Partnering for Innovation

At Proteknôn, innovation is a living practice rooted in participation, creativity, and real-world problem solving. We explore new ways to address the challenges that children, young people, and their caregivers face—always beginning by listening to those most affected.

True innovation is comprehensive: it emerges from lived experiences, is tested through practice, and is evaluated for impact and sustainability before scaling.

Partnering for Innovation: Developing IrindeBot in Rwanda

Our collaboration with Rwanda Women’s Network (RWN) and Rival Technologies exemplifies Proteknôn’s commitment to designing accessible, rights-based solutions that meet real needs.

Supported by a Stars in Global Health Grand Challenges Canada grant, we developed and piloted IrindeBot—a conversational chatbot—and the "Menya Wirinde" ("Learn so you can protect yourself") Facebook page between 2019 and 2020.

Key initiatives included:

• Grounding innovation in research: A 2018 study on adolescent perceptions of sex, love, and relationships revealed urgent gaps in accessible, relevant sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information for young people and their caregivers.

• Designing user-friendly tools: We developed IrindeBot in Kinyarwanda and English, using text, audio mini-dramas, and image selection to ensure accessibility even for low-literacy users.

• Enabling two-way communication: Unlike traditional information campaigns, the chatbot allowed adolescents and caregivers to ask questions and receive direct responses from trained associates.

• Creating safe spaces for dialogue: Through IrindeBot and the Menya Wirinde Facebook page, users engaged with reliable, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive SRHR information.

A Child- and Caregiver-Centered Approach

IrindeBot and the Menya Wirinde platform were designed to empower both young people and their caregivers to navigate sensitive topics with confidence and respect.

The chatbot content focused on three key areas:

1. "Let's Talk": Supporting open conversations between adolescents and caregivers about SRHR and relationships.

2. "My Body": Providing guidance on protecting adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights.

3. "My Relationships": Helping young people and caregivers strengthen healthy, rights-based relationships.

By offering flexible, interactive access across smartphones, tablets, and computers, we broadened opportunities for learning, even in settings with limited literacy.

What We Learned: Evaluating the Pilot

The pilot evaluation showed encouraging results:

• Users enjoyed the conversational, interactive format of the chatbot.

• Adolescents and caregivers strengthened intergenerational relationships through improved communication.

• Participants gained critical knowledge about high-risk behaviors and strategies to avoid them.

• Users expected real-time responses, demonstrating strong engagement and trust in the platform.

Scaling for Impact: Lessons and Decisions

Despite its success, the IrindeBot project was not scaled beyond the pilot for two key reasons:

• Limited device access: Internet-enabled device penetration in Rwanda’s Kinyarwanda-speaking communities was too low to justify scaling at that time. A Swahili-language expansion would have offered broader reach.

  
  

• Technical and regulatory challenges: Compliance with Rwandan ICT regulations would have required rebuilding the chatbot on a Rwanda-based server—an investment that was not feasible during the project timeline.

Our Commitment: Sustaining Innovation for Learning

Proteknôn remains committed to ensuring that innovation serves real needs and continues to foster learning. To sustain access to the project’s resources, we developed a dedicated webpage where anyone can access audio mini-dramas, discussion guides, quizzes, and scripts in both Kinyarwanda and English.

By sharing these resources openly, we continue to support meaningful dialogue and education on adolescent SRHR—paving the way for future innovations that are participatory, accessible, and grounded in children's rights.

For more information, click here.