De Rehoboth Therapeutic: Holistic healthcare solutions for low income families in Nigeria

I am a medical student and a self motivated and enthusiastic alternative therapy professional with a positive attitude. Extensive experience in the area of building relationship and rapport with clients and colleagues, a holistic healing specialist successful at working cooperatively with clients to identify and address impediment to personal growth and health.

I have an extensive knowledge of ancient medicine, holistic healing Practices, relaxation techniques and body-mind awareness exercises.

My values: services to others,

Leadership: The valor to shape a better future.

Excellence: To stand out and be known.

Passion: Committed in heart and mind.

Integrity: Genuine and reliable.

Years back as a child raise in a poor background I often return to the hospital as I was always unable to fully recover in my home environment and as I grew up seeing others pass through same challenge of sickness, treatment and relapse and how women in my community die every minutes from complications from pregnancy and child birth I saw the need to create an alternative healthcare solution that would support all aspect that contribute to individual total wellness and this led to the creation of DE REHOBOTH THERAPEUTIC STUDIO Port Harcourt, Nigeria on the 2nd of October, 2014.

Your products and services :

DE REHOBOTH is a holistic healthcare solution for low income families in mgbuoba community Nigeria, we work to promote the self sustainability of families in poor health and at social risk, at DE REHOBOTH we help these individuals take active part in the maintenance of their health and in the treatment of their disorders through a more natural approach to healing. This is a start up created as a deliberate intervention to stimulate the total well being of low income families in Nigeria & to ensure that childbirth is safer, infection rate reduced, women have the essential kits for a clean delivery. It is a sustainable healthcare solution for the poor with maternal mortality reduction and holistic healthcare as the first steps- Millions of lives are being saved through meeting the needs of women and children in small and powerful ways. This means fewer women are dying in child birth and more children are living to see their fifth birthday, families are also offered a holistic healthcare package to address both the biological diseases and the economic factors that aggravates them. At DE REHOBOTHS we believe that 80% of maternal and neonatal death can be prevented and individuals can live a disease free life we are acting it out by giving access to basic healthcare and maternal health care- we call it a simple solution that saves life.10-18 small items makes a big difference: gauze, a scalpel blade, gloves, a plastic sheet, a receiving flannel, a tablet of soap, a bottle of disinfectant, a piece of cord clamp, sanitary pads, a bottle of olive oil, mucus extractor, immunization card, immunization and ante natal reminder form as a part of a clean birthing kit, these items are the vital resources for health workers to ensure that child birth is safe and clean and infection rate are lowered, for a reduced cost of 1,000 Naira per kit DE REHOBOTHS has decreased maternal and neonatal mortality rate by 90% in the community it serves exceeding the UN’s millennium development goals. secondly DE REHOBOTH aims to break the cycle of poverty and suffering by providing holistic support to the low income families in Nigeria to address their total wellbeing and prevent relapse, it espouses a model of healthcare that transcends the traditional medical perspective of disease as a simple matter of biology and addresses the major aspect that contribute to total well being including biological, social and psychological factors with the tailor made family plan that addresses several dimension of health at once including health, income generation, housing, education and citizenship. DE REHOBOTH methodology treats the root of the problem by bringing the family out of poverty, more than a mere assistance the DE REHOBOTH provides support for the family for the long term by empowering them to become economically and socially self sufficient.The key to DE REHOBOTH’s methodology is the family action plan, a blue print made in conjunction with the family that outline the major goal a family should aim to achieve in the five basic pillars of health, the process begins when a patient comes to us or is referred a thorough history of the patient is taken to determine if our intervention is necessary. Our five basic health pillars are

• Health: DE REHOBOTH provides specialized food, medicine and technical support to ensure that the patient’s chronic or acute illness is well managed. By the end every member of the family should be at least in a satisfactory condition.
• Housing: Homes in poor conditions are repaired and refurbished using materials and labour provided by DE REHOBOTH to give access to basic amenities such as portable clean water, good sewage/refuse disposal units at a very reduced price.
• Income generation: Family members particularly mothers are enrolled in professional training courses where they learn marketable skills that help ensure stable and raised income upon graduation.
• Citizenship: DE REHOBOTH provides guidance in obtaining official registration documentation which permits access to government social service program.
• Education: Parents and teenagers attend educational lectures on issues such as nutrition, hygiene, violence, infant development, family planning, STDs, AIDS etc.

Your success factors

So far we have had more than 6,000 beneficiaries of our services, currently we have our impact in 15 villages which make up mgbuoba community and this number will continue to grow as we become more established and it is expected to reach more 10,000 persons within the next 2 years as we replicate our effort to other poor communities in Nigeria. DE REHOBOTH has carefully tracked the families within the program from their initial interview to their final Graduation, the result of this review program shows significant result. for a reduced cost of 1,000 Naira per delivery kit DE REHOBOTHS has decreased maternal and neonatal mortality rate by 90% in the community it serves exceeding the UN’s millennium development goals, family income increased by an average of 42% while the numbers of days of hospitalization reduced by more than 66% considering that the average cost of hospitalization is $100/day. DE REHOBOTH’s intervention brought vast savings for families. In addition before our intervention in Mgbuoba community every 10 minutes a woman dies from complication of pregnancy or child birth, only 28% were considered to be in good health, 48% in satisfactory health and 24% in life threatening conditions and after families were assisted by the organization the number drastically shifted to one complication at birth in 6months,52% in good health,41% in satisfactory and only 8% in life threatening condition.

We already have some of our organic based formulated product[ NONIMEL MIXTURE-herbal immune tonic] in the market but working  to meet the high demand of this product. In the nearest future we plan to replicate our effort to the Northern communities in Nigeria were these challenges are also prevalent but our largest foreseeable challenge is lack of financial resources to enable us carry out our activities to the fullest of our abilities.

Your factors differentiating and disruptive compared to the existing

There are international aid organization giving out birth kits in Nigeria but the kits are not as comprehensive as ours. Ours contains about 10-18 sterile supply a woman needs at childbirth and the instructional manuals are printed in English, French and the community local dialect for clarity. Distribution of aids kits is dependent on the ngo distributing and not on the need and timing of the ultimate consumer. Our kits put the choice in the hands of women who needs them. Our kits also have a sustainability model with helps women not only to have clean safe and hygienic delivery but also to achieve financial independence -In the last one year, we have sold over 2,000 kits, economically empowered 49 women who act as our agent across different villages in the community we are part of and by the end of 2017, we are working towards a projected sales of 24,000 kits as we replicate our effort in other part of the nation and at least with 120 women as our sales agent and from the sales of the kits, our agents are able to make an income, support her family, send her children to school or even start a small business]. Before our intervention in this community traditional birth attendants  use rusty blades and glass to severe umbilical cords, use mouth to suck out mucus ,women giving birth lay on bare floor or on plastic bags sterilized with salt ,tie the umbilical cord with piece of cloth or dirty rope but now they will now have access to scalpel blades, midwives in  this community will no longer have to use their mouth to suck out mucus to prevent birth asphyxia, they will now use a mucus extractor, a woman giving birth will no longer lay on the bare floor or use a plastic bag sterilized with salt, she will be lying on our sterilized absorbent delivery mat and her baby received with our sterilized infant receiver, and the umbilical cord tied with our sterilized cord clamp.

Also in this community the most common method use when sick is visit to a medicine dealer [papa udochukwu] in the community like in any other typical rural setting in Nigeria, this village chemist who had no training in pharmacy and almost every complaint was first treated for malaria and one will dose with quinine and over the counter drug and if that does not work they will be further treated for another common health challenge” typhoid “without taking proper assessment and diagnosis of the patient or even orientating the patient the possible ways to prevent the malaria or typhoid he is trying to treat them of, but since creation our intervention brought vast savings for families. DE REHOBOTH has carefully tracked the families within the program from their initial interview to their final Graduation, the result of this review program shows significant result. for a reduced cost of 1,000 Naira [$2] per delivery kit DE REHOBOTHS has decreased maternal and neonatal mortality rate by 90% in the community it serves exceeding the UN’s millennium development goals, family income increased by an average of 42% while the numbers of days of hospitalization reduced by more than 66% considering that the average cost of hospitalization is $100/day. In addition before our intervention in Mgbuoba community every 10 minutes a woman dies from complication of pregnancy or child birth, only 28% were considered to be in good health, 48% in satisfactory health and 24% in life threatening conditions and after families were assisted by the organization the number drastically shifted to one complication at birth in 6months, 52% in good health, 41% in satisfactory and only 8% in life threatening condition.To the best of my knowledge DE REHOBOTH is the only systematic antipoverty healthcare program developed in Nigeria and fully run by members of the civil society, rather than compete with medical professionals, DE REHOBOTH complements their services by expanding their treatment and making them more effective.DE REHOBOTH utilizes a centralized approaches that focus on the family over the long term.

Your business model (how do you make money?)

Our model employ this ethics “Profit for Purpose” business which is “led by a mission to achieve social, community and environmental benefit. We listen to our customers and analyze their needs to understand their changing need to the continual development and introduction of exciting value for money product/services, known for providing great value for money product our pricing strategy allows it quality product to be more affordable and appealing to a wide range of people, Basically I realize that healthcare is a calling & as well a business & like every other successful business it is customer driven, I understand & know how to leverage consumer centric experience that haven’t been traditionally associated with the healthcare industry. I understand that healthcare is a relationship industry & I know how to connect & work with key internal stakeholders-employees, other physicians & consumers including- patients, families & the communities I serve, more importantly I understand how to integrate these relationship & unite them under a single vision. Becoming more efficient is the key to sustaining healthcare services.

A few words about your competitors:

To the best of my knowledge DE REHOBOTH is the only systematic antipoverty healthcare program developed in Nigeria and fully run by members of the civil society, rather than compete with medical professionals, DE REHOBOTH complements their services by expanding their treatment and making them more effective.DE REHOBOTH utilizes a centralized approaches that focus on the family over the long term. 

To learn more about you (website, twitter, video presentation …)

Meet the young woman with a healthcare service for Nigeria’s low-income families

http://www.splaaro.com/2016/08/12/how-im-helping-to-solve-health-problems-facing-lower-income-households-in-my-community/

https://globalhealthnerd.wordpress.com/2015/11/18/reimagining-nigerian-health-care/.

http://www.anzishaprize.org/2015/09/17/meet-africas-top-young-entrepreneurs-for-2015/.

Meet four young business people pursuing their passions in Nigeria

https://youtu.be/qBpGz4oDf8M