Clio Health Innovators: Nisha Shah-Sanghvi, Design Director, Khanga Rue
Nisha began her career with the advertising agency Jones, Seel, Huyett. After a stint in San Francisco, she moved to East Africa and joined Scangroup. As the design director of Khanga Rue, Nisha has pushed the boundaries of traditional content, moving beyond campaigns and content toward original digital products and solutions.
How you bring creativity and innovation to your work
I strive to bring innovation to our work by fostering a culture of continuous learning and teamwork. I believe in encouraging open communication, sharing ideas and embracing diverse perspectives, as these elements inspire us to explore new approaches to problem-solving. We constantly aim to expand our creative thinking and empower our team members to contribute fun, innovative, unique solutions to our design challenges.
About a recent project you're proud of
We recently developed a gaming and learning app called "Thina Abantu Abasha" ("nothing for us, without us") designed for adolescent girls in South Africa. This platform features a variety of engaging activities, educational videos and interactive content on a range of topics including puberty and reproductive health, plus also non-health content about how to set goals and improve self esteem.
On the other side of the spectrum, earlier this year we led a multi-country co-design process to launch a campaign for USAID Breakthrough Action coinciding with the AFCON tournament aimed at promoting male involvement in vaccination routines. This was a mass-media campaign, with OOH, radio, TV, digital/social media and community mobilization across Nigeria, Mozambique, Cameroon and Tanzania.
What you're most excited about right now in the health space
The opportunity to develop highly customized and impactful design solutions that address the specific needs of our continent. We're able to tailor our solutions to meet people where they are, which is incredibly important for driving meaningful change in healthcare. Additionally, collaborating with diverse partners and creative minds allows us to develop transformative solutions. There is a shift and a recognition that health challenges in Africa need solutions that are locally designed. For example, right now we are working with D-Tree, trying to use mobile and digital technology to improve health outcomes in East Africa. We are helping them identify specific areas in the maternal health client journey where we can better strengthen care for rural Zanzibar.
What it means to you to be selected as a Clio Health Innovator
I'm humbled and flattered, but it's most meaningful to me as a recognition of our talented, mostly East African and mostly woman-led team that works with me. It also honors the clients and partners we work with, who trust us, who come to us to help them solve challenges together.
"Nisha has led the design and development of some of the most innovative social and behavior change campaigns, products and games targeting a wide range of health behaviors, from HIV, to immunization and mental health. Her work has impacted millions of people across Sub-Saharan Africa."—Pat Olvera, ECD, Khanga Rue Media
Click here to see all of this year's Clio Health Innovators
