Team PVIS – Hackathon Champions
April 15, 2023 3:26 am | Posted in Business Profiles | Share now TwitterFacebook
Written By: Glenda Willie
Team Port Vila International School (PVIS), the youngest team which participated in the event was declared the Hackathon Champions and awarded VT100, 000 at the Pitching event held on Wednesday.
The PVIS Team’s focus is on providing healthcare and reproductive health services to address the issues surrounding these areas in Vanuatu.
These health issues mainly affect women in Vanuatu, including poverty, domestic violence, crime, unsafe abortions, teenage pregnancies, lack of education resulting in healthcare complications, and even death. The root causes of these issues include stigmas surrounding culture and opinions that are passed down through generations, inadequate government funding and resources, lack of sex and reproductive health education in schools, lack of mental health services, and lack of gender diversity in parliament.
To address the underlying issue of lack of awareness around women’s health and reproductive health, they planned to create the Vanuatu Health Hub concept. This information website aims to provide resources for all Ni Vanuatu, particularly women, on sexual and reproductive health.
The website will provide citizens with access to reliable and medically accurate information that is vital
to making informed decisions for themselves and their bodies. The Vanuatu Health Hub will provide
information in complete and non anonymity, making it easily accessible for those who do not have access to a doctor or may feel too embarrassed to seek help.
The website will offer trusted Vanuatu-based information in different languages, including contact
information for officials. The Hub will also contain a feature for users to ask questions and receive automated responses using AI software.
During the announcement of the winner, the judges congratulated Team PVIS and acknowledged the practical accessibility and innovation of their solution. Making healthcare services accessible is a top priority for everyone, and it is crucial to note that women are stigmatized but still require access to
health services.
President of V-Lab, Marc-Antoine Morel said, “On behalf of V-Lab, I would like to commend all the teams for their participation, their energy, and their commitment to improving gender equality in the country. It is our hope that this Hackathon will be the first of a long series, so that collectively, we can shape the future of Vanuatu through innovation and creative thinking”.
