The WApp Solution (Widows App Project)

Among most vulnerable members of the society within our communities are widows. Neglected, abused, threatened and psychologically tortured, socially and economically challenged. With little or no hope of what their future holds, most of them are forced to survive on hand-outs, some taking up odd jobs that hardly sustain their neglected families.

The WApp Project Solution seek to provide a solution by means of bringing together widows as a team, provide them with effective professional expertise inform of capacity building and a working platform for easy monitoring and evaluation of different widows community based projects, ensuring that widows from marginalized and vulnerable populations do facilitate remote access to services and benefits through developed Widows App and USSD system. Widows have been manipulated through dubious projects thus WApp Solution seeking to support on authenticity.

The WApp solution shall enable widows access to different online and offline technological services.

The specific proplems that the WApp Solution is focused to solving include among others:

• Technological Challenge – Lack of technological informative information among widows within our communities is the major hindrance to widows willingness towards development. Most awful scenario being lack of total internet coverage.
• Illiteracy – Contributes to the highest percentage for lack of change in our societies is a major set-back among widows in our communities. 
• Poor Agricultural and Farming Skills – Due to lack of technical knowledge and formal education among widows this has highly contributed to poor agricultural practices and farming methods. Traditional farming methods
• Poor and/ lack of Micro-enterprise development and/ Management Skills among women in our society.
• Lack of Community Based Projects.
• Poor and/ lack of Community Networking 
• Lack of Community Development Skills and/ Connectivity – No provision and/ connectivity for widows within our communities with different stakeholders across the global can  support widows towards change thus contributing to high level of poverty within our societies.
• Ignorance of Law  -  High level of ignorance of law on personal rights among widow.
• Poor and/ Lack of Widows Safety against Cultural Fundamentalism
• Poor Marketing Skills among women in our communities  

The WApp Solution has one main objective - to promote economic and social welfare development of widows and greater resilience, vulnerable widow groups (esp. child widows ‘silence and unheard’, neglected and displaced widows).

Key major outcomes which the WApp solution seek to deliver on the overall objective being;

 Increased community development projects for widows.

 Accelerated trade and collaboration nationally and across-borders

 Increased stability through linkages to legal, policy and social protection

The solution shall support widows in addressing; 

o   Agricultural Services: Through which the App shall provide solution from production to marketing, storage to disposal, selling to consumption, the choice being at the will of widow groups and/ individuals.

o   Investment Services: widows will have a chance of learning efficient investing opportunities that shall be offered through technical training inform of capacity building.

o   Entrepreneurship Services: for self sustainability, upon receiving this durable self-sustaining skills which shall be of great benefit to widows within our society, it will be at the widows choice to dive into business(es) of their choice. 

o   Widows Education Services: Through provision of adult education that shall be provided for purposes of endorsing widows empowerment within the communities.

The WApp solution will highly contribute to creating awareness through provision of solution(s) to our marginalized communities as the team has identified key problems at the community level which include lack of technological support, illiteracy, poor agricultural and farming skills, lack of entrepreneurship skills, lack of resources at village level, poor and/ lack of community networking connectivity among community members. 

The WApp solution a unique and innovative solution because is an instrument that will bring together widows from different cultures, communities, backgrounds, societies, and/ countries to one operational platform. A working platform that simplifies digital features into ordinary configuration for enhancing and achieving desired results.

The WApp Solution has designed programmes for proficient community development that incubate several candid services for improving widows welfare globally  including;

       I.   Agritech Service: For supporting advanced farming techniques for widows. Individual and group achievement contributing to full range of the food production and distribution chain that can advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity and availability of food both for commercial and consumption.

    II.            Educational Services: For equipping widows with effectual tutorial materials that allow both uploading and downloading for own and/ group open learning.

 III.            E-commerce Services: Equipping widows with both adverting and marketing hub.

 IV.            Entrepreneurship Services: Center to training entrepreneurs, advancing widows entrepreneurship skills in current demanding developing digital world including resource mobilization

    V.            Investment Services: Provide widow groups with platform for evaluating viable available investment opportunities with financial institutions including Community savings SACCO’s

 VI.            Micro-credit facility Services: Providing widows with bargaining power for seeking credit facilities to advance respective business operation for economic advancement.   

VII.            Health System Services: Widows health sustainability services and/ management systems. Providing timely counseling to immediate needy widows including family members on impromptu basis.

VIII.            Product Service Delivery: Support widows on developing adequate required skills for facilitating timely delivery of services and products across-boarders.

WApp Solution evidence that the technology works

A.      Mobile Applications provision: Shall provide Instant Online and Offline access to applications on smart phones.

1.        Agritech Services: For effective training of widows in agriculture, provide farm produce and/ agricultural product advertisement, selling and/ exchange.

i.           - Frigoken - Farmer Management Application

ii.         - KLMC - Kenya Livestock Marketing Council - Livestock Price and Other Analytics Application

2.        E-commerce services:

i.           - Imax cameras - An Ecommerce Application

3.        Educational services:

i.           - ODEL App - Support e-learning education system

4.        Health Empowerment services:

i.           – DoctoronDemand – An App that lets one see a doctor for a video consultation, get a doctors prescription or just let their questions answered.

B.       Mobile USSD Services: Shall provide instant online and offline access with or without mobile smart phones.

1.        Safaricom services (Kenya) - *225# - For accessing Mobigrow services for any adult with mobile phone and subscriber to safaricom limited (Mobile phone service provider)

2.        Airtel services (Kenya) - *100# - For accessing Airtel Kenya services using USSD) 

The WApp Solution is compatible to any mobile network globally.  

It’s frustrating to witness, feel the impact and/ be part of the suffering of widows across the global due to rate at which widows population across the global is highly increasing, deepening the level of poverty when little or no appropriate measures address the challenge. Besides, the digital divide remains a gendered one considering that most of the 3.9 billion people who are offline are in rural areas, poorer, less educated and tend to be women and girls, widows being the most affected.

UN Social Protection Floor initiative advocates for universal access to basic services and social transfers of cash or goods to ensure income and food security. WApp Solution targets to empowering widows  for achieving the transformational economic, environmental and social changes required for sustainable development but limited access to facilities like education, entrepreneurship skills and health care are among the many challenges they face.

 WApp Solution determined to;

1.        Bring together - Build system that can bring together like minded people as a team

2.        Address - Seek redness for addressing challenges facing widows and finally

3.        Find solution - Find durable and lasting solution to challenges identified. Thus ensuring that widows from marginalized and un-reached communities are capable of accessing information and implementing life changing project(s) at affordable, minimal and/  no extra technology related expenses. 

The WApp solution can be incorporated into identification system through storage of widows data into database management system by support of developed Android and iOS Mobile App, Widows App and USSD - Unstructured Supplementary Service Data. Individual widows details and/ information shall represent inputs into the system whereas the consolidated group information and/ details measure output signals from the system.

Widows personal information including biometric data, if need be, shall securely be encrypted and stored ensuring safety and control of widows identity details. Key digital identity shall comprise of characteristics and / data attributes including;

• Username and password
• Date of birth
• Telephone number
• Place and/ Country of residence
• Social Security number and/ National ID card number

The widows identity information securely stored in the database management system will support different agency and/ humanitarian operations in making meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels like;

• Timely decision making
• Resource allocation
• Effective community projects evaluation
• Securing individual authenticity for accurate resource management

The available WApp solution data thus highly contributing to community economic development as observed by UN Women that;

• Women economic empowerment is central to realizing women’s rights and gender equality. Widows economic empowerment include their ability to participate equally in existing markets; their access to and control over productive resources, access to decent work, control over their own time, lives and increased voice.
• Empowering women in the economy highly closes on gender gaps in the world of work which are key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5, to achieve gender equality and Goal 1 on ending poverty, Goal 2 on food security, Goal 3 on ensuring health, Goal 8 on promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all, Goal 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure and Goal 10 on reducing inequalities.
• Promoting the Economy. When more women work, economies will grow.Widows economic empowerment shall boosts productivity, increases economic diversification and income equality in addition to other positive development outcomes.
• Increasing women educational attainment that contributes to women economic empowerment and more inclusive economic growth. Educating widows, up skilling and re-skilling over the life course – especially to keep pace with rapid technological and digital transformations affecting jobs are critical for widows health and wellbeing, as well as their income-generation opportunities and participation in the formal labour market.

The WApp Solution is a user friendly solution because of the technological applicability as the solution integrate both advanced and simple use of smart phone and any other ordinary mobile phone.

Widows will be able to access developed Widows App in the Google store through which widows will be able to register their details as a team. They will be able to access additional information on the App; investment (financial inclusion), educational material (including adult literacy), innovative agricultural information (including marketing and selling), health services (support on health information), security surveillance (for threatened and harassed widows), legal services (access of legal support).

In absence and/ limited access of smart phones to widow groups, the WApp Solution, will be supported by USSD, Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, a powerful tool for data collection that is universally accessible on any mobile phone.

For community completely without access to mobile phones;

WApp solution will engage data enumerator to identified widow groups on hired services to ensure that such groups do access WApp Solution services like other registered groups.

WApp Solution not limited but also supporting natural resources management benefits that include;

• Technical and business skills for young widows to enhance their employment
• Access to business incubatory services (finance, entrepreneurial skills training and mentoring, advisory - and technical assistance for diversified business)
• Technical support to enhanced commercial production and productivity.
• Providing support to public and private institutions to improve access to delivery of services within our societies.

The WApp Solution shall effectively address the ability of developed iOS Android, the App service and USSD services that create, exchange and disseminate data to have clear, shared expectations for the contents, context and meaningfulness of stored data. The solution will be able to exchange data and subsequently present it in such away that it’s well understood by users, with ability of enabling two or more software modules to exchange information and using the information exchanged.

The WApp Soution data shall be preserved in its original form that will support better exchange of data with other systems with services and benefits for improving widows welfare globally  including;

• Agritech Service: Supporting advanced farming techniques for widows. Individual and group achievement contributing to full range of the food production and distribution chain that can advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity and availability of food both for commercial and consumption.
• Financial inclusion: For supporting widows businesses have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs
• The Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) - supporting Africa’s initiative effort towards building inclusive and sustainable economies.
• Educational Services: For equipping widows with effectual tutorial materials that allow both uploading and downloading for own and/ group open learning.
• E-commerce Services: Equipping widows with both advertising and marketing hub.
• Entrepreneurship Services: Center to training entrepreneurs, advancing widows entrepreneurship skills in current demanding developing digital world including resource mobilization for entrepreneurship.
• Health System Services: Addressing one of major widows key pillar WHOM (Widows Health Operation Mechanism) capable of delivering health sustainability services including delivery of cash relief to widows/ widows family members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Product Service Delivery: Support widows on developing adequate required skills for facilitating timely delivery of services and products across-boarders.
• Partnership Services: Building partnership across borders.

The WApp Solution will have developed strategies to ensure app functionality in all environments. Supported by seamless connectivity which is a popular paradigm for mobile, wireless networking that describes an idealized service model for mobility protocols with a broad range of wireless access technologies developed to provide the basis for Internet and VPN connectivity to mobile users.

For users with low literacy and numeracy level, the solution key requirement for group engagement is between five and fifteen (5-15) widows, promoting team work spirit, widows working together as a team whereby;

• Team member(s) are able to assist other team member where others do not understand.
•  Team member(s) are capable of offering service to others on appointment as an official.
• Team member(s)   are able to represent, work and offer services for the benefit of others.

Where the entire group is faced with challenge of low literacy and numerical level, the WApp Solution shall incorporate and/ involve data enumerators who will be engaged for benefit of widows on hired service observing strict protocols regarding enumerators engagement. Strict protocols regarding enumerators engagement may be limited to;

a.         Immediate family members to either of the widows.

b.        Community Health Worker within the community.

c.         Appointed government and/ religious official.

The WApp Solution will ensure functionality in all environments and delivery of information both online and offline. Widows App support by USSD facility which will enable capturing, storing and accessing of data - working online. Access stored data and capture data while working offline. 

Currently, there are 210 widows operating under Numbula Buchiro Women Organization (14 widow groups with average of 15 members per group), a community based organization in Busia County, Kenya. The WApp solution targets to pilot the project with 375 widows (25 groups with average of 15 members per group). The WApp solution is expected to serve between 1,000 – 5,000 widows within one year on launching the App and between 25,000 – 75,000 widows within five years.

The expected projection is likely to surpass the number because with enrolment technology, existing groups shall be able to enroll new groups to a maximum of three groups thus increasing the number of members and/ groups depending on projected percentage increase of between 3-5% on the use of technology and the rate at which the organization shall be able to absorb new groups for effective monitoring and evaluation of undertaken projects.  

Expected increase at 3%

Expected increase at 5%

The number is significantly expected to rise on effectual understanding of the technology by team members and subsequent acknowledgement of the platform by users considering 2019 Kenya census data, statistical report indicates that only Busia County has over 233,701 widows, whereas Isiolo, the least populated county in Kenya has over 64,242 widows. Noting that the increase in population usage shall also depend on programme funding prospect in different regions.

Projected short term objectives and/ goals within one year are;

1. Launch WApp pilot programme.
2. Promote, encourage and support integrated development activities.
3. Initiate and support the formation of widows community based development groups.
4. Train and assist widows in acquiring entrepreneurship, managerial skills and equipping them with adequate information on starting small-scale business.
5. Facilitate the initiation of community based projects that are acceptable, affordable and sustainable.
6. Train widows in modern farming techniques, use of technology, health environment and culture farming planning.
7. Train widows on networking skills, promoting online exchange programs that enhance product and services advertisement.
8. Train widows on effective investment skills that promote proletariat investment to small scale holders.
9. Train widows on the use of platform to promote their social welfare, advocacy and advance widows rights. 

Anticipate long term goals include;

• Roll out WApp programme in entire Eastern and Southern countries of Africa including Horn of Africa and other identified marginalized communities globally.
• Promote advance use of the WApp Solution technology including security features.
• Continuous training of widows in newly identified marginalized and un-reached communities on effective use of the WApp Solution in enhancing widows welfare.
• Promote creation of descent jobs by employing specialists whenever necessary for furthering the objectives and purposes of the WApp solution globally.
• Enhance the use of WApp solution on promoting widows rights, advancing and ensuring safety and security of widows where WApp programme is already introduced.
• Enhance mutual understanding between all stake holders in the community based environmental education and community development projects.

Major barriers for development and implementation of WApp solution are;

• Capital Availability

Seed funding for development and implementation of WApp project is a key barrier to new and innovative solution since the targeted beneficiaries are not capable of raising required funds. The solution has awesomely been acknowledged but development and implementation still remain at stake. 

• Traditional and Religious beliefs (Social-cultural Constraints)

Most of marginalized communities have belief that women belong to communities with no or limited chances of being heard within their communities. The belief has erroneously contributed to increase of poverty across the communities as women and especially widows have no say towards community development, there contribution overlooked some being threatened for emerging with constructive ideas.

• Technological Security Threats

Technological security hackers are likely to emerge from nowhere for purposes of making the solution redundant, manipulating its functionality and rendering it to being ineffective to the intended purpose of changing and uplifting the welfare of widows within the society.

• Strong mentorship technological support

Lack of strong technological mentorship support team is affecting and likely to affect the expected achievement of the solution. The rate at which information technology is advancing requires well equipped technical team that will keep pace with the advancement.

• Heavy Workload for Women esp. Widows

The entire society tend to forget that a widow on losing her spouse in years ahead of her, she is involved with two struggles: in addition to overcoming her grief, she has to provide for herself and her family while surmounting enormous social and economic challenges. Domestic chores besides additional personal development make widows afraid of undertaking activities not considered to be in their sphere of responsibilities as they fear receiving negative attentions from members of community.

• Access to Resources

Poverty is a major hindrance to widows participation in innovation development as key resources such as land and/ income is controlled by next of kin to the late spouse. Some find themselves in dillema as all matrimonial resources are swept away by inlaws. 

Support team suggested as follows;

• Capital Availability

Seek donor funding for development of the WApp Solution.

• Traditional and Religious beliefs (Social-cultural Constraints)

To overcome distressing traditional and religious beliefs that hinder widows from implementing effective strategies that can change widows well-being, cooperatively involve key stake holders within the community including government support, discussing and educating them on benefits of involving women in community development systems.

Promoting awareness and/ gender sensitization in most affected communities by bringing on board the benefits of involving the affected community members. 

Strengthen women esp. Widow groups by identifying and encouraging widow groups as entry points to reach more widows, empowering them to innovate, experiment and market their innovation.

• Technological Security Threats

Involvement of specialized intellectual team in development of suggested solution, undertaking regular back-up and security checks of the system. Effective monitoring of the use and upgrading of the App.

Regular evaluation of user feedback and inclusion of control measures.

• Strong mentorship technological support

Incorporation of viable technical team and/ partner with similar implementing IT firm capable of advising on effective measures.

• Heavy Workload for Women esp. Widows

Save labour services by linking widows with organizations that can assist them to acquire labour-saving devices tha give grants or technical assistance and energy efficient technologies. Mentor widows on effective delegation of workload and/ creating opportunities for easy management of workload.

• Access to Resources

Provide technical professional support to widows inform of capacity building. Link widows with appropriate institution that negotiate resource ownership including land.

We are a team of four (4) supporting widows on designing, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of widows programmes. Working closely with two (2) technical IT lead consultants for Android and iOS Mobile App development and USSD set-up.

Mr. Michael Gerry Agundah as a team leader, has experience of over 10 years in humanitarian field.  As an Operation Analyst, CPA Finalist, has working experience with over seven International Non-governmental Organizations including UNHCR with working experience of database software – PROGRESS, accurately and confidentially handling data for persons of concern to UNHCR. Has served in finance and grants management with Save The Children UK, Mercy Corps – Kenya Programme, Solidarity Islamic France, EGPAF, SUNY/ AHADI Kenya, IIRR, BGRRF

Mrs. Francisca Oguba supporting the team as a Community Development Coordinator. Madam Francisca is the Chairperson of all widow groups operating under NambulaBuchiro Women Organization, a Community Based Organization in Busia County - Kenya. Francisca is a trained teacher by profession with over 25 years working experience; holds undergraduate degree in Education, additional training and certificates in Gender Equality, HIV/ Aids guiding and counseling.

Mr. Collins Lotuk leads the team as Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor with a strong monitoring and evaluation acumen. Experienced Research, Evaluation and Learning Advisor with demonstrated experience working in humanitarian and development for over 10 years in Africa.Advanced Analytical & Computational professional with MSc, BSc Statistics and MSc Geographic Information Systems. Statistical Applications proficiency in R, SPSS, STATA, CSPro, Epi-info, ENA for Nutrition & Food Security Assessment Methodologies, SAS, Spatial Analysis Packages: ArcGIS, QGIS, ERDAS Imagine, GRASS GIS.

Ms. Anne Muthoni leads the team as a Community Development Specialist. Ms. Ann is a compassionate and caring psychologist, passionate about safeguarding and promoting the welfare of individuals.

We’re supporting NambulaBuchiro Women Group – a widows community based organization in Busia County – Kenya. The CBO has 210 widows (14 sub groups with average of 15 members per group) 

The CBO solely works with group of widows and has not partnered with any other organization.

We assist widow sub groups that comprise of NambulaBuchiro Women Group in designing viable livelihood programmes, supporting them with provision of technical expertise inform of capacity building and regularly involved in monitoring the progress of programme performance.

As a team we’re focused to ensuring goal setting, defining and establishing strong internal control systems for the organization. Establishing community inter-link working schedules, group evaluation support team and outreach supervision team for supporting new groups.

As a team, we’re determined to developing viable business models for every group of widows depending on activities the group shall be involved, with the locality and/ country legal requirements. 

Our financial sustainability is at initial stage seeking long term partnership with donors supporting women in marginalized and un-reached communities for sustainable development as widowhood is likely to force women out of family structures entirely, leaving them particularly vulnerable to multi-dimensional poverty, loneliness and isolation.

The team is seeking viable opportunities for raising funds to support development, implementation and maintenance of WApp Solution.

The team is seeking viable opportunities for raising funds to support development, implementation and maintenance of WApp Solution.

Details of funds the team is seeking to raise shall be directed towards; 

Programme Design and Implementation for;

i.        WApp planning, research and outreach

ii.       WApp Android design and consultants fee

iii.      WApp Android, iOS, Serverside development

iv.      App store and Google play submission and optimization

v.        Landing website, documentation, support and training

vi.      USSD set up, test bed and operation.

Project Monitoring and Evaluation for;

• Quality Control
• Quality Assurance

Widows Projects Monitoring for:

- Agricultural Projects

- Investment Projects among others…

General Administrative Expenses for;

• Operational costs

Project Title: Widows App Development

Financial Year: 2020/2021

                  BUDGET SUMMARY

        Description                                             Amount (USD)

General Administrative Expenses                         153,033.01

Programme Design and Implementation               231,358.93

Project Monitoring and Evaluation                         39,466.02

Procurement and Logistics                                      36,359.22

Contingencies (5% of subtotal of (1+2+3+4))         23,010.86

                 GRAND TOTAL                                 483,228.04

The WApp Solution is applying to Mission Billion Challenge Global Prize for purposes of;

• Funding and Fundraising visibility

If selected for the 2020 Mission Billion Challenge, the Global Prize will significantly enable WApp Solution meet initial operational cost that include; Android, iOS design and serverside development, App store and google play submission and optimization. The Mission Billion Challenge is a great opportunity for WApp Solution visibility with potential donors and funding opportunities. 

• Facilitation of Partnerships

Mission BillionChallenge is a great opportunity for WApp Solution to build networks and partnerships that are key for humanitarian operation and developing of a strong system capable of serving thousands and millions of marginalized and vulnerable population across the global.

• Technical security support and technological mentorship support

Million Billion Challenge presents aureate chance of meeting professional and/ technical team in Android and iOS development likely to support WApp Solution team in feasible technical support and advise ensuring security risk management likely to affect development of Widows App. The WApp Solution team is assuranced of linking up with professional advisor and technical mentorship team for supporting successful development and implementation of The WApp Project.

• Role Models

Recognition of WApp Solution by Million Billion Challenge will enable chances of role models in balanced leadership where progressive widows are recognized as role models in community contributing to gender-balance.

WApp Solution partnership goals include;

• Development of iOS Android, Widows App free from security threat, regular maintenance and updating of the widows DBMS that is user friendly system to marginalized and vulnerable population across the global.
• Grants for supporting regular updating and maintenance cost of the system for reaching out to more marginalized and vulnerable population as the statistics based on compilation of UNSD (United Nations Statistics Division) population data and additional individual country census and population survey data, analysis by Loomba Foundation two years ago in 2018 indicate that over 115 million widows live in deep poverty thus on dare need of support.
• Access to insecure places that can not easily be accessed due to security threats and/ reasons whereas there are widows in those places that need support. Implementing partners in such areas viable as WApp Solution team can only access such places through them.

 i) - Organization

                    ii) - How WApp Solution would like to partner with them

UNWOMEN

                 For effective facilitation and supporting of widows community development projects across the global.

AWDF - African Women Development Fund

                For supporting widows access to appropriate, affordable, and timely financial products and services in Africa and across marginalized communities globally.

 USAID                                   

                For effective facilitation and supporting of widows community development projects across the global.

UNIFEM

                For effective facilitation and supporting of widows community development projects across the global.

LOOMBA Foundation

                For supporting widows development programmes.

AFD - AgenceFrancaise Development

                For easily accessing and supporting widows in french speaking regions and/ communities through WApp Solution.

Microsoft Corporation

                For technical support on managing widows database management system server(s)

Algoworks

                For technical digital security support for developedWApp Solution.

Netguru

               For technical digital security support for developedWApp Solution.

BrainvireInfotechInc

               For technical digital security support for developedWApp Solution.

AGFUND

             For supporting widows empowerment including training in financial inclusion.    

UNITAR

             For support in training of widows in financial inclusion.

Note:

Including and highly welcome organizations for building new business models, such as leveraging e-commerce data for financial inclusion that can be incorporated with WApp Solution.