Pakistan’s First Win at Cannes Young Lions Competition

Silver Winner

About the Idea

  • Challenge

    Four out of five Indian mothers express concern about their child's growth. However, their focus is primarily on physical growth, especially during the child's formative years. Recognizing the significance of nutrition in fostering healthy development, mothers are vigilant about not letting their children skip meals. This increased attention to physical growth stems from advice from family members, guidance from doctors, and numerous nationwide campaigns that emphasize the importance of proper nutrition for optimal growth.

    However, when it comes to mental development, mothers receive little to no guidance. Unlike physical health indicators, which allow them to observe their child’s well-being directly, the absence of visible signs for mental development, coupled with the focus on physical growth, leaves mothers unaware of the urgency of early educational intervention.

  • Idea

    As parents—especially mothers who focus on development in the formative years, often advised to "feed them right so they can grow up strong"—we present "MaAl" (Hindi for "Mother"), an AI Companion designed to help mothers understand that children need not only the right food but also the right information to support their growth. MaAl is a tracker that helps identify developmental milestones through nutrition: these milestones can easily be tracked at home via the food provided by the Anganwadi nutrition program. By leveraging food for both physical growth and mental development, MaAl helps mothers recognize the importance of starting early with education.

  • Strategy

    According to a survey titled The Digital Usage of Indian Moms, WhatsApp is every mom’s best friend, particularly for new mothers who use it to seek advice for their child’s well-being. Additionally, Google Voice Assistant is used more in India than in other parts of the world. While most people our Anganwadi mother connects with on WhatsApp assist her with tracking her child’s physical milestones, we add "MaAl" to her phonebook. MaAl will engage with her through voice notes and text messages (in Hindi and local languages) to help her child reach educational milestones on time. Simultaneously, Google Voice will trigger an AR experience when the mom says "MaAl," making the tracking process easier through interactive visuals tied to food exercises.

  • Execution

    Add MaAl to Phonebook
    We will reach out to Anganwadi-registered mothers, introducing MaAl through audio messages to raise awareness that "food is not just for the body but also for the mind." The messages will include a "how-to" guide on using MaAl for tracking and monitoring developmental milestones.

    Monitor with MaAl
    Once MaAl is added to the mother’s phonebook, it will use the child’s data (available through Anganwadi) to send regular prompts, helping her monitor her child’s progress. To simplify the process, Google AR, triggered by voice command, will offer an interactive tutorial guiding mothers through each monitoring step.

    Recommend MaAl to Other Mothers
    After each milestone her child achieves, MaAl will send a personalized congratulatory message that the mother can easily forward to friends and family, encouraging other mothers to join in using MaAl for their children's development.

This is only the beginning...