Data for Local Impact Innovation Challenge selects winning innovators to tackle health challenges in Tanzania
Over the past decade, the Tanzanian Government has made good progress in opening up data to provide greater transparency and to enable programmatic effectiveness, but there is an opportunity to more meaningfully involve and build the capacity of the technical community to use this information to address national priorities.
Twelve local innovators have been awarded grants to implement data-focused health solutions in Tanzania through the Data for Local Impact Innovation Challenge (DLIIC) funded by the U.S. Government’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). These entrepreneurs will receive awards ranging from 7,000 to 25,000 USD, and technical and mentoring support to implement a variety of community-based solutions. Winning proposals include solutions aimed at helping citizens remotely access health service information, decrease school absenteeism of young women and girls caused by health challenges, enable information sharing on the quality of health services, and increase citizen use of Tanzanian Government data (Health Facilities Register or HFR). The winning proposals, listed by team leader’s name according to their proposal’s theme, are as follows:
Access to Quality Health Care and Information
- Jackson Machael Ilangali
- Musa Sendama Kamata
- Bukhary Haruna Kibonajoro
- Rahim Abas Kiobya
- George Elly Matto
- Mohammad Abdulghany Himidi Msoma
Feedback from the Community
- Steven Edward Mangowi
- Rachel Samuel Nungu
Empowering Citizens
- Lulu Said Ameir
- Rose Peter Funja
- Jonathan Manyama Kifunda
- Josephat Geofrey Mandara
The twelve proposals were selected out of 129 applications, and underwent review by an independent jury of Tanzanian entrepreneurial, innovation and health experts based on their potential to improve either the supply or demand for data. The proposals were required to either produce or use open data sets, be operational within three months, and focus on issues facing youth, young women and marginalized communities. The solutions were also required to target at least one of the 84 districts that are considered priorities under the PEPFAR 2017 Tanzanian Country Operational Plan (COP), which was developed in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania.
“The Data for Local Impact Innovation Challenge aims to engage, support, and connect Tanzanian innovators, developers, and solution providers to each other as well as to opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Agapiti Manday, DLIIC’s Program Manager.
The DLIIC is strategically organized to actively engage youth, sharpen their data use and data science capabilities, and contribute to PEPFAR’s goal of greater participation of national citizens in controlling, and ultimately ending, the AIDS epidemic.
The winners will start their mentorship and training the first week of March 2017, and will work on implementing their projects over 3-6 months. They will be part of an entrepreneurial program that will enhance their practical project management skills, business acumen, and data science capabilities. Most importantly, these winning innovators will be spearheading meaningful solutions in their communities to impact in the lives of Tanzanians.
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