EMpower AGYW and LBTQUI

During this pandemic, there has additionally been a massive increase in demand for information, as is expected during a time of crisis. This has been further compounded by rumors, and fake news. 

To this end, CMS intends to roll out a mobile-based education platform (formal and informal), where relevant learning materials can be easily and conveniently accessed also ensure availability of information on COVID19 and SRH services and referral services, skill acquisition for Girls or LBTQI Persons. Due to internet accessibility issues, the app focuses on providing both online and offline education services in regions with extractive industries. The content of the model will be developed using human-centered design (HCD).

Our idea will test the hypothesis that the behavior of AGYW and LBQTI will change because the demand for accurate information on SRH, COVID19 and Infection Prevention, and Control (IPC) will be met by contents from trained experts,

AGYW and young LBTQI are not the faces of this pandemic but they risk being among its biggest victims. While they have thankfully been largely spared from the direct effect of the COVID-19 at least to date, the crisis is having a profound effect on their wellbeing. Moreover, the harmful effects of this pandemic will not be distributed equally. They are expected to be most damaging for children in the poorest neighborhoods or vulnerable situations. They are affected by this crisis either by infection with the virus itself; the immediate socioeconomic impacts of measures to stop transmission of the virus and end the pandemic; and the potential longer-term effects of delayed implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The crisis affects children in different ways: education, health, and safety

 Education is critical in Nigeria to avoid reversing progress in the SDGs, given the role of education in tackling multiple development issues. COVID-19 lockdown has caused so many states in Nigeria to imposed State-wide school closures creating a huge gap in learning,

To this end, CMS intends to roll out a mobile-based education platform (formal and informal), where relevant learning materials can be easily and conveniently accessed also ensure availability of information on COVID19 and SRH services and referral services, skill acquisition for Girls or LBTQI Persons. Due to internet accessibility issues, the app focuses on providing both online and offline education services in regions with extractive industries. The content of the model will be developed using human-centered design (HCD).

Our proposed idea will put AGYW and LBTQI in regions with extractive industries at the center of the intervention, to understand them as users of health services more closely and to leverage a participatory approach to co-design solution that ensures the availability of information on COVID19 and SRH services and referral services, skill acquisition for AGYW while improving the health-seeking behaviors of AGYW particularly young LBTQI persons during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our idea will also work with the AGYW and Young LBTQI persons to ideate and iterate, towards increasing access to SRH information, COVID 19 information, and alternate learning opportunities. 

Nigeria, one of Africa's leading economies is estimated to have at least 82.9 million people living below the poverty line. The inequities created by Poverty in Nigeria, are deepened by disparities between rural and urban areas, disparities in wealth and opportunities between the different regions of the country, and gender-associated inequities. Nigeria’s Niger-Delta region is home to one of the top ten largest deltas in the World, with inland waterways creating challenges with access to health information and services, including sexual and reproductive health information and services. The oil-rich Niger-Delta region is also home to over 51 ethnic minorities, in addition to being a seat of communities with extractive industries. AGYW especially young LBTQI in these communities often deprived of sexual and reproductive health information and services and alternative learning opportunities – all critical to gender equality. The lack of equal opportunities, the difficulties in access to basic health services

Prior to drafting the proposal, our team had conducted a needs assessment survey in local communities in the Niger-Delta, engaging with AGYW, LBTQI residing in the Niger-delta region, assessing risk perception and perception of efficacy for action on SRHR and COVID-19. This process informed the strategies outlined in the proposal. 

Our idea will test the hypothesis that the behavior of AGYW especially young LBTQI persons will change because the demand for accurate information on SRH, COVID19 and Infection Prevention, and Control (IPC) will be met by contents from trained experts, if they are engaged using interactive mobile-based education platform, through a human-centered design process. We expect our solution to succeed because it builds on documented evidence and best practices of community engagement and demand generation, whilst innovatively introducing a different design

This idea is different because it incorporates a human-centered design into designing a mobile-based education platform. It also targets AGYW especially young LBTQI living in regions with extractive industries. The intervention builds on existing evidence on the roles of community health volunteers and positive deviance in spurring social and behavior change. The idea uses a mobile-based education platform that enables AGYW and Young LBTQI to subscribe, get alternative learning opportunities that combine education and skill acquisition for girls. It also dovetails into the current National strategies in Nigeria to rapidly improve access to SRH information and services in humanitarian settings.

Our solution uses an existing technology however the proposed idea will put AGYW and LBTQI in regions with extractive industries at the center of the intervention, to understand them as users of health services more closely and to leverage a participatory approach to co-design solution that ensures the availability of information on COVID19 and SRH services and referral services, skill acquisition for AGYW while improving the health-seeking behaviors of AGYW particularly young LBTQI persons during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our idea will also work with the AGYW and Young LBTQI persons to ideate and iterate, towards increasing access to SRH information, COVID 19 information, and alternate learning opportunities. 

The core technologies are:

• Software and Mobile Applications
• Internet of Things
• Audiovisual Media
• GIS
• Behavioural technology
• Crowd Sourcing 
• AI

Our idea will test the hypothesis that the behavior of AGYW especially young LBTQI persons will change because the demand for accurate information on SRH, COVID19 and Infection Prevention, and Control (IPC) will be met by contents from trained experts, if they are engaged using interactive mobile-based education platform, through a human-centered design process. We expect our solution to succeed because it builds on documented evidence and best practices of community engagement and demand generation, whilst innovatively introducing a different design

Impact: All AGYW and LBTQI persons know and claim their SRHR and LGBT rights and improving the health-seeking behaviours to respond to COVID-19

Outcome: All AGYW and LBTQI persons have increased awareness and access to SRHR and LGBT rights, COVID-19 information

Output: All AGYW and LBTQI persons access information, (peer) support and meaningful engagement on COVID-19, SRHR and LGBT rights

Strategy: Collaborate with, and provide all AGYW and LBTQI persons with accurate and adequate information about COVID-19 SRHR and LGBT rights using a human-centred approach

At current, we are not serving anyone as our solution is still in a concept phase.However, we intend to serve 500,000 AGYW and LBTQI persons in the first year and over 5,000,000 in the next 4 years.

Our goal is that our solution can be deployed as a capacity building and information hub on other outbreak prone disorders and continuing personal development for AGYW and Young LBTQI and also evaluate the platform as a peer-to-peer learning mechanism for AGYW to share their experiences and learn from each other without the need for an expert.

Collaboration and Implementation in partnership with governments and professional associations, towards getting them to fund the integration of this innovation into mainstream in National and sub-national education intervention programs 

As with many operation there are number of threats that might undermine the validity of the proposed design.  These include lack of support from government partners and financial constraints. Given the innovativeness of this project, there might be unforeseen costing that could delay the process.  

Financial constraints

Stake-holder buy-in

To mitigate against lack of support and cooperation from government MDA and school and health management, the team will hold project familiarity meetings prior to commencement of the project to ensure that all stakeholder understand the purpose of the study and project overall.  


This venture is out appropriately past our financial ability related capacity and it would need financial aid.

4 full time

5 part time

4 full time

5 part time

15 Volunteers 

CORONA MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS is a social enterprise, which focuses on leveraging Community Structures (CS), Data use for action, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) towards causing incremental change across the social determinants of health and driving progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The health division works on strengthening Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health outcomes through Advocacy, Community Engagement and Technical Support for Governance and Service Delivery. 

Our Team

Dr. Chijioke Kaduru

Chijioke Kaduru is our Health Division Lead for Corona Management Systems and the Program Director for this joint venture. He holds a Master of Public Health degree, a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree and a Bachelor of Science degree, working in public health for over ten years, with seven of those years working in Ghana and Nigeria. He also focuses on strengthening Communications for Development systems at sub-national level.  He has also previously provided consultancy services a broad range of health, gender and development issues for the World Health Organization (WHO), various United Nations (UN) agencies, the Ministry of health, Ministry of Women Affairs, the National health Insurance Scheme, over the last decade.

Mr. Koko Aadum

Koko Aadum is the Innovation specialist, and head of procurement and logistics for this joint venture. He holds degrees in electrical electronics engineering, with a Master’s Degree in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Development. He currently provides leadership on our technology-driven innovations in the improving communication for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health commodities and supplies. 

As a part of the planned research, our team is collaborating with the Nigeria Center Disease Control, with focus on working with all partners working within the risk communications pillar of the Incident Coordinating Center. The collaborators are captured below.

• We currently have funding from the 26th round of the Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with this funding supporting us to explore the use of Community Theatre to increase demand for vaccinations in the Niger-Delta through a human-centred design;
• We currently maintain funding from the United Nations Foundation Family Planning 2020 partnership, with this funding supporting us to explore mechanisms to improve health outcomes through task shifting;
• We currently implement innovative strategies using performance management dashboards to support sub-national program management and implementation of health system interventions, on the World Bank Saving One Million Lives Program;

N/A

We plan to collaborate and Implement the project in partnership with governments and professional associations, towards getting them to fund the integration of this innovation into mainstream education government intervention.

The pathways for scale and to deploy it for capacity building and information hub on other outbreak prone disorders and continuing personal development for AGYW and Young LBTQI and also evaluate the platform as a peer-to-peer learning mechanism for AGYW to share their experiences and learn from each other without the need for an expert.

This innovation can be scaled up across any region, but especially in low and middle income countries where the Education and health systems have weak mechanisms to avail SRHR and COVID-19 Information to AGYW and LBTQI persons

Access to funding opportunity

Leadership of the State Ministry of Health and Education respectively

Our idea will positively influence the behaviors of the thousands of Adolescent girls and young women including Young Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex LBTQI persons in regions with extractive industries, through strengthening the availability of information on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and COVID-19 from sources that these community members trust. We want to deploy a model that will give AGYW and Young LBTQI persons access to all-inclusive alternative learning opportunities that combine Comprehensive SRH education, COVID19 Risk Communications, and Infection Prevention and Control, and skill acquisition for sustainable growth and development, using Interactive Mobile-Technology in regions with extractive industries. The content of the model will be developed using human-centered design (HCD).

Our idea will positively influence the behaviors of the thousands of Adolescent girls and young women including Young Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex LBTQI persons in regions with extractive industries, through strengthening the availability of information on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and COVID-19 from sources that these community members trust. We want to deploy a model that will give AGYW and Young LBTQI persons access to all-inclusive alternative learning opportunities that combine Comprehensive SRH education, COVID19 Risk Communications, and Infection Prevention and Control, and skill acquisition for sustainable growth and development, using Interactive Mobile-Technology in regions with extractive industries. The content of the model will be developed using human-centered design (HCD).