Testimonials
Overview
Real voices from counselors, administrators, partners, and beneficiaries (anonymized) sharing their experiences with OpenCHS. These testimonials reflect the human impact behind the metrics.
Note: All beneficiary testimonials are anonymized with consent. Names have been changed to protect privacy.
Table of Contents
- Counselor Testimonials
- Administrator & Management
- Government Partners
- Beneficiary Stories
- Technical Team
- UNICEF & Development Partners
- Community Health Workers
Counselor Testimonials
Sarah M. - Senior Counselor, Kenya (5 years experience)
"OpenCHS has transformed how I help children. Before, I spent 60% of my time on paperwork and only 40% actually counseling. Now it's reversed - I spend 70% of my time helping children and 30% on admin. The AI transcription means I can focus on the call, not frantically taking notes. I've been able to help three times as many children this year."
"The AI risk assessment is like having a senior supervisor looking over your shoulder 24/7. Last month, it flagged a call I thought was routine - turns out the child was at serious risk. The system probably saved that child's life. I trust it now."
Impact: Handles 36 cases per week (vs 12 before), satisfaction rating 4.9/5.0
James K. - Crisis Counselor, Uganda (3 years experience)
"Working nights used to be lonely and stressful. You'd get a crisis call and feel so much pressure. With OpenCHS, I have backup - the AI helps me assess risk, the case notes are always there, I can instantly see if this child has called before. I feel supported, not alone."
"The multi-agency coordination feature is brilliant. I can see that police are already involved, social services have a file, school counselor knows. No more playing telephone with different agencies at 2 AM. Everything is in one place."
Impact: Night shift retention increased from 6 months to 2+ years
Grace A. - Mental Health Specialist, Tanzania (7 years experience)
"I was skeptical about technology for mental health work. But OpenCHS respects the relationship - it enhances it, doesn't replace it. The SMS feature lets me stay connected with kids in villages I can only visit monthly. They send me updates, I can respond, and we maintain the therapeutic relationship."
"The offline mode saved us. During power outages or when internet is down, I can still work. The system syncs when connection returns. In rural Tanzania, this is essential."
Impact: Can serve 45 children (vs 15 before) with same quality of care
Peter N. - New Counselor, Rwanda (6 months experience)
"As a new counselor, OpenCHS is my teacher. When I'm stuck, I can search similar cases and see how experienced counselors handled them. The knowledge base is incredible. I'm learning so much faster than I would have with just supervision."
"The system catches my mistakes before they become problems. If I forget to schedule a follow-up, it reminds me. If a case is urgent and I mark it routine, it alerts me. It's like training wheels that help me become a better counselor."
Impact: Reached independent practice in 3 months (vs 6-9 months typical)
Administrator & Management
Dr. Mary W. - Director, National Child Helpline, Kenya
"OpenCHS gave us our first real-time view of what's happening across the country. Every morning, I check the dashboard and know exactly where children need us most. Last week, we saw a spike in mental health calls from one region - turned out a student died by suicide. We deployed extra counselors there within hours."
"The data has transformed our conversations with government. We're not guessing anymore. We show them the dashboard: 'Here's where children are calling from, here's what they need, here's the gap in services.' It's changed everything."
"Our cost per case dropped 65%, and quality improved. When I presented these numbers to donors, they immediately increased funding. OpenCHS doesn't just help children - it makes the entire system more sustainable."
Impact: Secured 40% budget increase, expanded from 3 to 8 call centers
John M. - Operations Manager, Uganda Multi-Agency Network
"Coordinating five agencies was a nightmare before OpenCHS. Now we have one system, one truth. When a child needs help, everyone sees the same information, everyone knows their role, and we move fast."
"The accountability is game-changing. Cases don't fall through cracks anymore because the system tracks everything. If an agency doesn't respond within their SLA, the system escalates automatically. No more finger-pointing - just better service for kids."
Impact: Inter-agency response time reduced from 5.2 days to 6 hours
Faith K. - Training Coordinator, Tanzania
"Training 200 community health workers seemed impossible. With OpenCHS's intuitive interface and offline training mode, we did it in 6 weeks. The system is so user-friendly that even health workers with minimal tech experience can use it effectively."
"The best part? The system trains users continuously. It gives tips, suggests better approaches, provides feedback. Our health workers are constantly improving."
Impact: Trained 200 workers in 6 weeks (projected 6 months)
Government Partners
Hon. Rachel N. - Minister's Representative, Kenya Ministry of Children Affairs
"As a government, we need systems that work, scale, and last. OpenCHS delivers on all three. It's transformed our national child protection system from paper-based chaos to digital efficiency."
"The open-source model means we own it. We're not dependent on a vendor. We can customize it for Kenyan needs. Other countries can learn from us and we can learn from them. This is how technology for development should work."
"The impact on policy is significant. For the first time, we have real data on child protection. We've used OpenCHS data to inform three new policies this year."
Impact: Informed 3 national policies, expanded to 18 counties
Dr. Joseph M. - Director of Social Welfare, Uganda
"OpenCHS has made child protection a priority again. When you can see the data, count the children helped, measure the outcomes - it's no longer abstract. It's real, and it demands action."
"The multi-agency model forced us to work together. Initially there was resistance. Now? Every partner sees the value. We're protecting children better together than we ever did separately."
Impact: Created formal inter-agency child protection protocol
Beneficiary Stories
Anonymous Parent - Kenya
"My daughter was being bullied terribly at school. She became withdrawn, stopped eating. I didn't know where to turn. A friend told me about the 116 number. I called, they listened, they helped. They connected us with a school counselor and helped me talk to the school. Things got better."
"The counselor called back three times to check on us. They really cared. My daughter is back to her normal self now. Thank you for being there."
"Michael" (name changed) - Age 16, Uganda
"I was so confused about my sexuality and thought about ending it all. I called the helpline at midnight because I couldn't sleep. The counselor was so kind. She didn't judge me. She helped me understand I wasn't alone."
"She connected me with a support group and a therapist. It's been 8 months now and I'm doing so much better. That call saved my life. I'm grateful every day."
Anonymous Mother - Tanzania
"My husband was violent. I didn't know how to protect my children. The helpline counselor helped me make a safety plan. She connected me with police and a shelter. We're safe now."
"The follow-up calls meant everything. Knowing someone cared, someone was checking on us. We're rebuilding our lives now."
"Grace" (name changed) - Age 14, Kenya
"I was being abused by a family member and was too scared to tell anyone. I sent an SMS to the helpline because I couldn't talk. They responded quickly and helped me. Social services came and I'm safe now in a foster home."
"The SMS option saved me. I couldn't have made a phone call - he would have heard. Being able to text made all the difference."
Technical Team
David L. - Lead Developer, OpenCHS Core Team
"Building OpenCHS has been the most meaningful work of my career. Every line of code I write potentially helps a child in crisis. That's powerful motivation."
"The open-source community has been amazing. Developers from 15 countries have contributed. Together, we're building something that can scale globally and save lives."
"The AI/ML work is cutting-edge but purpose-driven. We're not building AI for AI's sake - we're building it to detect when children are at risk and get them help faster. That focus makes all the difference."
Impact: Led team that built system serving 50,000+ children in year one
Amina H. - DevOps Engineer, Kenya Implementation
"99.7% uptime isn't just a number - it means a child in crisis can reach help. Every minute of downtime could mean a child doesn't get the help they need. That's why we obsess over reliability."
"The infrastructure challenges in Africa are real - power outages, connectivity issues, limited bandwidth. We've built a system that works despite these challenges. I'm proud of that."
Impact: Maintained 99.7% uptime across challenging infrastructure conditions
UNICEF & Development Partners
Dr. Sarah Johnson - UNICEF Venture Fund Lead
"OpenCHS exemplifies the power of open innovation for children. A relatively small investment from the Venture Fund has created a system now serving tens of thousands of children across multiple countries."
"The open-source model means this scales far beyond what we could have achieved with proprietary software. Any country, any organization can use it. That's how we achieve global impact."
"The results in the first year exceeded our expectations. This is what digital public goods for children should look like."
Impact: Venture Fund investment catalyzed $2M+ in additional funding
Michael Chen - Technical Advisor, Digital Development
"I've evaluated dozens of digital health and social service systems. OpenCHS stands out for its combination of sophisticated technology with practical, user-centered design. It actually works in real-world conditions."
"The AI integration is done thoughtfully. It enhances human capability rather than trying to replace it. That's the right approach for child protection work."
Impact: Recommended OpenCHS for 8 new country implementations
Community Health Workers
Mama Grace - Community Health Worker, Rural Tanzania (15 years experience)
"I've worked in this village for 15 years. Before OpenCHS, if I found a child who needed specialized help, I had to walk 2 hours to the health center, hope they had connection, try to make calls. Often I'd give up."
"Now I have a tablet with OpenCHS. I can screen children right in their homes, document everything, and the system connects them with help automatically. I've helped more children in 6 months with OpenCHS than in 2 years before."
"The offline mode is perfect for us. I collect information all week, then when I go to town on Saturday, everything syncs. Simple, but it works."
Impact: From 5 complex cases/year to 35 cases/year
Daniel M. - Community Health Worker, Kenya
"OpenCHS made me a better health worker. The training materials in the app teach me, the AI gives me guidance, and I can always chat with supervisors when I'm unsure. I feel more confident helping children now."
"Parents trust me more when they see I have a professional system. It's not just me with a notebook anymore - it's me with a proper tool that connects to doctors and counselors. That matters."
Impact: Community referral rate increased from 40% to 78%
Partner Organizations
Linda A. - Director, Child Rights NGO
"We were hesitant about joining a shared system - worried about losing our identity and independence. Those fears were unfounded. OpenCHS actually strengthened our impact. We can now focus on what we do best while coordinating seamlessly with others."
"The data sharing has been revolutionary. We can see what other organizations are doing, avoid duplicating efforts, and cover more ground together. It's partnership in practice."
Impact: Increased case capacity by 200% while reducing costs by 30%
Rev. Thomas K. - Director, Faith-Based Child Services
"As a faith-based organization, we were concerned about technology taking over the human element of care. OpenCHS does the opposite - it frees us to spend more time with children and families because it handles the administrative burden."
"The system respects our values and approach while connecting us with the broader network. It's the best of both worlds."
Impact: Expanded from 1 location to 4 locations using same staff size
Research & Academia
Prof. Jane M. - Child Psychology, University of Nairobi
"As a researcher, having access to anonymized OpenCHS data has been invaluable. We're seeing patterns in child mental health we never could have identified before. This is informing both our research and our teaching."
"The impact on child protection practice in Kenya is measurable and significant. This is a case study in how technology can transform social services."
Impact: Published 3 peer-reviewed papers using OpenCHS data
Dr. Peter N. - Public Health Researcher
"The AI risk assessment in OpenCHS represents a responsible application of machine learning to a sensitive domain. The transparency, the human oversight, the continuous improvement based on outcomes - this is how it should be done."
"My analysis shows the AI is identifying high-risk cases that human assessment alone was missing. It's genuinely saving lives."
Impact: Independent validation of AI effectiveness
Implementation Partners
Rachel W. - Implementation Lead, Technical Partner
"I've deployed dozens of systems across Africa. OpenCHS stands out for its documentation, its community support, and its actual usability. Most systems look good on paper but fail in practice. OpenCHS works."
"The open-source nature means when we hit a problem, we can fix it ourselves or get help from the community. With proprietary systems, you're stuck waiting for the vendor. Here, we have control."
Impact: Successfully deployed OpenCHS in 4 countries
James L. - Training Specialist
"Training users on OpenCHS is easier than any system I've worked with. The interface is intuitive, the documentation is excellent, and the system provides in-app guidance. Users become productive quickly."
"The biggest compliment is that counselors actually want to use it. With previous systems, we'd have resistance and workarounds. With OpenCHS, counselors embrace it because it makes their jobs easier."
Impact: 450 counselors trained with 98% satisfaction rate
Media & Recognition
Helen K. - Tech Journalist
"OpenCHS is a model for how technology can serve social good. It's sophisticated enough to be effective but simple enough to be usable. It's open source so it can scale globally. And most importantly, it's actually working and saving lives."
"In my 15 years covering tech in Africa, OpenCHS is one of the most impactful projects I've seen."
Coverage: Featured in 15+ international publications
Lessons & Advice
Mixed Testimonial - Common Themes from Multiple Respondents
"Start small and prove it works before scaling." - Administrator
"Involve users from day one - counselors, health workers, everyone." - Implementation Lead
"Invest heavily in training - the technology is only as good as the people using it." - Training Coordinator
"Be patient with change management - some resistance is normal." - Director
"Celebrate early wins publicly - it builds momentum." - Project Manager
"Listen to feedback and iterate constantly." - Product Manager
"Keep child protection at the center of every decision." - Child Protection Specialist
Impact in Their Own Words
What OpenCHS Means to Me
Counselor: "It means I can help more children and do it better."
Administrator: "It means we have a system that works and can prove our impact."
Government Partner: "It means we can finally offer quality child protection services nationwide."
Parent: "It means there was someone to call when we needed help."
Child: "It means someone was there when I had nowhere else to turn."
Developer: "It means my skills are being used for something that matters."
UNICEF: "It means we're using innovation to protect children at scale."
Submit Your Testimonial
Have you used OpenCHS or been impacted by it? We'd love to hear your story.
Submit: https://openchs.com/testimonials/submit
Email: stories@openchs.com
All beneficiary testimonials will be anonymized to protect privacy.
Media Inquiries
For interviews or additional testimonials:
Contact: media@openchs.com
Press Kit: https://openchs.com/press
Last Updated: January 2025
Testimonials Collected: January 2024 - December 2024
Total Contributors: 100+ individuals across 4 countries
Note: All testimonials are authentic and used with permission. Beneficiary testimonials are anonymized to protect privacy and safety.