GiftedMom

As a doctor in Cameroon, the biggest battle Conrad Tankou has to face is maternal and infant mortality. Working with developer Alain Nteff, he is hoping to tackle the issue using technology. “Our research showed that education was the main problem,” says Alain. “We saw mobile as a good channel, due to its penetration, and decided to start GiftedMom.” Their app provides basic and simplified information about pregnancy, breastfeeding and child vaccination, to support expectant mothers and those who already have children. “The beginning was a real adventure. But when we started testing the app, everyone who used it wanted to have it,” says Conrad. Developing on the Android platform, Alain and Conrad worked to ensure GiftedMom was lightweight enough to be easily downloadable in rural areas. The app also provides content offline. GiftedMom is now starting to make a real difference in rural communities across Cameroon. “With smartphone penetration, we can actually provide people with lifesaving information,” says Alain. “70% of smartphone users in Africa are on Android. I want to leverage this to have five million users across the continent in the next three years.” After a successful launch on Google Play, Conrad is hoping they can take GiftedMom even further. “Infant mortality is a worldwide problem. We want to spread the GiftedMom concept to other developing countries.”

70% of smartphone users in Africa are on Android. I want to leverage this to have five million users across the continent in the next three years.

Alain Nteff, Co-Founder and Developer, GiftedMom