HelpMum Africa

Vaxsocial initiative awards 12 million dollars funding to HelpMum Africa and 6 other global organization We are excited to announce that HelpMum Africa and The Behavioural Insights Team is among the 7 global organization that will receive funding totalling 12 million dollars grant from Advancing Health Online and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as part of their new VaxSocial initiative. HelpMum Africa, an African provider of award-winning digital Innovations in maternal and infant healthcare is partnering with The Behavioural Insights Team, a world leader on behavioral science and rigorous evaluation to deliver this project. The partnership will design, implement and evaluate social media interventions across several Nigerian states. This will involve developing a new behavioural and AI-informed WhatsApp vaccination chatbot, based on HelpMum’s existing work. The effectiveness of the intervention will be tested in a large field randomized controlled trial. The Vaxsocial initiative aims to explore the role of innovative social media, AI and behavioral change interventions in helping to build confidence around routine vaccination in India, Indonesia and Nigeria, countries with some of the highest vaccination gaps. Full announcement from Vaxsocial https://lnkd.in/dKPNNNFU

Happy International Day of the Girl Child! Today, we reaffirm our commitment to promoting the health and well-being of young girls. HelpMum is devoted to ensuring that every young girl has access to vital vaccinations and accurate information to safeguard their futures and help them thrive. By prioritizing their health now, we are paving the way for a brighter tomorrow for generations to come. Let’s empower our girls to dream big and reach their full potential!  #InternationalDayOfTheGirlChild #HelpMum #VaccinesForGirls"

Last week, the HelpMum Africa Team spent the entire day at HelpMum Africa HQ Lagos interacting with one of our funders( Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance) from Geneva, Switzerland, discussing some of the exciting AI innovations we are developing with their funding support, and planning the next phase of our collaboration for the important work we are doing on Vaxsocial in partnership with The Behavioural Insights Team We also discussed our methodology, such as the open source strategy for our AI innovations. At HelpMum Africa, we have developed an open-source AI innovation strategy to foster collaboration with developers and organizations around the world to use our technology to improve maternal and infant healthcare in their respective countries/communities, as well as to help us scale our innovations with massive impact.

HelpMum Africa wins Meta AI Innovation Grant Award. Thrilled to share that HelpMum Africa has been announced as one of the winners of the Meta LIama Innovation grant award, at the Concordia summit that took place today in New York during the UN General Assembly. HelpMum Africa will receive grant funding and support from Meta as part of the prize of winning the Meta LIama innovation grant award. We are thrilled to announce that our innovative AI open-source model (HelpMum Vax Llama) has been specifically selected as one of Meta’s Llama Impact Innovation grant winners. Meta created the Llama Impact grant to identify and support organizations and institutions that are already using their open-source AI solution (Llama 2 or 3) to address critical challenges. Since 2021, HelpMum Africa has been investing heavily in the development of innovative AI solutions to improve maternal and infant healthcare worldwide. Our most notable AI innovations include HelpMum AI Innovation (ADVISER), HelpMum Vax-LIama, HelpMum MamaBot Llama, and HelpMum MamaBot AI etc, some of which are open source. As Meta believes, open sourcing is essential to democratizing the benefits of this technology on a large scale. HelpMum is appreciative of Meta’s amazing recognition and support during this crucial phase of our development of Impact AI innovations, which will improve maternal and newborn healthcare across the globe. Meta

The HelpMum Vax-Llama model is an open-source model designed to offer accurate and reliable information about vaccinations. Developed by HelpMum, it uses advanced natural language processing (NLP) to respond to vaccination-related questions. The model follows guidelines from trusted health organizations like the CDC, WHO, and UNICEF.  The HelpMum Vax-Llama model was developed using HelpMum’s vast database of real-world vaccination queries and trained with advanced technology to deliver accurate and efficient responses. It is a versatile model that can be used by researchers, health organizations, and developers, it can also be integrated into healthcare systems anywhere in the world. Vax-Llama is now accessible on the Hugging Face Hub, allowing seamless integration into various health applications and platforms.  Click on this link to download the HelpMum Vax-Llama model to get started-https://HelpMumHQ/vax-llama-1

Immunization is one of the most effective public health interventions to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality. It is a key strategy for disease control and is widely regarded as the most cost-effective health measure. Immunization has improved the health of millions of children globally, eased the burden on parents, and significantly lowered child mortality rates. Despite these benefits, challenges such as vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, and limited access in some areas continue to hinder full immunization coverage. HelpMum is addressing immunization challenges in Jigawa State by integrating our digital innovations—HelpMum Vaccination Tracker, HelpMum ADVISER, and the HelpMum Chatbot—into the Jigawa state healthcare system. These tools provide accurate vaccine information, combat myths, and help nursing mothers overcome immunization uptake barriers, ensuring timely immunization for every child. This week, our Jigawa State officer visited different primary health centers in Jigawa state to introduce health workers and nursing mothers to the HelpMum Vaccination Tracker, HelpMum Chatbot, and HelpMum ADVISER. She led informative sessions aimed at acquainting health workers and mothers with the functionalities of our innovations.  She also pasted our posters containing two bar codes that make accessing our HelpMum Chatbot and HelpMum vaccination tracker app easier. The goal is to equip health workers and mothers with the knowledge needed to effectively use these innovations, ensuring they can seamlessly track and manage children's immunization schedules. #vaccination #infanthealth #childhoodvaccine #vaccinationtracker #helpmum #immunization #publichealth #outreach #immunization #childhealth

Launch of HelpMum Africa MamaBot Llama (HelpMum's latest Open-Source AI model for maternal and child healthcare) Today, we are excited to announce the release of our second open source AI model, HelpMum Africa MamaBot Llama. HelpMum Africa MamaBot Llama is an open AI model that anyone (developers, organizations, researchers, etc.) can finetune, build on, and integrate into their own healthcare system from any country in the world (whether Nigeria, Ghana, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, france, USA etc). In collaboration with our healthcare expert and our AI Researcher, we developed and fine-tuned the HelpMum Africa MamaBot Llama open source AI model on Meta's latest LIama 3.1 model using HelpMum-curated data on maternal and child healthcare. At HelpMum Africa, we are committed to providing access to the most recent innovations in maternal and infant healthcare, allowing developers all over the world to accelerate the development of amazing maternal innovations and researchers all over the world to accelerate medical research in maternal healthcare using our newly released open source AI model HelpMum Africa MamaBot Llama. You can find comprehensive details on how to download, use, finetune and integrate our latest open-source AI model (HelpMum Africa MamaBot LIama), no matter where you are in the world using the link below https://lnkd.in/dm8-4DXY

Your trusted pregnancy companion on HelpMum Chatbot is here to support you every step of the way, offering personalized guidance and information to make your journey to motherhood smooth and joyful. Whether you need expert advice, tips for each stage of pregnancy, or simply a comforting message, the HelpMum Mamabot is here for you. Our service delivers reliable answers and care right at your fingertips. What are you waiting for? Click on this link to get started- https://wa.me/12029799146

Unimmunized children are at greater risk of illness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, and measles. Immunization plays a crucial role in ensuring children's health, allowing them to grow, play, and learn. However, challenges like misconceptions about vaccines, distance, and security issues hinder vaccine coverage in Katsina State. In response to boosting vaccine coverage, it is imperative that governments and other stakeholders work together to improve immunization rates and protect children's well-being. In partnership with the Katsina state government and community health workers, we have identified areas with low immunization rates in Katsina State, allowing us to target specific communities for intervention. This week, our Katsina State officer and a nurse visited the Kofar Arewa Batagarawa Local Government Area to vaccinate children who missed or required immunizations. This community has low vaccine uptake due to misconceptions among some nursing mothers, often driven by a lack of information about vaccine safety and benefits. During the visit, our team educated nursing mothers and fathers about the benefits of vaccines, dispelling the myths and misconceptions they have about immunization. #bridginggap  #childhoodvaccination  #vaccination #vaccineswork #HelpMumAfrica  #VaccineInterventions #Healthcare #Africa #SDG3

Last month, HelpMum Africa, in collaboration with the Behavioural Insights Team, conducted a Facebook user testing session as part of the social media trial funded by VaxSocial. The objective of this user testing was to assess user perceptions on a proposed social media content intended for use in social media advertisements within the trial. This session provided critical insights into the types of content that are most likely to encourage nursing mothers to engage with links directing them to the HelpMum Chatbot, with the ultimate goal of enhancing timely vaccination uptake.