Youth-Driven Health Campaign Reaches Out to Samoan Community

Thursday, 1 June 2017

Youth-Driven Health Campaign Reaches Out to Samoan Community

A vibrant youth-driven campaign to raise awareness of rheumatic fever has now been brought to life for Samoan communities, with the launch of the beat.fever app in Samoan.

The beat.fever app was first launched in October 2016. It is an interactive youth-built app created by a group of South Auckland rangatahi that sends out a positive message about beating rheumatic fever in their community … in their own words, and set to their own beat.

Originally in English and te Reo Māori, due to the inspiration of a group of Samoan students involved in its creation, the app has now been narrated in the Samoan language. Readers can toggle between all three languages and hear authentic voices of their community.

In the words of the young students:

“We worked together as a group to make a poem to persuade people to see a doctor and get your sore throat sorted out or you could get rheumatic fever and heart damage. So if you have a sore and scratchy throat, do you want to be coughing about, do you want a throat red and sore, if you don’t well then LISTEN UP.” Mercedez, Rachel, Sisilia , Esther, Deja, Jazz and Praise The app was translated into Samoan by Alaelua Malesala, Kimiora Malesala and Patrick Mailata; and voiced by Feterika Fa'asu. Local cultural consultancy company Māori and Pasifika Support Services supervised the adaptation.

The whole beat.fever project has been run by technology innovators Kiwa Digital and managed by the National Hauora Coalition (NHC) who lead the rheumatic fever prevention programme for Counties Manukau Health.

NHC Clinical Director Dr Rawiri Jansen says “the project is really about giving voice and ownership to rangatahi – we are really excited to have young people informing the rheumatic fever prevention programme”.

Steven Renata CEO of Kiwa Digital says “This is the story about how young people in Counties Manukau are beating rheumatic fever. Told in their 'beat', using technology as the enabler. We are excited to help bring it to life in the Samoan language.”

The app is free to download for phones and tablets from the App Store and Google Play.

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