Projects and activities
The user-centred design approach of the AinoAid™ service builds on the previous experience of the We Encourage team in projects involving vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations. The team has developed expertise in collecting, analysing, and translating lived experiences into practical digital service solution.
Awards
- 2026 the German Prevention Award (Deutscher Präventionspreis)
- 2025 the Security Innovation Award by the European Commission: the best innovation with direct support to citizens
- 2021 The Year's Digital Service (Vuoden digipalvelu)
Projects
The EU funded REACH project aims to improve protection and support for migrant and refugee women affected by sexual violence, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking in France, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Spain. As part of the project, interviews with survivors and professionals were conducted to identify information needs, barriers to accessing support, referral pathways, and opportunities to strengthen gender-sensitive and trauma-informed services.
The findings are used to further develop the AinoAid™ platform by expanding its evidence-based knowledge base and AI-powered conversational chatbot. The service provides reliable information, personalised guidance, and signposting to appropriate support services, helping survivors better understand their rights and available assistance while supporting professionals in identifying and referring victims. The research also contributes to improving cross-sector collaboration and informing future policy recommendations across Europe.
IMPROVE is a Horizon Europe project dedicated to preventing and combating domestic violence by improving the detection, reporting, and response to violence through innovative digital solutions. The project brought together researchers, law enforcement authorities, victim support organisations, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders from Austria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and France to develop AinoAid™ service to empower victims to access support services and justice more effectively.
In the Horizon Europe IMPROVE project an international research consortium carried out qualitative interviews with survivors of domestic violence and professionals. The resulting research on victims’ mental models, service journeys, barriers to reporting violence, and expectations regarding AI-supported services provided a comprehensive evidence base for further designing accessible and trauma-informed digital support. The interview findings and research outputs were systematically translated into service design principles, information architecture, content, user journeys, and conversational support models.
The deliverables the service design was based on:
During the project in Tanzania, the WE team conducted in-depth interviews and tested the early version of the chatbot with girls and women in highly vulnerable situations, including girls with albinism, former victims of sexual exploitation and prostitution, and girls who had escaped forced marriages.
The interviews focused on identifying barriers to seeking help, safety concerns, information needs, trust in support services, and preferred ways of accessing assistance and understanding the needs for the digital service. The findings were used to design user-centred content, support pathways and communication models tailored to the participants' needs to build the AinoAid™ service.
The fist part of the project was funded by Fingo Powerbank and the continuum project by The Embassy of Switzerland in Tanzania. The project collaborations were:
- Felm Suomen Lähetysseura Tansaniassa
- C-Sema Child helpline
- KIWOHEDE (Kiota Women Health and Development Organisation)
- Evangelican Lutheran Church Tanzania (ELCT)
- Hyvinpitely Oy
Activities
Next in Mind is an innovation-driven response to the rising mental health challenges among emerging adults in the Nordics. Co-founded by Reach for Change, The Inner Foundation, and the Tim Bergling Foundation.
AinoAid™ was presented at LEPH 2023, the European Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health, held in Umeå, Sweden in May 2023. It brought together police officers, public health professionals, researchers, and policymakers to discuss how collaboration between law enforcement and public can improve community safety and well-being.
The conference’s theme was “Together towards resilient communities.” Key topics included mental health, substance use, domestic violence, infectious diseases, vulnerable populations, and building stronger partnerships between police and health services. The goal was to promote evidence-based policies and integrated approaches to complex social and public health challenges.
Microsoft Founders Hub and Fast Track supported the development of AinoAid™ by providing resources and technological expertise.
Founders Hub helped AinoAid™ get started – here's how Microsoft supports early-stage startups (in Finnish)
