Usalama Application, Kenya

Project name: Usalama Application

Project location: Nairobi is the headquarter but it has downloads from around the world

Website: http://www.usalamatechnology.com/mtaani

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/UsalamaApplication/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/usalama_app

Project description:

The Usalama app (http://bit.ly/usalama) is a platform that connects users and emergency service providers (ambulance, security, police, road-side assistance and Gender Based Violence) in a quick and efficient manner, utilizing real-time user data, and an integrated web-based back-end portal. Usalama changes the landscape of emergency services globally.

Usalama is an android application combined with a backend portal for the provider. When our end users are in an emergency and trigger a distress signal (either by long pressing volume down, shaking the phone thrice or tapping the emergency icon), the app sends a description of their emergency, their GPS location, and the location of the nearest providers to two sets of people:

The victim's personal and pre-determined emergency contacts
An agent employed by an emergency provider (e.g. an ambulance driver)

When the notification is opened, the responders can view the victim's location, the three nearest emergency agents, and a description of the emergency.

To enhance accuracy of response, GPS data will be updated every five minutes. All of this data (number of distresses, location, responses and responders) will accumulate for analysis and continuous monitoring by the service providers. Access to this data will revolutionize the emergency service industry. It will help providers increase efficiencies, make informed, data-driven decisions, and allow end users to have access to enhanced security at their fingertips.

Goal and purpose of the project:

Uslama aims at linking victims of emergencies to their next of kin and emergency service providers quickly and accurately.
It extends the reach of emergency service providers (non-profit and for-profit) by providing an efficient way to reach provider subscribers and application end users.
We also work with free service providers to provide free assistance to victims of emergencies. We are working with ST Johns ambulance Kenya and Nairobi women's hospital Gender Violence Recovery Centers to provide the free rescue and recovery services to victims.

Motivation of the applicant / applicant team:

My co-founder Edwin Inganji was accosted by criminals while we were in university as he was going back to his hostel. He lost his personal belongings including his laptop, Mobile phone and money and was also roughed up in the ordeal. We later brainstormed and saw that it was difficult for him to raise alarm and came up with a strategy to communicate in case of such emergencies, especially with the high rates of insecurity within Nairobi and Kenya.

Use of prize money:

We are mainly going to invest the money in a USSD server in order to grow the usalama USSD service which we currently offer from our company finances. This will lower the cost for us for providing the service while at the same time increase the capacity of Usalama to reach even more individuals who do not have access to smartphones.

The other remaining amount will be used to finance the marketing efforts aimed at growing Usalama Applications downloads from the current 1,800 users to about 500,000.