The Situation

Founded in 2002, Dimagi believes mobile solutions are key to improving the quality and efficiency of global development programs. Dimagi builds and helps organizations deploy the open source CommCare platform, which enables anyone to configure sophisticated, customizable mobile applications that function offline. The CommCare platform is currently used by frontline programs in more than 130 countries, and by over 10 percent of the community health workers in lower- and middle-income countries. Dimagi has rapidly deployed the CommCare platform globally for COVID-19 containment and mitigation efforts, as well as for a growing number of governments requesting Dimagi’s support. The organization has created new CommCare apps for contact tracing and other COVID-19 response activities, and modified existing apps to help frontline health workers respond to the pandemic.

The Roadblock

Dimagi saw a need to build nimble COVID-19 apps for surveillance, monitoring, and other important response activities that work entirely via SMS and/or Whatsapp, rather than requiring smartphone apps for frontline workers. Rapidly addressing this critical roadblock would enable many more health workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 to safely and effectively follow response protocols and help them fight the crisis.

Open Road’s Response

ORA provided a charitable grant of $100,000 to help Dimagi build COVID-19 surveillance and monitoring systems that work entirely via SMS and/or Whatsapp. The community-based system aims to help over 10,000 frontline workers respond to COVID-19 safely and effectively, and in turn help over 500,000 community members be safely and correctly monitored.

To learn more visit: dimagi.com