Day two and the AISHA team is off! We commenced our morning reviewing what we had learned from Nurse Mabinty the day before, utterly convinced of the cruciality of our project and the imperativeness of AI’s integration into Sierra Leone’s healthcare system. Armed with a rekindled resolve, we set off for the World Hope International Office with the aim of developing an AISHA demo with a Krio Translation Feature, fine tuning the components of our device such as the Solar Panel and the MI-FI device, and coming up with a plan for soon-to-be presentations.
After cruising through the serene view of Makeni City, the team reached the WHI Office and started to work. Upon discussion, we thought it best to divide into two teams – The Tech Team and The Health Team. The Tech Team took charge of optimizing our Alexa’s code for efficiency, as well as sorting out any kinks that came up in usage via troubleshooting. The Health Team took charge of translating AISHA’s content from English to the local language Krio, and exploring possible routes for the implementation of the device in local clinics. Fortunately, the health team had help from an employee of World Hope International – Jawara. Jawara came in just as we were working on the AISHA’s translation, and provided us with invaluable feedback regarding the accuracy of AISHA’s Krio. Possessing a native knowledge of Krio, Jawara is an incredible resource who can double-check our work and ensure that it is ready for the locals in Makeni.
What proceeded after was a quick break into town in which the AISHA team and our mentor – Eric Obeysakre – grabbed a delicious lunch consisting of bread, boiled peppers, and eggs. Having barely eaten in hours, the lunch was extraordinary. Afterwards, we scoured the town for some supplies the project needed such as a SIM card for one of our members, an additional MI-FI device, and a power card to connect our solar panel to the Alexa Device. While we did manage to obtain a Sim Card and a MI-FI device, we struggled to find a power cord suiting our device which is certainly a challenge, however, it is a challenge that we hope to overcome in a few days.
Moving on from the market, we proceeded to visit the Makeni Regional Hospital to showcase our project to the staff and explore partnerships. We met with Dr. Sisay, the medical superintendent, and introduced the AISHA project to the reputed official. We investigated the potential use cases of the device in his hospital, its practicality, and overall benefit. He recognized the potential of the project, and gave valuable insights into the practicality of the object. He pointed out that the internet connection is unstable in the area, even with MI-FI devices, but still encouraged us to work with his colleague, Nurse Victoria, and help train her and the rest of her staff in the ANC (Antenatal Care). We were committed to figuring out an alternative solution to the connectivity issue and were pleased by this outcome, establishing a plan to visit the hospital again tomorrow but this time equipped with a prepared presentation and a demo of AISHA.
Picture of AISHA team and MHWT with Nurse Zainab and the ANC team at Makeni Regional Hospital.
On our way back, we gleefully stopped at a supermarket and stocked up on groceries and with a spring in our step, we went back to the hotel to prepare our demo. The rest of the evening was spent on a demo presentation which included rehearsing dialogues, drafting a workshop plan, calibrating and fixing issues with the device, and ensuring that our internet connection was stable.
The AISHA team waiting for the car to go to the supermarket!