CHAT21 (Center of Humanized T21 care)

Families of people with Down syndrome (T21) struggle to enjoy basic rights such as inclusive education, basic health care and entry into the labor market. Disconnected, and weakened as a group, they become invisible to society. This unleashes a vicious cycle of annulment and isolation that feeds back. CHAT21 is a pioneering information and hospitality portal. Our mission is to support, inform and connect families of children with T21, We are a social business that works with production and dissemination of content in addition to connecting families of people with disabilities. We work with a focus on ODSs 3,4,10 and 16. We have a Free and Immediate Emergency Care Service for families that are diagnosed with Down's syndrome.

Informed and empowered parents create healthy and apt people to enjoy their citizenship. This model can be replicated for countless situations that impact our life.

Around 1 every 700 babies are born with Down syndrome. According to this estimate, there are 11 million people with Down syndrome on the Planet. In Brazil, 350 babies are born every hour, so every two hours a baby with Down syndrome is born. The birth of a child is always a delicate moment which causes great emotional imbalance and impacts directly the health and well-being of both the mother and the baby. The feeling you don´t belong caused by isolation, lack of knowledge of legal rights and miss information on how to care of a baby with T21 can cause even further consequences, such as fathers abandoning their families and children being sent for adoption. The connection with other families who have lived through the same experience of having received a syndrome diagnoses brings a sense of belonging. Furthermore, it enables parents to exchange experiences, to obtain information and to improve their own well-being, so they can feel able to care of their baby with T21.

The diagnosis of T21 is a very delicate period for families. In the vast majority of cases the diagnosis comes unexpectedly and is often associated with health problems such as heart disease and congenital malformations. Isolated, uninformed and frightened by the new reality, families worry about the future of their children and feel they are not able to care for them. Despite the great barrier caused by not understanding the syndrome and by being marginalized by society, these families seek a decent future for their children, with good health, autonomy, independence and, above all, respect.

CHAT21 offers an immediate, free and innovative "Digital Help Line" to the families who receive the diagnosis of Down syndrome, that we call “Pronto Atendimento or Immediate Care”. In addition, we also provide informative content such as videos and webnars directed not only to those who have just received the diagnosis but also to all families seeking more information. We create a bond among families through the constant exchange of experiences in the network. This will empower families to seek and build the future that they long for their children.  

CHAT21 is a pioneer information and hospitality portal for families of people with Down Syndrome. Our mission is to support, inform and connect the families of children with T21, so they have feel empowered to raise their children with information and tranquility.

We are a social business that works with the production and dissemination of content as well as on the interconnection among families of people with disabilities. We focus on ODSs 3,4,10 and 16 by offering a free and immediate “Digital Help Line” for families that are diagnosed with Down syndrome.

How it works: parents access the portal, register themselves and are directed to a prompt service in whatsapp where there is a multidisciplinary team formed by professionals who also have children with Down syndrome. They welcome new parents, listen to their concerns, pass on information, indicate suitable sites with updated information and provide emotional support to these families. Once hosted, we connect the families with others who have similar experiences in the same region; we have chat21 groups in 20 states of Brazil, a network of more than 60 “welcoming volunteers”, and have hosted 800 families in the last year. Chat21 also promotes free online webnars with professionals who are often hard to reach, and produces informative animated videos and interview, which are presented on our network. Our Youtube Channel has more than 43 thousand views. In only one year we have reached 5% of our target audience.

Currently our business model is B2b2C. We connect service providers with potential clients through the sale publicity space in our content available online. Our target audience are companies related to Down syndrome, such as rehabilitation clinics, manipulation pharmacies, among others. In addition to publicizing its product and service to a specific niche, the company also has the opportunity to align itself with a social proposal. When purchasing an advertising space, the company is collaborating to the sustainability of the project and it earns certificates according to its participation.

Through the use of existing basic digital tools, CHAT21 has created a innovative prompt support service for the families of people with Down syndrome.  CHAT21 is the first platform to provide immediate free distance support for families with a diagnosis of trisomy 21. We enable these families to connect immediately with other parents who have children with T21. 

At the moment of birth, mothers feel deeply vulnerable because most of them are unaware of this genetic condition. Therefore, the immediate connection with families with a previous similar experience brings innumerable benefits to both the mother and the baby.  Babies are often premature and have some other associated health condition, so it is difficult for mothers to move around in search of information. As important as information is a caring word from those who have lived through the experience which can bring comfort in times of instability and emotional vulnerability. Once connected, families become part of a network. Aware of their rights, the health needs of their children, and connected to each other, mothers of children with Down syndrome can then enjoy motherhood with more confidence and tranquility. 

The mother or any interested person accesses the CHAT21 website, registers and gets directed to a whatsapp group. There, we have a multidisciplinary team with a psychopedagogue, a speech therapist, a human rights specialist, a nurse, among other professionals related to child development. Everyone in the support team is a parent to a child with trisomy 21, have undergone training and follows a protocol of support.  In this first contact, the welcoming team answer to the first doubts of the families that, many times, have just received their diagnosis. After the initial explanations are provided, they get redirected to the CHAT21 whatsapp group in the region so they can connect locally.

CHAT21 has 20 local support groups spread throughout Brazil and three thematic groups:  CHAT21 Pregnancy, CHATT21 Breastfeeding, and CHAT21 International for Brazilian families who live abroad and want to exchange information. We have a network of 60 volunteers who have served more than 800 families. 

We then collect some data and information generated in the local groups, identify the most frequent demands and create digital content to solve the doubts shared in the groups. The content is made available on our website, such as an annual calendar with tips for the well-being of the whole family, informative animated videos, webinars, and mini courses. All our content is online and free. Our youtube channel has more than 45 thousand views. 

Our Theory of Change has: Inputs, Activities, Outputs, Outcomes and Impacts. As input we have: children with Down syndrome, mothers and families, digital infrastructure, experiences and questions brought in by the families, volunteers and professionals in child care. Our activities are: a prompt digital support service, free digital content such as webinars, videos, courses, downloadable material and face to face workshops. The immediate outputs of these activities are: the connection between families, free access to updated information produced on demand, and the potential for scaling up. Outcomes are: empowered women and families, knowledge and the reduction of families´ expenses, as the information provided prevent unnecessary costs. The result in terms of Impact are: Social inclusion (ODS 10 and 16), Wellness and Health of mother and child, (ODS3),  Development of People with Disability (ODS10 and 16), and Reducing Inequalities (ODS 10). 

CHAT 21 has been invited as part of a commission in the Down Syndrome National Forum, where we suggested an official protocol of assistance at birth for all babies with Down syndrome. The protocol would address questions such as the training of professionals for a proper communication of the diagnosis to parents, specific health care guidelines and the existing network of support which could be much increased and improved in partnership with the Federal Administration. In the International Day of the Down Syndrome, the founder of CHAT21 was invited to the Federal Senate where she presented the project and started to talk to the public representatives for its implementation.

CHAT21 has already served more than 800 families with the diagnosis since the beginning of the project in October 2017. Our average access to the network is 1.3 people per day. Compared to a regular face-to-face institution that has an average of 20 attendances per year, we serve 35 times more. Our estimated target audience in Brazil is 880,000 people, which refers to the number of people with Down syndrome multiplied by the average number of people in a Brazilian family which is 3.3. This is because when we speak of intellectual disability it is important to remember that we do not serve only one specific person but also their family, therapists, teachers, etc. We have already reached 0.1% of the target audience in one year of existence, so the projection is to get to 0.5% next year, and 10% in the next 5 years. 

Once established as a reference of support at the time of diagnosis in Brazil, which we intend to achieve in 5 years, we will expand our impact in two different ways:

1 - Through a sort of franchise model, we can provide the network training method, the support guidance, the protocols, methodology and process, including the brand, so that this service model is replicated in several countries in a structured way. 

2 - Another way to scale it up is to offer this digital service model to other human needs, such as diagnosis of autism, people with physical disabilities, people with HIV, families of children undergoing chemotherapy, among other events that may occur in people's lives and present them with a new unknown and unexpected situations. 

Since we have a model that is already established and validated, we can expand the impact not only to the millions of people with Down syndrome in the World, but also to millions of people impacted by autism, AIDS, and so on.

The main barrier is financial. Our business model must be strengthened so it can provide us with the financial stability needed to put our projections in place. A more sustainable income will allow us to adjust the team and to invest in better technical tools. 

We have some problems with the security in digital calls. Since they are done by whatsapp, the users ́ telephone numbers are seen by everyone and  there is little control over posts that do not fit the subject. We even had to deal with hackers posting pronography and people advertising products or services that do not relate to our purpose. This has showed us the need to transfer our service to a more secure platform. 

We also have a problem with our capacity of coverage. We do not yet have the financial resources to expand our communication channels. Our youtube platform helps us spread our work and we already have more than 45,000 views. However, we need to explore more communication channels and both partnerships and financial resources are required to do so.

In order to reach 4,450 people next year, we need to improve our business model, broaden our outreach, strengthen partnerships with governments and the private sector and expand the network. In addition, we need to improve our technological structure. When we reach our goal, we will be migrating from one serve a day to 12 which require more volunteers and paid workers. In summary:

To overcome the financial barrier, we are mostly exploring new business models and improving the efficiency of our current model in order to increase our income. Second, we have partnerships with institutions, companies, and self-employed workers who also help us to keep low costs. We intend to form more such partnerships to broaden our efficiency as a network. 

To overcome the communication barrier, new partnerships have been of a great help in increasing our outreach. Our team is also improving its communication skills so we can expand by our own means. 

To overcome the technological barrier, we are talking to a business incubator with focus on health tech developing more adequate and secure technical tools. To reach the estimated 10% of the audience over the next 5 years, we plan to have an app that offers security to the prompt care service, that allows for thematic chat groups on issues related to down syndrome, and with a space to offer mini courses and digital content. This app will also provide us with a commercial platform and help with the business model. 

1 fulltime, 3 part time, 60 volunteers attendants

Our team is composed by women, all mothers, and only two do not have children with Down syndrome. We work with respect and attention to the individuals and their needs, having empathy as the main basis to our actions. 

Gabriela Laborda, founder and manager of CHAT21, is a cultural producer, a marketing student, and is the mother of Maíra, with Down syndrome. Her experience in production and execution of projects was fundamental for the unrolling of CHAT21.  Patrícia Almeida is a board member of Down Syndrome International, co-founder of the Down Movement, creator of Inclusive - Inclusion and Citizenship, Gadim - Global Alliance for Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Media and a member of Odimídia - Media Diversity Observatory . She offers advice for the production of content, composes the multidisciplinary team of the prompt support service and is the mother of Amanda with  Down syndrome. Dr. Érica Coelho is a doctor in pediatric intensive care, neonatal intensive care, Pediatric Integrative Medicine and Down Syndrome. Erica is the mother of Theo with Down syndrome and cerebral paralysis. She provides advice for CHAT21 in the production of content and in special cases that require some specific guideline. Márcia Gil Barddal is Pedagogue and Clinical and Institutional Psychopedagogue. Márcia composes the multidisciplinary team of prompt support service and is a manager and host of the group CHAT21 Santa Catarina and mother of the 15 year old Kin who has Down syndrome.

The Down Movement is a portal that produces diverse contents to help families, professionals and the general public to fight against prejudices and to seek effective inclusion conditions. It has been our partner since the construction of CHAT21. The Down Movement contributed to the formation of the national network of volunteers. It was extremely important for the dissemination of our platform and continues to work in partnership in the production and dissemination of CHAT21 content. 

We also have partnerships with several local service centers such as Minas Down, Pais em Movimento, among others that act locally after the virtual contact with families. 

FYMSA is a law firm created by lawyers who share the same high-level academic background, with a track record in renowned law firms and legal departments of large corporations, it provides legal advice, drafted our terms of use, authorization of image, contract of voluntary service among other documents so that CHAT21 is in accordance with the laws and regulations.

We also have the support of ASID whose mission is to unite companies, volunteers, institutions and people with disabilities (PdC) to build an inclusive society. It offers us institutional support and connects us with some service providers. 

Our beneficiaries are people with Down syndrome and their families, especially the mothers, as well as professionals who relate to this public. 

In terms of impact, the value proposition to CHAT21 users is: the sense of belonging and support of the network; the improvement of physical and mental health; the improvement of quality of life; and the reduction of family expenses. This impact is achieved through personal care and content offered at a distance, free of charge. The information offered by CHAT21 empowers the family to acquire knowledge and to find recognized professionals offering the most updated therapies, thus avoiding unnecessary expenses with inadequate treatments and clinical examinations. 

Our clients at the moment are professionals and service providers specialized in our public, such as: rehabilitation clinics, therapists, manipulation pharmacies, educational institutions and educational toy stores, among others, who pay to have their brand exposed in our platform. Note the professionals and clinics advertised by us are nominated and recognized by the members of the network itself. The value proposition offered to our clients is the visibility of the clinic or professional by its target public through our digital content, whatsapp groups and mailing. In addition, their brand becomes linked to a social impact project which lends to it a socially responsible image.

Currently, we have the market linkage model: we sell space in our content, mailing and website to companies working with products and services related to our public. Another way we use to mediate services and users is through in person workshops conducted by CHAT21 in partner companies such as rehabilitation clinics, recreation spaces, children's academies among others. We charge the service provider a fee for each person who visit their establishment to take part in the workshops. In return, the business gets connected with potential clients. We have also received a few donations from social business facilitators.

We are now working to scale up our business based on the market linkage model in  partnership with a technological innovation center called Entropia. We are building  a marketplace for families of people with down syndrome (initially) and service providers, where we will advertise and sell products and services with promotional prices (exclusive to CHAT21 participants). Our average consumption per household is U$1.300 because here we have few public services, which gives us a market to be exploited of approximately U$360.1 21.729,19

Our portal and service to families of people with Down syndrome works and is fully validated. At the moment our great challenge is to set up an effective business model.  It will be of great value to have partnerships and customized action plans to get advise on this process, as well as mentoring which, from previous experiences, we have learnt to value a lot.

Since its beginning, CHAT21 has been seeking partnerships and training that can recognize our project, contributing not only to its improvement but also to credibility. For CHAT21 to be a "Solver" will add immense value and will certainly have a positive impact on our image. 

Moreover, the networking not only with investors but also with experts in the development of innovative technology is very important to us since we are looking forward to create a new specific tech tool to improve the delivery of our services to the community. We believe that empathy and technology when applied to an engaged network  can overcome the barriers of prejudice, contribute to the health and welfare of people and help build a World where diversity is respected and valued.

• App developers, or technology companies, and experts in marketplace development to collaborate on the enhancement of the CHAT21 portal and the implementation of the new business model. 

• Marketing companies specialized in digital marketing. 

• Companies specialized in business consultancy, sales, customer service and impact analysis. 

• Brazilian telecommunication companies.

CHAT21 believes it is eligible for the Innovation for Women Prize, since our focus is on promoting physical and emotional health, as well as improving the quality of life of mothers of children with Down syndrome. 

This award will help improve our platform, and develop an app to allow our online support service to take place in a more secure environment as we currently face many security challenges. 

In addition to the technological improvement, we intend to invest in communication in order to expand our outreach and make CHAT21 known in all regions of Brazil. We also intend to improve and diversify the content produced and

to offer free face-to-face activities that allow the in person interaction of our public with doctors, psychologists, and with each other in leisure activities for the whole family.  And most of all, we will invest to create a platform to put in place our improved business model so that we can provide affordable services to our users and at the same time contribute to our financial sustainability. 

Based on our planning, we will scale up our structure and budget from U$ 1600 to U$ 40 thousand in one year. This award will provide us with the necessary resources to ensure that we can implement the new business model with the tools and people needed to make it work.