatbot will be integrated into popular messaging platforms and apps and will use natural language processing to understand users' needs and provide appropriate resources and interventions.

Our impact goals for the next five years are to expand our reach and impact to at least 50 million people, both through our online (AI integration, telemedicine, awareness spread, online community) services and through our offline (mobile clinics, counseling, outreach programs and vocational training) services. To achieve this, we will work on improving our technology to provide more personalized and effective support, as well as partnering with community organizations, leaders and healthcare providers across countries to increase awareness and accessibility of mental health resources.

Additionally, we will work on reducing the stigma around mental health and promoting mental wellness as an integral part of overall health and wellbeing. We plan to do this by leveraging social media and other digital platforms to promote awareness and education about mental health, as well as partnering with schools and universities to provide mental health resources and support to students. We also plan to partner with legal bodies and stakeholders to create and implement policies to improve administration and flow of services in the mental health space in these communities. Overall, our goal is to create a world where mental health is prioritized and accessible to everyone who needs it.

We are committed to measuring our progress towards our impact goals using a variety of indicators that help us assess the effectiveness of our programs and interventions. Here are a few specific indicators that we use to measure our progress:

1. Reduction in Symptoms: One of the primary indicators we use to measure our impact is the reduction in depressive and anxious symptoms among our program participants. We use validated assessment tools such as the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale to track changes in symptoms over time.
2. Completion rates: We track the number of individuals who complete our program, as well as the proportion of individuals who drop out before completing the program.
3. Vocational Outcomes: We also track vocational outcomes such as employment rates and job retention among our program participants. This is an important indicator of success for us as we believe that gainful employment can be a significant protective factor against depression and anxiety.
4. Community Engagement: Another key indicator we use to measure our impact is community engagement. We track the number of individuals who participate in our support groups, workshops, and other community-based activities. We also monitor social media engagement and online participation to gauge the reach and impact of our organization.
5. User Feedback: Finally, we solicit regular feedback from our program participants to assess their satisfaction with our services and the extent to which they feel their mental health needs are being met. This feedback is used to inform our program design and ensure that our interventions are responsive to the evolving needs of our target population.

By tracking these indicators, we are able to monitor our progress toward our impact goals and identify areas where we may need to make adjustments to our program.

Input:

1. Short-term: Recruitment of staff with expertise in mental health, technology, and education.
2. Medium-term: Acquisition of funding from government grants, private donors, and corporate partners.
3. Long-term: Development of collaborative partnerships with local mental health professionals, schools, and community organizations.
4. Long-term: Legal advocation for inclusion of mental health care in the legal sector to foster the implementation of mental health services across the country.

Activities:

1. Short-term: Develop a mobile app that uses AI and machine learning to provide personalized mental health support and resources to youth suffering from depression and anxiety.
2. Medium-term: Partner with licensed mental health professionals to offer teletherapy sessions to youth who need more comprehensive support and treatment.
3. Long-term: Establish partnerships with local businesses and organizations to provide hands-on learning opportunities for youth in technology-related fields and launch outreach and recruitment efforts for vocational training programs.

Output:

1. Short-term: Mobile app developed and launched, providing personalized mental health support and resources to youth with depression and anxiety.
2. Medium-term: Teletherapy sessions offered to youth in need of more comprehensive support and treatment.
3. Long-term: Partnerships established with local businesses and organizations to provide hands-on learning opportunities in technology-related fields, and youth enrolled in vocational training programs in technology-related fields.

Outcome:

1.  Short-term: Increased access to mental health support and resources for youth with depression and anxiety.
2.  Medium-term: Improved skills and knowledge in technology-related fields among youth.
3.  Long-term: Reduced stigma surrounding mental health challenges and increased awareness of mental health issues.

Impact:

1.  Short-term: Increased engagement and utilization of mental health resources by youth. 
2.  Medium-term: Improved employability and career opportunities for youth with mental health challenges. Increase in the use of technology to solve health care problems. 
3.  Long-term: Reduction in depression and anxiety rates among youth, improved long-term well-being and resilience, and advancement of a more inclusive and just society.

By implementing these activities in a phased approach, we can create meaningful impact in the lives of youth suffering from depression and anxiety. Our short-term goals focus on the development of key resources such as the mobile app and the recruitment of mental health professionals. Our medium-term goals aim to establish partnerships with industry leaders and to provide hands-on learning opportunities to youth. Our long-term goals aim to reduce stigma surrounding mental health challenges, increase awareness of mental health issues, and promote long-term well-being and resilience among youth. Ultimately, our goal is to empower youth with the skills, knowledge, and support they need to overcome mental health challenges and succeed in the workforce.

Our core technology is an AI-powered platform (in development) and a website that combines therapeutic tools (teletherapy and gamification), vocational training modules, and community support features to provide personalized mental health care to individuals struggling with depression and anxiety.

Our platform aims to utilize natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to analyze the language and tone used by the individual, and then generates personalized recommendations for therapeutic techniques and vocational training modules that are tailored to their specific needs. Our platform also includes community support features, such as peer-to-peer chat forums and support groups, to help individuals connect with others who are going through similar experiences.

We believe that our use of AI technology as our core, will increase our productivity and scalability with a fair amount of ease in providing more personalized and effective mental health care to a greater number of individuals at a lower cost.

We believe that a diverse and inclusive team is essential to creating effective solutions for depression and anxiety among youths.

To ensure diversity within our organization, we have implemented a number of initiatives. Our leadership team consists of individuals from different backgrounds, with varying life experiences and perspectives. We prioritize hiring practices that are inclusive and equitable, and we actively seek out candidates from diverse backgrounds. We also provide regular training and education for our team to ensure that we are aware of and sensitive to the needs of individuals from all backgrounds.

In addition to promoting diversity within our team, we are also committed to creating inclusive solutions for our clients. We recognize that individuals from different backgrounds may have unique needs when it comes to mental health, and we are dedicated to providing personalized solutions that take these needs into account.

To ensure that our solutions are equitable and inclusive, we regularly gather feedback from our clients and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. This allows us to continuously improve our services and ensure that we are meeting the needs of all individuals who seek our support.

We believe that these values are essential to creating effective solutions for depression and anxiety among youths, and we will continue to prioritize them as we grow and develop as an organization.

Customer Segment: 

• Young people aged 15-26 who are struggling with depression and anxiety.

Value Proposition:

• Personalized therapy, vocational training, and community support through an innovative combination of online and offline channels.
• A holistic approach to mental health that addresses both the symptoms and underlying causes of depression and anxiety.

Channels:

• Mobile app and web platform for accessing core services.
• In-person support groups for community support.

Customer Relationships:

• Personalized and responsive support through a range of channels, including email, chat, and phone.
• Ongoing engagement through educational resources and additional services.

Key Activities:

• Providing personalized therapy, vocational training, and community support to young people.
• Developing and improving our technology platforms to ensure a seamless user experience.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with partners, such as healthcare providers and community organizations.

Key Resources:

• Trained therapists and support staff.
• Innovative technology platforms for delivering services and engaging with users.
• Strong partnerships with healthcare providers and community organizations.

Key Partnerships:

• Healthcare providers for referrals and collaborative care.
• Community organizations for outreach and engagement.
• Investors for funding growth and expansion opportunities.

Cost Structure:

• Salaries and wages for staff.
• Technology development and maintenance costs.
• Marketing and advertising expenses.
• Rent and utilities for physical office space.

Revenue Streams:

• Monthly subscription fees for core services, such as personalized therapy, vocational training, and community support.
• Additional revenue from offering personalized coaching, mental health assessments, and educational resources.
• Service contracts with governments and organizations interested in implementing mental health solutions for youths.

To keep our costs low, we will leverage innovative technologies and work with volunteers, interns, and mental health professionals who are passionate about supporting young people struggling with depression and anxiety. Our revenue model is designed to be financially sustainable over the long term by generating revenue through subscription fees, personalized coaching, fundraising events and sponsorship, vocational skill commission, educational resources, and other sources of revenue.

Our marketplace (still in our vertical scaling plans) consists of consumable products like books and clothing, as well as an avenue for internal and external entrepreneurs to market their products in alignment with our services, generates a steady stream of revenue while promoting our mission to the community. We also plan to earn commissions from employment contracts with users who undergo our skillset program and choose to work with us, especially in the digital marketing sector.

We actively seek out grants and donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals to continue our programs and services. Additionally, we intend to hold regular fundraising events such as charity auctions, galas, seminars, and community events to raise money and awareness for our cause.

Membership options are available for those who want to support our mission on an ongoing basis while receiving premium insights and partnerships with us, providing a steady source of income.

Lastly, we plan to secure service contracts with governments and organizations to support growth and expansion opportunities.

As previously stated, our organization faces barriers in securing sponsorships from investors due to our limited reputation as a starting organization. However, we have successfully garnered sustainable donations from the public, as well as commission contracts from our users' employment, which has greatly contributed to our financial sustainability.

An illustrative example of such charitable donations are:

 1. Seed Donation: We received a ₦500,000 seed donation from a local philanthropist, Mr. Ekpo Godsvoice in Calabar which helped us launch our platform and start our programs.

2. Grants: We have also received a ₦200,000 grant from the Reyes Y'Reinas Calabar Foundation, which has enabled us to expand our vocational training programs and offer them to more people.

3. Revenue: Our vocational training programs have generated ₦250,000 in revenue over the past year. We offer a variety of programs, including coding boot camps and healthcare certification courses, which have been popular among both individuals and organizations.

4. Investment Funding: We have raised ₦380,000 in investment funding from some angel investors. This funding has enabled us to hire additional staff and expand our operations, including the launch of our mobile health unit.

5. Collaborations: We have established a collaboration with local businesses that have donated a total of ₦190,000 to support our vocational training programs. This donation has allowed us to provide scholarships to low-income individuals who would not otherwise be able to afford our programs.

In addition to these examples, we have also received support from local volunteers who have provided their time and expertise to help us develop our programs and services.