CARERA (ERA OF CARE)

It is generally observed that there is a lack of accessibility to a variety of care services in Ghana. The norm is to have young unskilled girls perform basic home chores. Rarely are these girls given the opportunity to further their education or have any form of formal training. Sadly, these girls grow, have their own homes and the cycle continues.

In Ghana the proportion of females who work as contributing family workers is higher than that of males; in a 12.5%:5.1% ratio. The solution that empowers the economic and educational capacity of girls ultimately empowers a nation.

Sadly, in 2018, the gross ratio of female enrollment in tertiary institutions was 13.35% relative to 18.68% of male enrollment.

CARERA aims to give girls the opportunity to better themselves educationally while gaining the requisite knowledge to provide proper home care in the Ghanaian community.

PROBLEMS WE SEEK TO SOLVE

The general issues regarding caregivers in Ghana are:

1. The lack of variety of caregivers.
2. The accessibility of caregivers.
3. The lack of skilled caregivers, or the avenue through which they can be trained.
4. The expensive nature of accessing caregivers.

The above can be said to be a national issue as there are only few institutions that are dedicated to providing the right people to offer the necessary care services.

Most caregivers are also untrained and barely educated, hence are unable to provide special care services, if need be.

CARERA has designed a mobile application with an internet platform where girls can apply with a click. 
Upon application, they can be easily matched up with the care services they would want to work in. The app also has a learning portal, which includes videos, literature as well as augmented reality that makes learning easier. 

There is also a plan for the girls, having worked for a while, to receive scholarships to further their education with reputable institutions in Ghana.

To do away with the notion of ‘househelps’ left completely at the mercy of their employer(s), CARERA will house the girls, and transport them to their various places of work each day.

The Care Services the young girls will be trained to render include;

People Care; such as care for babies and the aged

Home Care; Laundry care, cleaning services and cooking

Business Care; knowledge in basic software and business management 

The solution CARERA offers is mutually beneficial to ambitious young girls as well as home owners in Ghana. 
Using physical surveys and social media, home owners can express their needs and expectations. We will also receive feedback through the users of the mobile application. 
The girls involved in the program will be communicated with physically, in groups and individually so their expectations are also captured.

Interaction is continuous, thus adjustments are made when and where necessary.

The vision and activities of CARERA meet the challenge selected head on. CARERA’s solves the issue of lack of education of the young girls, as well as further training them, equipping them with skills that make them useful in the job market even before they are done with their education.

With this solution, all home owners in Ghana have access to care givers for their needs, while a young girl has the opportunity to be better and make an impact in society.

The main competitors CARERA encounters include Aegis, Royal Crown and Nanny Express. 

These are however, specialised, and provide little to no opportunity for further training and development. They are also not tailored for young unskilled girls.

CARERA gives the girl a chance to work and earn some money, while furthering her education, which is a win-win for all stakeholders.

CARERA uses an internet-based mobile application that allows girls all over the country to apply from wherever they are. By this application, we are able to receive feedback on the work of our girls, so as to take the necessary actions that will lead to improvement.

The application by which girls can sign up and be trained for the work to be done, has on it, literature as well as videos. So they can take their lessons from the comfort of their home. 
The addition of augmented reality, makes the lessons practical and easily understood.

The technology of mobile applications and augmented reality is widely used all over the word. 
Augmented reality is mostly used on e-learning platforms as well as in architecture.

Currently our solution serves about 50 young girls with an almost equal number of home owners. 

In a year, we aim to have a more widespread area of influence with about 500 to 700 young girls.

In five years, CARERA will be in more countries, with a global presence of 5000 girls benefiting from this solution 

Beginning with various care services, CARERA intends to empower young ladies, encourage them to be independent and in turn, impact their society positively. 

We intend for some of the young girls deployed to work for the company, while we partner with others to build their own businesses. 

We also intend to partner with other companies and non-governmental organizations to reach more girls in more remote areas of the world.

The major barrier we face is financial. We intend to partner with other companies, who will help us raise the capital to provide the necessary care for the young girls deployed.

We intend to apply for sponsorships, as well as programs like this, that would help fetch financial assistance for the task at hand.

We currently have three full-time team members, who call on their vast contacts for partnerships where necessary.

Our team comprises of people with technical business acumen, as well as people with with humanitarian interests. Putting these two together, we are able to cater to the technological requirements of the job, as well reach out to many young girls, through humanitarian efforts.

We currently work with an application developer company, SWL LEARN as well as SALES HORDE AFRICA, both based in Ghana. 

Our key customers are home owners in Ghana, parents, guardians who seek care services for their homes, children and businesses. We aim at giving them the right people to handle the various needs they have. 
In addition, we give the caregivers the training and education necessary to perform excellently at their job. 

We also give them the opportunity to be better and give back to society. 

In all, we’re making impact in society, as well as empowering girls to go to the greatest heights. 

We plan to obtain funds through sustained donations, partnerships with other companies and through grants.

We intend to invest a considerable amount of revenue, so as to generate more revenue.