Heading: Youth and Adolescents “YAhealth” Digital Health Platform
YAhealth is a bilingual (Kinyarwanda and English), user and age-centered (age groups 10-14, 15-19 and 20-24) offline-online MobileApp, Web Application and USSD Code (*411#) that provides youth and adolescent with reliable and trusted SRHR/FP and Mental Health information, connects them to the available services and gives them a room to talk and interact freely with peers or ASRH and Mental Health Experts.
The misconceptions, fear of judgments by the community, families, health workers and peers, lack of awareness on availability of services, affordability, stigma and embarrassment among others, limit the access to sexual and reproductive and mental health information and related services, and it negatively impacts the lives of young people and adolescents. This way, we’ve come up with an innovation to revolutionize youths’ lives. Smart and mobile phones, mobile apps, and the internet are part of most of youth’s life. Referring to this technology, we invented Youth and Adolescent Health “YAhealth” Application, as the new technology in the community to address this predicament challenge.
In addition, the YAhealth App has:
Menstrual Cycle tracking system that helps girls/women to track and predict their next menstruation and fertile periods, and get notified prior to each of these periods. This then contributes to a proper menstrual hygiene management and prevention of teenage/unwanted pregnancies.
Self- Mental Health Status Screening System with a mix of standardized questions set by WHO on distinguished mental health disorders facing young people, for early and easy detection.
Private Chat which helps young people to chat with ASRHR/FP and Mental Health experts in a youth-friendly and confidential way
Discussion Forum that offers a safe space to openly and freely talk and interact with fellow peers in a youth-friendly, private and confidential environment. This reduces stigma and embarrassment, and isolation, discrimination, anxiety and depression that may arise from loneliness and other factors.
Service Location Tracker which helps the young people to locate the service delivery points including Health centers, Hospitals and Isange One-Stop Center, clinics, youth-friendly centers and corners, and condom kiosks on the map.
Gamified Quizzes which helps young people to assess their level of skills in regards to SRHR/FP and mental health
This Application aims at creating a rapid demand and increasing awareness and uptake of Family Planning/Sexual and Reproductive and Mental Health services amongst youth and adolescents.
You can access the YAhealth Application through the below links:
- YAhealth App for Android
- YAhealth App for IOS
- YAhealth web link