YAAY

YAAY is a smart maternal health platform that helps detect and monitor high-risk pregnancies in real time, connecting mothers and healthcare workers—even in low-resource settin

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Inspiration

Maternal mortality remains a preventable tragedy in many low-resource settings. In many communities, pregnant women are not consistently monitored, and critical warning signs are often detected too late.

We were inspired by real-life scenarios where mothers—like Fatou—face barriers such as illiteracy, limited access to healthcare, and lack of continuous follow-up. At the same time, community health workers are overwhelmed and lack simple tools to prioritize high-risk cases.

YAAY was born from a simple idea: no mother should go through pregnancy without support, visibility, and timely care.

What it does

YAAY is a smart maternal health platform designed to monitor pregnancies, detect risks early, and connect mothers with healthcare workers in real time.

It provides:

  • A mobile app for mothers with simple tracking, reminders, and audio guidance in local languages
  • A tool for midwives and community health workers to monitor patients, assess risk levels, and receive alerts
  • A QR-based health card system that allows instant access to a patient’s history
  • A risk detection system that flags high-risk pregnancies (green / orange / red)
  • A real-time alert system for critical situations

YAAY works even in low-connectivity environments and is designed for accessibility and real-world conditions.

How we built it

We built YAAY as a modular system combining mobile and web technologies:

  • Mobile apps for mothers and healthcare workers (designed for simplicity and offline usage)
  • Backend system to manage patient data, risk scoring, and synchronization
  • QR code system for instant patient identification and access to medical history
  • Rule-based risk engine to detect early warning signs (e.g. blood pressure, medical history, pregnancy conditions)

The system is designed to scale from community-level usage to district and national health systems, with compatibility for public health data platforms.

Challenges we ran into

  • Designing for low literacy: we had to rethink UX using audio, icons, and minimal text
  • Offline-first architecture: ensuring the app works without stable internet
  • Balancing simplicity and medical relevance: keeping the interface usable while still meaningful for healthcare workers
  • Data sensitivity: integrating privacy, consent, and secure data handling from the start

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Creating a complete, end-to-end maternal health system, not just a standalone app
  • Designing a solution that is deeply adapted to local realities (language, infrastructure, usage patterns)
  • Building a clear and intuitive risk visualization system for healthcare workers
  • Delivering a concept that bridges technology, public health, and social impact

What we learned

  • Technology alone is not enough—usability and context matter more than complexity
  • The most impactful solutions are those that empower frontline workers, not replace them
  • Designing for constraint (low connectivity, low literacy) leads to better, more inclusive products
  • Clear problem focus is more powerful than adding more features

What's next for YAAY

Next steps include:

  • Integrating a more advanced AI-based risk prediction model
  • Expanding support for multiple local languages and voice interactions
  • Piloting YAAY with community health workers and local clinics
  • Integrating with national systems (e.g. health data platforms)
  • Exploring wearable/NFC integration for faster identification in emergencies

Our vision is to make YAAY a scalable digital health infrastructure that helps reduce preventable maternal deaths across underserved regions.

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