On 15 November 2016, the UNICEF Innovation Fund announces its first portfolio of investments in open source technology solutions – Rah-e-maa, from the Innovations for Poverty Alleviation Lab at the Information Technology University  is among the first five companies to receive investment.

How would you describe your solution to a child?

When fathers call our hotline, a voice named Dr. Saba will answer and teach them how to care for their wives during pregnancy and the delivery. Dr. Saba tells dads important information that can help keep the mother and baby safe and healthy. This can include   what food a mom needs to eat when she is pregnant, and what the possible costs are a family might have during the delivery. Callers can also listen to other fathers share stories about when their babies were born so they can learn from those experiences.

We believe that fathers are not currently part of the conversations around maternal care. Lack of information makes it harder for fathers to make informed decisions and provide necessary support. We aim to bridge that information gap between fathers and doctors through  educating men in Pakistan about maternal health in this way.

What is unique about your solution?

Many programs targeted at reducing maternal mortality focus on women and few consider the role of expecting fathers. In Pakistan, men often decide whether or not to access healthcare and how to pay for it, yet they are least involved in pregnancy because it’s considered taboo. So while they are the decision-makers, the fathers are not expected to know what is best for their wives – it’s the woman’s role. Rah-e-maa tries to involve the fathers more during the pregnancy, and at a deeper level, tries to bring families on the same page about maternal and women’s health in general.

What inspired you to start your company?

Rah-e-maa is a group of professionals from four continents and diverse backgrounds: a public health practitioner, software engineer, designer, economist, social entrepreneur, and data scientist. We came together at the 2016 International Design Development Summit in Lahore where we were tasked with finding a workable ICT solution to reduce maternal mortality. To the kindred spirits this wasn’t an academic exercise – this would go on to change their career paths, the life choices they would make, and the specializations that would hold meaning for them. Rah-e-maa is hosted by the  Innovations for Poverty Alleviation Lab (IPAL) at the Information Technology University.