MIT Solve

Solution Overview & Team Lead Details

Solution name.

S7 CARE

Provide a one-line summary of your solution.

S7 CARE is a digital and physical platform that enhances primary health care and social care services, ensures decent care work in order to guarantee equity for all.

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

First, S7 CARE eases the difficulties faced by vulnerable groups like the elderly, terminally ill and persons in need of personal care assistance in accessing quality and affordable social care and health care services. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), in 2015, there were 2.1 billion people in need of care (1.9 billion children under the age of 15, of whom 0.8 billion were under six years of age, and 0.2 billion older persons aged or above their healthy life expectancy). By 2030, the number of care recipients is predicted to reach 2.3 billion, driven by an additional 0.1 billion older persons and an additional 0.1 children aged 6 to 14 years.

Secondly, S7 CARE alleviates the difficulties professional parents (especially women working away from home) have in joining the labour because of the need to fulfill their domestic care responsibilities. According to the ILO, in 2018, 606 million women of working age have declared themselves to be unavailable for employment or not seeking a job due to unpaid care work, while 41 million men are inactive for the same reason.

Lastly, S7 CARE combats the challenges job seekers and care workers face within the social care sector. In a Handbook for Domestic Workers by Horizons Femmes 2011, less than 5% of domestic workers in Cameroon have an employment contract, 3 domestic workers out of 4 (72%) earn less than the minimum pay wage (50 U.S.D) monthly and over 90% of employers agree that domestic workers often suffer acts of violence.

Elevator pitch

What is your solution?

As a digital and physical platform, S7 CARE:

Educates communities on health issues and the importance of valorizing social care services
Identifies and Empower persons willing to serve as care workers, using a nationally accredited curriculum
Contract trained professionals with clients in need of social care assistance
Monitor and Manage these contracts to ensure decent care work, productivity and professionalism

The physical component of the S7 CARE platform engages directly with social care service users through community care mobilizers who use S7 CARE resources in carrying out the processes of education, identification, empowerment / training, contracting, monitoring and managing.

The digital component of the S7 CARE platform digitalizes the processes and operations of the physical platforms by engaging social care service users using digital tools (web and mobile application and other technologies) that enhance welfare and productivity.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

The S7 CARE platform serves the following vulnerable groups:

The elderly, terminally ill and persons in need of personal care assistance, who face the following challenges:
Professional parents (especially women) working away from home and who are concerned about their domestic care responsibilities face the following challenges:
Job Seekers and social care workers, shying away from social care work because of the deplorable working conditions that characterizes this sector such as:

Poor access to home care services / providers
Poor quality and high cost of home care services / delivery

By the use of the S7 CARE platform, these clients will enjoy:

Access to social care service assistance
Quality and affordable social care service delivery

Poor access to social care services / providers
Poor quality and high cost of social care service / delivery

By the use of the S7 CARE platform, these clients will enjoy:

Access to home care service providers
Quality and affordable home care service delivery
Access into the labor force and productivity at their work places

The socioeconomic and psychological exploitation of social care workers
The devaluation of social care work

By the use of the S7 CARE platform, they will enjoy:

The valorization of social care work
The respect of the Rights of Care Workers
The opportunity to have access to employment in decent care work.

How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?

The S7 CARE physical platform was founded in 2015 by my mentor who currently serves as the project Manager. He holds a Diploma in Clinical Social work and has an over 6 years experience as a Social Entrepreneur. His experience as a clinical social worker and as a social entrepreneur contributes to the quality delivery of our social care services and to the growth of our solution.

In 2018, I join my mentor as a Co-founder of S7 CARE in order to digitalize the physical platform. With a B.Sc in Computer Networking and systems management, I head the IT department that digitalizes the physical platform of S7 CARE. My role at the head of this department has enabled the S7 CARE solution scale to other regions of my country and has integrated the use of other technologies like VR and AR headsets in improving the training of care workers and the welfare of care recipients.

In charge of Monitoring and Evaluating the Care management system are two Ladies. One holds a Diploma in nursing and has a 4 year experience in home care nursing. Her work contributes in ensuring maximum productivity on the part of our care workers and in enhancing decent working conditions for care workers. The other is a software developer with an MS. Engr in Computer Engineering. She is responsible for ensuring that our service users are comfortable with the software that manages their contracts. The Finance and Logistics department is manned by a certified accountant who has over 7 years of experience in Accounting. He ensures that all financial processes are rigorously respected and that the key resources for the effective operation of the S7 CARE digital and physical platforms are available and effectively utilized.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

When I joined my Co-founder in 2018, the S7 CARE physical platform was already functional and clients from other part of the Country were requesting for the solution. The cost of opening other branches that will use the physical system of operation was so costly. This prompted me to design a digital prototype that integrated the systems of the physical solution in order to scale the solution to other regions. With a trial period of 6 months, this solution proved very successful and many more service users from other regions easily subscribed for our services through this digital platform. After 4 years of digitalizing the S7 CARE platform, our solution currently serves over 1000 service users through out the country. Currently, we are working closely with a Technology Hub in Bamenda in order to integrate the use of VR and AR to enhance access to care and the empowerment of care workers. Our IT department is keen to the feedback of our clients regarding the use of our solution which enables us to continually design and redesign our solution to meet the care needs of our clients.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Improving healthcare access and health outcomes; and reducing and ultimately eliminating health disparities (Health)

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model

In what city, town, or region is your solution team located?

Bamenda, Cameroon

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Nfebe Bless Shu