My project aims to strengthen prenatal healthcare access in East African communities by developing an SMS-based reminder and education system for pregnant women. The long-term goal is to reduce missed prenatal appointments and improve maternal health outcomes by providing automated messages about visit dates, nutrition guidance, and early warning signs. At this stage, we are building the foundation needed for full implementation. I have a team of medical students in Rwanda who are partnering with local hospitals. Together, we are preparing training materials so these students can begin collecting baseline data and patient feedback once official authorization is granted. We are in the process of securing the required local approvals, and until that is finalized, our work focuses on system design, stakeholder coordination, and research preparation.
This early development phase ensures that, once authorized, the program can begin data collection and move toward delivering a fully functional SMS-based maternal health support system to mothers across East Africa.