DAWA Mobile Health
About Us
Dawa Mobile Health is a last mile health care solution. Its aim is to deliver effective, affordable, and sustainable health care services to rural communities in Chad. Dawa works as an add-on to existing health care infrastructure for rural communities by travelling to the villages, collecting samples and returning with treatment.
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Dawa was founded to address bilharzia, a water-transmitted parasite, which is still at the core of the work. Once launched, Dawa saw the needs in other areas and now Dawa works with multiple health conditions including chronic illnesses, maternal health and more, as well as research and knowledge development.
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Dawa Mobile Health is a non-profit organization registered in Chad since 2017. The team is slim but specialized with Dr Didier Lalaye leading medical expertise and research.
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The team also holds expertise in innovative organizational development, lab services, accounting, impact monitoring, community health care delivery, and more. Dawa works closely with external experts including Utrecht Medical Center and N’Djamena University.
Our History
Dawa Mobile Health was founded in 2014 by Dr Didier Lalaye, while still in medical school. During a visit to his hometown, Pala, he noticed many children with clear signs of bilharzia but noone had recognised that this could be treated.
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Without access to lab services, the children could not be diagnosed and therefore not treated. He realised that with simple lab equipment and awareness-raising, these children could be treated very cheaply, avoiding a life-time of health complications.
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Dawa launched as a project in the organization Tchad Plus in 2014. It worked in Pala and Torrock.
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In 2015, Dr Didier Lalaye started a PhD program at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He studied bilharzia, including prevalence, complications, diagnostic methods, and treatment, as well as the development of digital health services in Africa.
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During this time, Dawa has been operating continuously but lightly in Pala. Over 8,000 tests have been administered and over 2,000 cases treated in Torrock alone.
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In 2023, Dr Lalaye was ready to return to Dawa full time and applied for funding from Grand Challenges Canada to launch Dawa in the Lac Tchad region.
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The Lac Tchad region has experienced significant draughts due to climate change which has resulted in more bodies of stagnant water and higher risk of endemic bilharzia.
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During this project, we have treated 600 people for bilharzia. We have also developed a successful partnership with the regional hospital in Ngouri. We have also piloted services in maternal health, tuberculosis, and medication delivery.
Core Principles
Transport information not patients
The core concept of Dawa is to avoid displacing patients unless necessary. Most of the time the Dawa staff can transport samples or equipment and then the results of an examination, and the patients can stay in place.
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Minimal needed resources per level
For human resources as well as technical equipment, the idea is that the operations are the most sustainable when the minimal levels of resources are used. For example, a doctor is only needed in regional hospitals, a nurse is only needed for certain exams. Many exams can be done in the field with simple versions of equipment.
Organisational Sustainability
The nature of the work needs to be sustainable, durable – be delivered regardless of what happens near or far. Therefore, Dawa is committed to establishing an operation that can deliver over many years to come.
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Dawa incorporates lessons from cutting edge research on organizational sustainability developed by InterBusiness Initiative. This means Dawa is committed to practicing four core organizational competencies.
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Purpose – Defining the organization by its objective (healthier lives for rural populations) rather than the operational approach enables to organization to adapt better to changes.
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Organizational empathy – Means listening to stakeholders without emphasis on hierarchy. Patients and field agents are often those who will ignite a new service or improvement.
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Systems approach – An organization never operates in a vacuum. Understanding the system around and our place within enables us to find synergies and adapt when needed.
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Transformation – More important each day, being able to adapt to changes in the world and operating environment is crucial.
Our Team
The Dawa team consists of the central team and local operational teams.
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The central team manages the overall operations, including core expertise, innovation, program development, fundraising, finance, and communication.
Local Team
The local teams manage the local operations of each site and include doctor, lab technicians, nurses, and agents.
International Expertise
In addition to our internal teams, Dawa also works with external experts in several areas.
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Prof Tom de Jong is a pediatric urologist at Utrecht Medical Center. He has been a part of Dawa since its launch and has supervised Dr Lalaye’s PhD research. Prof de Jong continues to be a partner and a key member of Dawa’s research team.
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Dr. Didier Lalaye is a member of the Committee of International Experts on Digital Health for Africa (CEiSNA - Comité d'Experts Internationaux en Santé Numérique pour l'Afrique). CEiSNA is a leading initiative that aims to bring together key players in the digital health sector to collaborate on developing innovative strategies, policies, and solutions in Africa. This committee will play a key role in exploring and promoting digital health innovation on the African continent, with the aim of improving medical care and accessibility to medical services through digital technologies in Africa.