HelpMe Feed App at Women Deliver Conference Vancouver
Last week HelpMe Feed was lucky enough to attend the Women Deliver Conference in Vancouver. This is the world’s largest conference on gender equality and the health, rights, and well-being of girls and women.
We were thrilled to attend this conference at such a crucial point in the development of our HelpMe Feed app and were excited to share our work with leaders and innovators in gender equality from across the world.
We spent three days at the conference meeting health workers, innovators and key figures in the areas of women’s health and equality. The exhibition hall served as the main hub of the conference and was lined with dozens of exhibition booths, all hives of activity and color. From UNICEF to the World Health Organization to grassroots community associations and micro-businesses, the conference was buzzing with energy and conversation.
Top 5 Conference Moments
Appy Hour!
Our highlight of the event was when Maddy presented HelpMe Feed at the Women Deliver Appy Hour. This was an incredible experience, where we, among other technologists working to improve lives for girls and women, presented our app to attendees and give them the opportunity to test it out.
2. Meeting Julia Gillard, the former (and first female) Prime Minister of Australia after watching her deliver a keynote speech at the conference about the importance of data and accountability in improving the lives of girls and women.
Ms. Gillard was kind enough to stop and say “g’day” while learning a little about what we are building at HelpMe Feed.
3. Sharing HelpMe Feed with International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) delegates—it was so useful to be able to talk about HelpMe Feed with these potential new users.
We found that, just as research shows, the issues facing new parents and breastfeeding mothers are shared across all parts of the world.
4. Attending an incredible variety of seminars and power talks as well as expert panels on maternal and infant health
One of these was Supporting Women Who Breastfeed: Paid Leave and Family-Friendly Workplace Policies, a panel organized by the Maternal Childhood Survival Program with UNICEF, and the World Health Organization. Here we heard from researchers and health advocates for maternal and infant health making a meaningful impact in their communities.
5. Meeting the organizations doing innovative work to improve maternal and infant health
One such organisation was the National Aboriginal Council of Midwives who exist to promote excellence in reproductive health care for Inuit, First Nations, and Métis women. You can find out more about the NACM’s work here: https://indigenousmidwifery.ca/mission-vision-values/
What’s next for HelpMe Feed?
App launch imminent
We’re in the final stages of testing HelpMe Feed and it will soon be available for all residents of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Sign up here for early access to the app : https://helpmefeed.org/early-access
ILCA Engage 2019