Actively working to reinforce the fight against malaria in Congo
Main beneficiary country:Congo - Brazzaville
FONGWAMA
Fongwama, which means ‘to become open to’ in Lingala, is the Congolese platform for free software development. This association, an initiative of the Fondation ECAir and the Skepsos firm, joined forces with the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research (FCRM) and the Azur Foundation to develop mobile applications to help fight malaria. The community pools its skills to provide new, royalty-free solutions. Fongwama organises and hosts events (such as the HealthHack) to give everyone the chance to become open to a new way of thinking, sharing and, above all, using their knowledge and skills to serve others.
Sector: Organizational: Communities, public authorities, NGOs, associations, foundations, etc.
Country of origin: Congo - Brazzaville
Healthcare themes targeted
Stage of development:
Area where initiative is utilised
Initiative start date
Financing method
Economic model(s)
Problems to be solved:
DensiPara makes it possible to avoid lab-technician errors in calculating parasitic density and to archive information (in compliance with WHO standards).
EduPalu provides access to information for malaria prevention (clear, easy-access information); it also uses edutainment (parasite hunt) and supports access to care (geolocation of pharmacies).
Facilitate information access through mobile phone use: The Fongwama web platform develops and publishes open-source applications, available for free, permanent download by anyone. The Fongwama platform is made possible by a Congolese free-software community.
Fongwama supports the fight against malaria by using digital technologies to: • Raise awareness and inform the public. • Collect data. • Support research in the fight against malaria.
Two applications have been developed as part of this initiative:
1. The EduPalu application is designed for the entire population, providing: § Clear information on malaria in the Congo. § ‘Basic’ training, in edutainment style, in what the disease is: quiz, parasite hunt. § Help in locating health clinics and pharmacies.
2. The DensiPara application makes it possible to calculate parasite density (estimating the plasmodial load) in an individual infected with malaria. This application is made available to laboratory technicians and is useful for diagnosing malaria by microscopy.
Health professional training - Information, education and communication for behaviour change (IEC) - Geolocation of healthcare centres and pharmacies
500 Number of beneficiaries since launch
Yes
Yes
No
No
Organizational: Communities, public authorities, NGOs, associations, foundations, etc.
Industrial: Startups, enterprises, etc.
Health: Healthcare professionals and structures
Industrial: Startups, enterprises, etc.
eHEALTH APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN
How does one compete for the Observatory Awards ?
The project sponsors can apply to compete for the Observatory Awards: http://www.odess.io/suggest-an-initiative.html
An expert panel will study the submitted projects and winners will be invited to the 2020 Conference, at the Fondation Pierre Fabre’s headquarters (Lavaur, France), to accept their prize.
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