The Community Tablet Uniting Communities & Saving Lives in Africa

At the end of every episode of this podcast, I say that technology works best when it brings people together. But Dayn Amade is using technology to unite communities in Mozambique to save lives. I felt compelled to learn more about his inspirational story and the difference he is making with the Tablet Comunitario (Community Tablet).

An African solution to an African problem, the Tablet Comunitario (Community Tablet) is the first digital school, which runs on four to six large LCD screens, powered by solar panels transported by a trailer (which can be attached to anything – from a motor vehicle to a donkey).

The main objective of the project is to bring the Community Tablet to all Ebola and promote digital inclusion. by Empowering rural communities with digital education. The technology is enabling the team to tackle real problems, uniting communities and save lives. It’s doing all that and more. But, I wanted to find out more about the very human story behind the technology.

In recent weeks Ebola has once again been making headlines, with Congo struggling to deal with the latest wave of the disease, and Western NGOs pledging new funding to battle the problem. Dayn Amade says aid efforts are being hindered by the fact that people don’t even believe Ebola exists, so the most important thing to focus on is educating communities about the problem.

The Community Tablet has also enabled teenagers to learn about the importance of contraceptive methods and HIV prevention through its tailored contraceptive education video lessons. After all video lessons and conference calls with contraceptive counselors were delivered, students were able to test their level of understanding through a quiz installed in the Community Tablet.

I invited Dayn onto my tech podcast to discuss why a new digital approach can help increase understanding. I also learn how it is helping overcome issues of ‘otherness’ and trust using animation and video while engaging people so they are aware of the risks and how to protect themselves. For example, The Community Tablet was able to reduce cholera cases by 60% in just 4 months.

We also talk about the importance of closing the loop by providing health services such as the administration of vaccines or the taking of blood samples. Dayn reveals how they are creating digital health identities for those in rural communities, producing data cards to track vaccine history from person to person, record personal data. He also explains how this big data can help to identify trends and be used in wider campaigns

I walked away from today’s conversation inspired by how this solar-powered Commnunity Tablet is providing digital inclusion and how the digital literacy platform is empowering rural communities with digital skills while bridging the digital divide.

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