African Mothers Co., Ltd.: “United Republic of Tanzania / Demonstration Project for an Integrated Mobile Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application for Pregnant and Nursing Women” Selected for METI’s FY2024 Supplementary Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project Subsidy (Small-Scale Demonstration / FS Program)
African Mothers Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Kimiyoshi Yokogawa), a wholly owned subsidiary of Castalia Co., Ltd., hereby announces that on February 5, 2026, its project titled “United Republic of Tanzania / Pilot Project for an Integrated Mobile Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application for Pregnant and Nursing Women” was selected for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)’s FY2024 Supplementary Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project Subsidy (Small-Scale Demonstration / Feasibility Study Program).
The selected project aims to examine and verify the feasibility of introducing a mobile maternal and child health handbook application for pregnant and nursing women in the United Republic of Tanzania. Through the centralized management of maternal health information, the strengthening of health guidance by medical professionals, and the development of foundational data for maternal and child health policies through data linkage, the project seeks to build a sustainable maternal and child health infrastructure.
* Special website for the FY2024 Supplementary Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project Subsidy (Small-Scale Demonstration / Feasibility Study Program)
https://gs-hojo-web-fspoc.jp/index.html
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Background and Purpose of the Project
In many African countries, maternal and child health records are still primarily managed in paper form, and the lack of systematic sharing and utilization of information on the health status and medical examination history of pregnant women and infants has become a factor hindering improvements in the quality of healthcare and reductions in maternal mortality. In addition, challenges remain in ensuring continuous health guidance by midwives and in promoting regular medical checkups for pregnant women.
In light of these circumstances, African Mothers has developed and deployed in Tanzania a smartphone-based maternal and child health handbook application, “Taarifa za Mama” (meaning “Mother’s Records” in Swahili), and has established a system that enables real-time sharing and visualization of prenatal checkup records. By transitioning from paper-based record management to digitalization, the company aims to improve the quality of guidance provided by healthcare professionals and to encourage pregnant women to attend regular medical checkups.
Building on these efforts, this project seeks to further advance the centralized management of maternal and child health data and strengthen data linkage, thereby creating a more convenient health management environment for both pregnant women and healthcare professionals. Through these initiatives, the project aims to reduce the workload of midwives, enhance pregnant women’s understanding of their own health, and contribute to the advancement of maternal and child health policies at the community level, as well as to long-term improvements in health indicators.
Leveraging African Mothers’ track record and operational experience in the field, this project represents an important initiative toward establishing a sustainable digital maternal and child health model.
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| Taarifa za Mama |
■ About the “FY2024 Supplementary Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project Subsidy (Small-Scale Demonstration / FS Program)”
This subsidy program supports the development of overseas businesses that contribute to sustainability and the resolution of social issues through co-creation between Japanese companies and countries in the Global South (*1). In particular, it targets infrastructure projects that contribute to solving social challenges and solutions that utilize digital technologies.
*1: “Global South countries” refers to emerging and developing countries, mainly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
■ About African Mothers Co., Ltd.
African Mothers Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Castalia Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Satoshi Yamawaki), specializing in digital maternal and child health services in Africa. With Professor Yoko Shinpuku of the Faculty of Medicine, Hiroshima University, serving as an outside director, the company is developing and deploying the smartphone application “Taarifa za Mama” (meaning “Mother’s Records” in Swahili) in the United Republic of Tanzania.
URL：http://africanmothers.net/
■About Castalia Co., Ltd.
Castalia Co., Ltd. operates under the mission of “solving social issues through education and IT.” The company develops and provides the mobile learning platform “Goocus.” In addition to its proprietary programming education materials, Castalia conducts business not only in Japan but also primarily in the Middle East and Africa. Through expanding educational opportunities and fostering ICT human resources, the company contributes to the creation of a sustainable society.
URL：https://en.castalia.co.jp/