What is the name of your organization?
The Antara Foundation
What is the name of your solution?
Akshita Didi
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
A digital health companion using AI, microlearning, and WhatsApp to boost CHW capacity and empower mothers with timely, contextual support
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
New Delhi, Delhi, India
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
India
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
The problem we are trying to solve at scale is of high levels of maternal and child mortality and morbidity, including childhood malnutrition in Madhya Pradesh (MP) in India. This is India’s third largest state by population (88 million, including a large Indigenous People (IP) population, 15% of India’s total). The state’s health indicators are significantly higher than the national average, the state is making progress at half the rate of India, and it is currently off-track to meet SDG targets. Rural women and children, especially in IP bear the brunt of these challenges. Community health workers (CHWs) are doing their best, but they’re often unsupported - juggling paper registers, outdated training, and no real-time help when they need to make critical decisions. Mothers, too, are navigating pregnancy and early motherhood with access to limited information - especially in tribal and rural areas where literacy and connectivity are still barriers. The challenge is not just one of access - it’s one of timing, relevance, and support. A real opportunity lies in transforming technology into a trusted, everyday companion for health workers and mothers alike.
What is your solution?
Akshita Didi [Didi meaning elder sister in Hindi], is a digital health companion that delivers personalized, easy-to-understand maternal and child health nutrition (MNCHN) guidance to community health workers (CHWs) and mothers. It uses AI to provide timely, relevant support in local languages, tailored to each user’s needs and pace. For CHWs, Akshita Didi offers on-demand, role-specific advice aligned with national protocols, helping them handle real-world field challenges with confidence. It replaces outdated manuals with smart, interactive tools that adapt to various situations. For mothers, it shares stage-specific information during pregnancy and early motherhood through engaging voice messages and local storytelling, encouraging trust and better health decisions. Users can also ask health-related questions and get real-time, verified answers. Designed for areas with low connectivity and limited literacy, the platform runs smoothly even in resource-constrained settings. Scalable and inclusive, Akshita Didi transforms MNCHN knowledge into practical action, making healthcare more accessible and effective for millions of families across India.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Akshita Didi serves two core groups: community health workers (CHWs) and mothers in underserved, rural, and tribal areas, with high maternal and child health burdens.
For CHWs, Akshita Didi offers AI-powered microlearning, real-time decision support, and simplified workflows - enabling them to deliver more confident, accurate, and timely care. It reduces their dependence on outdated training and heavy paper registers by embedding guidance into WhatsApp, a platform they already use. This strengthens their capacity and morale, directly improving service delivery quality.
For mothers, especially first-time and low-literacy users, Akshita Didi provides personalized, voice-enabled health education aligned with their pregnancy and early motherhood journey. It helps them recognize warning signs, access timely care, and make informed decisions - improving both maternal and newborn health outcomes.
Over time, this will contribute to reduced maternal and infant mortality, better adherence to protocols, and stronger public health systems - creating a ripple effect of impact across communities.
