About the project

Team members

Ange Buhendwa : Full stack developer
Andrew Bakareke : Frontend developer
Arnaud Nshuti : Front end developer

Inspiration

The inspiration for IMIZI came from observing how technology often gets blamed for deteriorating family relationships, when in fact it could be harnessed as a solution. Seeing parents struggle to balance work commitments while staying involved in their children's education and safety sparked the idea to create an app that transforms smartphones from the problem into the solution for family cohesion.

What we learned

I learned how to use websocket and implement real-time sharing location, which was crucial for the safety features of our app. Additionally, I gained valuable insights into:

Building user-centric solutions that address real family needs
Developing a multi-featured platform with different user types (parents and children)
Designing intuitive interfaces that work for various age groups
Integrating educational content within a family management system
Creating secure channels for sensitive reporting of issues like GBV and child abuse

How we built it

FamilyConnect was built using a combination of:

React Native for cross-platform mobile development
Oauth2 for user authentication and database management
WebSockets for real-time location sharing between family members
Node.js backend to handle API requests and service integration
Secure communication protocols for the abuse reporting functionality

Challenges we faced

The challenge was to find a good idea and the time to implement it. Other significant hurdles included:

Balancing feature richness with simplicity to ensure the app remains accessible to all
Ensuring privacy and security, especially for children's data and location information
Creating an effective abuse reporting system that connects to relevant authorities
Designing parenting and educational content that's culturally relevant and adaptable
Developing a monetization strategy that doesn't restrict access to essential features

Next steps

Going forward, we plan to:

Conduct user testing with diverse family structures
Partner with child protection organizations to strengthen the reporting features
Develop more localized educational content
Implement AI-driven recommendations for parenting resources
Explore integration with school systems for educational continuity