Danish maternity app could save thousands in developing nations

NGO hopes crowd-funding will give the needed boost

Dec 9, 2014

The crowd-funded Danish maternity app Safe Delivery App could save thousands of mothers and infants in the developing world. It enables birth attendants to improve their skills and performance by watching animated instruction films.

The app – which has been developed by the Danish NGO Maternity Foundation in co-operation with researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Southern Denmark – prepares the attendants to handle complex and normal births. It is currently being tested in Ghana and the results are looking promising.

“The results of the clinical tests show that birth attendants who have access to the app have far more knowledge than those without it,” Anna Frellsen, the head of Maternity Foundation, told Metroxpress newspaper.

Yoko Ono approval
The app includes three instruction videos and the plan is to expand the app with an additional six videos before it is fully released on Mother's Day next year. But the developers are short of funds and although they've raised $37,425 via Indiegogo, their crowd-funding site, their goal is to raise $100,000 by December 10.

Yoko Ono tweeted last week to her almost five million followers that she supported the app and Frellsen hopes her backing will give them a chance of hitting their crowd-funding target. Should they be unable to raise the full amount, the balance will be provided by Maternity Foundation using other means.

According to Maternity Foundation, close to 300,000 mothers and three million babies die in connection with birth in the developing world. Some 90 percent of the deaths could be avoided with qualified birth assistance.