Xaidi

Africa, despite being the second most populous continent globally with a population of 1.4 billion people, faces a stark disparity in healthcare resources. It possesses just 1.3 percent of the world's healthcare workforce, translating to a mere 0.21 doctors for every 1,000 individuals, significantly below the World Health Organization's recommended average of 4.45 doctors per 1,000 people.

This scarcity of healthcare professionals is compounded by geographical challenges, particularly in sub-Saharan countries, where more than 20 percent of the population resides more than two hours away from essential healthcare services. In Kenya, where the prevalence of children with special needs stands at 11%, and over 70% of these children live in rural areas, access to critical information about conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder becomes notably difficult. 

Adding to the complexity, the region has only three developmental pediatricians serving the entire East African region. This scarcity not only hinders access to high-quality medical expertise but also makes trusted medical information harder to come by. 

For many Kenyan families, access to healthcare is further constrained by financial limitations, as doctors consultations can cost nearly two days' worth of wages for general workers. This economic barrier significantly impacts the ability of families, especially those with special needs children, to access timely and comprehensive healthcare services. 

The high prevalence of autism in Africa and the limited resources available to address this issue underscore the urgency of this matter. The challenges families and caregivers face, such as stigma, lack of awareness, and limited access to services, are significant and require a multifaceted approach considering the social, cultural, and economic context in which they occur. This includes efforts to improve public awareness and education, expand access to evidence-based interventions and invest in research and policy changes that can improve the lives of individuals with autism and their families (Aderinto et al., 2023). 

Xaidi is a mobile app that serves primarily as a support system, and to give advice on health-related issues. The basic premise of it is to accommodate an LLM trained on relevant literature to neurodiverse individuals, our primary users (together with their family members), as a means of achieving the necessary adjustments based on the target population. In this way, Xaidi becomes a well-informed friend on subject matters that are important to users mental health journey, that can also fit in pocket, all the while addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by both neurodivergent individuals and their caregivers. Features that the app offers are a conversational agent for discussing health concerns, community groups for support and sharing knowledge, Task Mate for setting reminders and managing daily habits, and an option to schedule virtual therapy sessions tailored for each user. The technology behind it is based on AI (artificial intelligence) that analyses the data collected by users and provides customized insights and recommendations. This makes the function of smart assistance Xaidi is offering possible, as it is continuously learning and adapting to the specific requirements of its users.     

xaidi demo link: Xaidi-demo  

Xaidi supports neurodivergent individuals and their families, including those with ASD, ADHD, and other neurological conditions. These groups often struggle with obtaining comprehensive health support and managing their conditions. Xaidi serves not only neurodivergent individuals but also their families who are crucial in caregiving but often lack resources and community understanding. Xaidi enhances their lives with tools like a conversational agent, community groups, and task management, alongside virtual therapy and AI-driven personalized guidance. This approach empowers families by providing essential resources and tools to better manage care and improve their quality of life. 

People with neurodevelopmental conditions and their families are represented both in our team and through partnerships. We have a strong partnership with the disability justice group ADAT Foundation and their parent support group Through the Roof in Kenya. In collaboration with them we carried out a focus group with parents of children with special needs to better understand their needs and receive input on the Xaidi app. We have also partnered with twofold, a neurodiverse agency to conduct a focus group and receive feedback on our Xaidi app from neurodivergent adults in Switzerland. Thus, we have been able to take diverse experiences into account while developing our solution. 

Our solution is still in pilot phase. Xaidi provides families of neurodivergent individuals with accessible support through features like a conversational agent, community groups, task management tools, and virtual therapy sessions, addressing challenges in accessing information and resources. We have piloted the features above, however, even though we have more downloads, we have less user engagement in the app. We are currently in kenya and would like to expand to more markets and regions within Africa and other parts of the world 

As our solution is based on AI (artificial intelligence), it is important for us to reach many users, as well as ensure their usage of Xaidi with the purpose of establishing equal opportunities for their specific needs. This implies the need to get input from a diverse group of stakeholders, which are primarily users (adults and children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families), but also experts in relevant fields that ensure the quality of the product is aligned with currently available knowledge and open opportunities to fundings from relevant sources. With MIT Solve, we hope to gain: 

• Visibility of the product 
• Connections with relevant experts in the field of AI, and other relevant areas 
• Access to funders. 

Xaidi is a mobile app that uses a type of advanced technology called generative AI to engage users with text and images. Generative AI allows Xaidi to understand and respond to user input, creating a conversational experience similar to talking with a real person. Additionally, Xaidi can interact with users using both text and images, providing a richer and more interactive experience. This technology enables Xaidi to offer personalized support and guidance to families of neurodivergent individuals, making it easier for them to access information and resources related to their loved one's condition.

We have 4 full time software developers, one part-time developer. 

We have worked on it since August 2023, that makes it almost 8 months.