Emmanuel OyierGoogle.org and Jacaranda Health are teaming up to revolutionize maternal health in Kenya and the region. In a recent announcement, they unveiled the Google.org Fellowship, an initiative aimed at leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support maternal health in low-resourced communities.
The Google.org Fellowship is a pro bono program that pairs Google employees with nonprofits and civic entities for technical projects, furthering their impact on society.
Starting this month, six Google technical experts will embark on a six-month program to apply their skills in research, machine learning, and software engineering to tackle AI challenges in real-world scenarios such as maternal deaths in Kenya that are mainly caused by delays by mothers to seek care while pregnant.
This partnership is a shot in the arm for the advancement of AI technologies in the country and Sub-Saharan Africa as it is one of the few attempts to develop and deploy AI language that local teams across Africa can easily customize to their specific contexts and needs.
Earlier grant to save mother’s lives
The Fellowship builds on a recent $1.4 million grant from Google.org to Jacaranda Health.
Through the grant, Jacaranda has developed a digital health platform, PROMPTS, that utilizes generative AI to engage and provide personalized support to new and expecting mothers across Kenya via SMS, ensuring that every mother receives the right information and support during and after pregnancy.
Mothers routinely receive information about what danger signs to look for during and after pregnancy, like bleeding, headaches, or swelling, as well as milestone messages to track the safe development of their baby.
Flagged cases are connected to a clinical helpdesk agent and referred to the right support – whether facility-based care or a pre-vetted local counsellor.
Scaling up the innovation
Building on this success, Jacaranda has developed new open-source models that not only pave the way for scaling PROMPTS across Africa but also offer insights for other organizations looking to enhance their own AI-driven services.
Over the next six months, the six Fellows will collaborate with Jacaranda's teams to enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and scalability of their technology. This includes exploring how AI and large datasets can offer personalized support for high-risk mothers and babies, addressing biases in language models, and developing frameworks to adapt PROMPTS to new contexts rapidly.
Jay Patel, Director of Technology at Jacaranda Health, expressed gratitude for Google's support, emphasizing how it will significantly improve maternal and newborn health outcomes through AI.
“The work we have planned with support from these Fellows will give us the springboard to significantly improve maternal and newborn health outcomes through the power of AI, and push the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare,” he said.
Agnes Gathaiya, Google's Country Director for East Africa, highlighted the importance of providing mothers with the support they need during pregnancy. She emphasized Google's pride in supporting Jacaranda in developing technical solutions to further their mission.
Google.org, is Google’s philanthropic arm, committed to addressing humanity’s biggest challenges through funding, product donations, and technical expertise.
Jacaranda Health, based in Kenya, partners with local and national governments to deploy scalable solutions that improve the quality of care and outcomes for mothers and babies in the public health system.
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