Nigerian Health-Tech Startup ‘HelpMum’ Wins $50,000 Prize

The Waislitz awards today announced winners of her annual cash reward. Among the Four winners announced today is Nigerian health tech startup, HelpMum. HelpMum is the only African start-up amongst the Four Global winners for the 2021 Waislitz Global Citizen Award. Asides from winning the COVID – 19 Response award, HelpMum would also be receiving $50,000. As the name implies, HelpMum is on a mission to eradicate maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria using simple low-cost, and digital innovations. The health-tech startup is run by Founder & CEO – Dr. Abiodun Adereni.

The Waislitz Global Citizen Awards is an annual cash prize totaling $250,000 that recognizes excellent individuals in their work to end extreme poverty. The grand prize is $100,000 with three additional prizes at $50,000 each, a total of four prizes. The awards were presented by the Melbourne-based Waislitz Foundation and Global Citizen, and in 2020 are supported by the leading US and Australian-based cellular medicines company, Mesoblast Ltd and global fund management group Paradise Investment Management Pty Ltd and individuals who are considered to be global change-makers. The prizes help institution believes that the cash prize will enable the recipients to further implement their advocacy efforts especially to end extreme poverty.

This year 2021, the Waislitz Global Citizen Awards applicants were evaluated in five areas particularly: global citizenship, proof of concept, disruption, scalability, and adaptability. According to the platform, hundreds of applications were received from participants from across the world. Global Citizen selected 4 people whose projects stood out as exceptional, creative, and important in the fight to defeat extreme poverty. Winners of the prize include Bina Shrestha who founded Build Up Nepal, an organization that helps rural families build homes with environmentally friendly materials after a devastating earthquake destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses in Nepal in 2015. Her startup also offers entrepreneurial opportunities to people as well. Other winners of the Globa citizen prize include Tania Rosas’ Fundación el Origen (Origin Learning Fund), Jimmy Pham’s  Know One Teach One (KOTO), and Nigeria’s Dr. Abiodun Adereni of  HelpMum.

During the height of the pandemic, HelpMum manufactured and distributed protective masks to pregnant mothers and launched the first e-learning platform to train childbirth attendants in rural areas remotely and prevent cases of maternal mortality. Ever since the startup has continued to work to ensure safe and hygienic delivery among pregnant women in rural and underserved communities. Some of the amazing things HelpMum continues to do include the distribution of affordable birth kits including cleansed gloves, antiseptic soaps, sterilized delivery mats, and maternity pads.

Speaking with the founder of HelpMum – Dr. Abiodun Adereni, he says “Winning this award will help us at HelpMum scale our solutions — especially those we developed during COVID, help accelerate the impact we’ve had so far, and save more lives in remote communities. We are extremely grateful for this support from Global Citizen, Waislitz Foundation, and Mesoblast.”. In 2018, HelpMum has also announced the winner of the Google Impact Challenge, a challenge that received $250,000. It later won another $5,000 grant from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Congratulations HelpMum, Techbooky wishes you more giant strides.