Jul 18, 2019
At the end of every episode of this podcast, I say that technology works best when it brings people together. But Dayn Amade is using technology to unite communities in Mozambique to save lives. I felt compelled to learn more about his inspirational story.
An African solution to an African problem, the Community Tablet is the first digital school, which runs on four to six large LCD screens, powered by solar panels transported by a trailer (which can be attached to anything – from a motor vehicle to a donkey).
In recent weeks Ebola has once again been making headlines, with Congo struggling to deal with the latest wave of the disease, and Western NGOs pledging new funding to battle the problem. Dayn Amade says aid efforts are being hindered by the fact that people don’t even believe Ebola exists, so the most important thing to focus on is educating communities about the problem.
I invited Dayn onto my tech podcast to discuss why a new digital approach can help increase understanding. I also learn how it is helping overcome issues of ‘otherness’ and trust using animation and video while engaging people so they are aware of the risks and how to protect themselves. For example, The Community Tablet was able to reduce cholera cases by 60% in just 4 months.
We also talk about the importance of closing the loop by
providing health services such as the administration of vaccines or
the taking of blood samples. Dayn reveals how they are creating
digital health identities for those in rural communities, producing
data cards to track vaccine history from person to person, record
personal data. He also explains how this big data can help to
identify trends and be used in wider campaigns