Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Mamakiba can help teach the value of budget planning and provide lifesaving care for women and their families. Its main track is a patient-facing SMS savings calculator and prepayment tracking tool specifically designed to help low-income women be able to save and prepay for their maternal health needs such as ante-natal care (ANC) and clinical delivery.

The prepayment deposits are “locked-in” towards a specific service and must be met before service is delivered. Only after the service is delivered is the amount deducted from the savings account, unlike a standard prepayment.

Designed and developed by Multiple Choices Labs, Mamakiba is the mobile application of Jacaranda Health--a startup social venture for maternal health based in Nairobi. The program targets pregnant women in peri-urban areas who have cell phones linked to M-PESA (a mobile money transfer service) accounts. These women are saving for their pregnancy but cannot afford expensive services at premiere hospitals and thus, desire an alternative to government hospitals where long waits and poor customer service are key issues. The customer registers at the Jacaranda Health clinics during her first visit by opening an electronic medical record, which simultaneously registers her for Mamakiba should she wish to join. After she opts into Mamakiba, the savings calculator estimates two amounts a) the total amount she needs to save for the selected bundled service and b) the minimum amount she needs to deposit to savings prior to the next ANC visit. Once a clinical service is delivered to the customer, the amount is deducted from her savings account.

Mamakiba was one of the winners in the first Apps4Africa competition, which brought together East African technology entrepreneurs to build tools that serve the needs of local Non-Governmental Organizations and their communities.