2024 Winners: HealthMate Kaduna Transforms Rural Healthcare
Team HealthMate
Federal Government College Kwali
Health & Nutrition
HealthMate Kaduna
4 Members
A mobile platform providing accessible health information and connecting rural communities with healthcare services.
The Team
Team HealthMate consists of 4 talented young women from Federal Government College Kwali:
- Amina Yusuf Bello
- Hauwa Suleiman Danladi
- Maryam Kabir Usman
- Bilkisu Aliyu Mohammed
The Challenge
Rural communities in Kaduna State face severe healthcare access challenges. Many residents must travel for hours to reach the nearest clinic, lack reliable health information, and often rely on traditional remedies for treatable conditions. Maternal and child health outcomes are particularly concerning, with preventable deaths occurring due to delayed care. The team's own experiences with family members struggling to access healthcare inspired them to find a technological solution.
The Solution
HealthMate provides health tips and educational content in Hausa, Fulfulde, and English, helping users understand symptoms and when to seek medical care. The app includes a clinic finder with GPS directions and operating hours, medication reminders for chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, a maternal health tracker for pregnant women with milestone reminders, and a telemedicine feature connecting users with volunteer healthcare workers for basic consultations. The app works offline in areas with limited connectivity.
Prizes Won
- $60,000 Clarkson University undergraduate scholarship for each team member ($240,000 total)
- N1,000,000 cash prize for the team
- Gold medals for each team member
- Partnership opportunity with Kaduna State Ministry of Health
- Feature in international health technology publications
Impact
- Over 2,000 clinic visits facilitated through the app
- Piloted in partnership with Kaduna State Ministry of Health
- Deployed across 10 local government areas
- Credited with improving health-seeking behavior in pilot communities
- 300+ pregnant women using the maternal health tracker
“Our mothers and grandmothers inspired us to build something that could help women in our community access healthcare. We saw too many preventable tragedies and knew technology could help save lives. The scholarship has given us the opportunity to gain the skills we need to make an even bigger impact.”
— Amina Yusuf Bello, Team Lead
Where Are They Now?
All four team members are currently in their first year at Clarkson University in New York, pursuing degrees in Computer Science and Public Health. They continue to develop HealthMate remotely with a team of volunteers in Kaduna. The app is scheduled for statewide deployment in 2025, with plans to expand to neighboring states. The team regularly speaks at conferences about using technology to address healthcare disparities.
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