Kenya environment and health reporter, Verah Okeyo, wins Microsoft Modern Journalism and ICFJ Alumni reporting grant program award.
Verah Okeyo is an environment and health reporter at The Daily Nation in Kenya. She is one of the first two Microsoft Modern Journalism grant program award recipients. Her project looks to uncover why child mortality is declining in some Kenyan counties and rising in others.
Microsoft’s Modern Journalism program is a Data Journalism and Immersive Storytelling grant initiative in partnership with International Center for Journalists (ICFJ). The imitative will award grants to alums of ICFJ programs for reporting projects focusing on data journalism and immersive technology. In two phases, there will be the Data Journalism award and the Storytelling award, with two recipients in each category.
Microsoft says it “recognizes not just the fundamental need for a free press., But also the fundamental need for the free press to adapt to how people seek information.”
“How can we help journalists around the world tell stories. From sports updates to watchdog investigations, in ways that promote transparency, understanding and engagement?
The grant program will operate in two phases. The first will award funding and hands-on data journalism training to two alumni of ICFJ programs. The second phase will award grants for funding and training journalists need to pioneer storytelling using immersive technologies like livestreaming and mixed reality.” – Microsoft
ICJF’s Senior Vice President of new initiatives, Sharon Moshavi, talks about the collaboration with Microsoft.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Microsoft Modern Journalism Initiative. To support reporting projects focused on data analysis and immersive storytelling. Through these projects, we aim to highlight innovative ways that journalists can enhance news coverage and connect more deeply with audiences.”
Child Mortality Project
Verah Okeyo’s data driven investigations will use demographic health surveys, studies and research to track Kenya’s child mortality since 1965. She says “rather than selecting a county or a set of circumstances from the outset, the investigation will follow a meaningful analysis of the available data.”
“Okeyo will work with her colleagues at the Nation Media Group science desk to investigate child mortality trends in Kenya. By pairing demographic data analysis with field reporting at health facilities. She says the team hopes their work will inform ongoing efforts to extend the lifespan of children in the country”. – ICJF
Verah will receive $7,500 and hands-on data visualization training using Microsoft Power BI.
The second part of the grant, Immersive Storytelling is currently opened. It is opened to journalists from all beats who would benefit from immersing audiences in their stories. Click to apply.
mDex a health solution by AfriGal Technologies a 2016 Microsoft #MakeWhatsNext Patent Program participant is in the patent pending status.
#MakeWhatsNext Patent Program is a Microsoft initiative to support and mentor female inventors protect their ideas and further their innovations. Of all patents worldwide currently, only 7.5% are by women. The #MakeWhatsNext Patent Program is Microsoft’s way of trying to do something about it.
Microsoft announced four innovators including mDEX by AfriGal Tech from Uganda for the first cohort of the initiative. The Selected inventors have ideas focused on making a change in their local communities and the world. Microsoft says;
“A generation without sickle cell disease could start here. We’re proud to help women patent and protect great ideas. Today, their inventions are Patent Pending”.
Hopefully the patent gets granted.
mDex is a mobile sickle cell diagnostic tool. It uses the power of a smart phone to take blood slide pictures and have them analyzed to detect the presence of sickle cells.
In Uganda, 30,000 babies are born with sickle cell anemia each year. Of those children, 80% will die before the age of five. AfriGal Tech is a group of female technologists from Uganda hoping to change that.
Some benefits of the initiative includes having Microsoft’s patent law team help you through your patent application process. Microsoft’s patent lawyers vet all prospective teams’ ideas to ensure their inventions are patent-eligible. The lawyers advise teams on how and what to document in order to protect ideas and create a thorough application. All legal expertise and application fees are covered pro bono by Microsoft’s patent law department.
Learn more about mDex and the AfriGal Tech team from #MakeWhatsNext page. Check out the AfriGal Technologies page and follow their innovations.
Bisa is a health application platform that brings a doctor to the patient via a smartphone or web app.
Bisa Health app is a mobile application that allows people with a smartphone interact with medical practitioners. The user does not have to be present physically at a hospital or medical facility. The platform isn’t an alternative to seeking a health treatment. It seeks to bridge the health information gap.
This is an advantage to people who need medical care and advice but are not able to visit the hospital for various reasons like; poverty, long queues at the hospital and the fear of stigmatization; especially for people who have symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Diseases(STDs) or diseases in areas that they feel are private or that makes them embarrassed to seek the needed treatment.
The Bisa Health App founders believe there is a gap in the healthcare system. Where some people are not able to easily seek medical help when needed and the platform can address this gap. However, healthcare is a basic amenity which everyone should be able to access and Bisa seeks to address this disparity in access to healthcare.
The app does not only address the problems of getting medical attention from qualified doctors but it also helps in the prevention and spread of disease by providing up-to-date information on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of common diseases and how to control spread of diseases during outbreaks.
How It Works
Currently the Bisa App is only available for Windows mobile devices from the Windows store. Maybe there’ll be a universal windows app soon?
Download the app from the Windows store . You do not need to sign in to ask a question. But you’ll need to provide some details so you can receive a reply to your question.
Bisa App is supposed to revolutionize health care in Ghana and Africa. From the comfort of your home, office, etc ask a doctor any question.
If you are not sure how to describe an ailment, you can take a picture of the affected skin or medical condition and attach it for better assessment and answering.
When you ask a question, you’ll need to give it sometime before you receive a reply. I sent a question in the morning and got a reply in the evening.
Also there are other health information’s available in the application that spans various topics. The platform also seeks to provide real time information to people on health issues when there’s an epidemic or outbreak.
Give the app a try. Download it, ask a question get a reply and tell us what you think.
