The YeneHealth app helps women in Ethiopia take control of their reproductive health. Confidential counseling and sex education are aimed at breaking taboos and improving care.
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00:00Entrepreneur Kydis Tesfaye was born in Ethiopia.
00:03She's all too familiar with the taboos that pervade her country.
00:07After graduating from Harvard University in the US,
00:10she returned to Ethiopia.
00:12Her vision? To advance women's health care with her start-up.
00:18When I first came to Ethiopia, I went to the pharmacy to buy sanitary pads.
00:23And I ordered, and the pharmacist went to the back,
00:27brought it, he wrapped it in a newspaper and then gave it to me.
00:31And I was like, wait, I just ordered pads.
00:32The mission of her company, Yena Health,
00:35is to help girls and women gain a better understanding of their bodies and health.
00:39Yena means my in Amharic, so my health.
00:43Many girls in Ethiopia don't know much about menstruation
00:47until they experience it themselves.
00:49The stigma prevents many women from talking about it openly.
00:54A lot of the times, patients are just scared to talk about it
00:56or ask questions, and they end up in circumstances
00:59that have to get them hospitalised.
01:02Fewer than a third of the 60 million women in Ethiopia
01:06have sufficient access to menstrual products.
01:09Some have to use unsanitary materials, such as rags, or newspapers instead.
01:14Kedes Tesfaye wants to harness the potential of technology
01:17to make women's health care affordable and accessible.
01:21We're trying to, you know, pioneer that new era of digital health,
01:24where people are using their mobile phones to, you know,
01:28make purchases or talk to doctors or get their prescriptions.
01:33The free app works on smartphones and computers.
01:35Women can consult doctors online.
01:38What can I help you with?
01:40I'm not feeling well.
01:41Like, I have period cramps and they're really painful.
01:45Could you just help me decide which medications to take?
01:50OK, so is your menstrual cycle usually...
01:52The cost of an online consultation like this is lower than one in person.
01:56GeneHealth helps women live better lives, healthier lives.
02:01I think it empowers women to not be ashamed.
02:04I think it strips away the stigma of a lot of female-related health,
02:09health, not issues, but matters, that are a taboo in the society.
02:15Gela Nedisasa also uses GeneHealth to have menstrual products
02:19and supplements delivered directly to her home.