When strangers become the family you need

Towards the end of her pregnancy, at the beginning of this year, Beatrice Amony was living alone. Her fiancé lives in the United Kingdom (UK).
“My biggest challenge was doing my shopping, so when I heard about a company that does concierge (caretaker) services for pregnant women, I jumped at the offer.”

The last few months of pregnancy can be trying. It is a time when a previously vigorous pregnant woman begins to slow down. Doing chores becomes stressful; a burden.

And not many have the privilege of having maids to help them hold the home front while they are at work. “They did my shopping,” says Amony, adding that, “they organised a surprise baby shower for me, and when I went into labour, they escorted me to Nsambya hospital.”

Established in 2012, Quick Errands Uganda offers health concierge services to pregnant women, among other services. “Our goal is to make life better, easier, and stress free for these women,” says Esther Linda Nigiwan, the deputy director of the company.

How it works
As early as six months, a pregnant woman can enter into an agreement with the company. “Before the birth we run all kinds of errands for her,” says Nigiwan.

“There are some women who do not want to share their home with relatives either because the home is small or because of personal issues. So we do their grocery shopping, clean the house, cook their food, we monitor their health.”

Believing that nine months are enough time in which to make preparations, some women may put off shopping for the new baby until the last month. Even with a list in hand, there are many things that may be left out, because they are small and therefore easy to forget, such as razorblades.

When the labour starts, the company is on hand to transport you to the hospital, even at night. Nigiwan adds that Quick Errands makes phone calls to “the people who need to know the pregnant woman has gone into labour.”

Amony was lucky in that her mother was with her during her stay in the hospital. However, there was a language barrier between her and the medical personnel.

“A staff member of Quick Errands was there to interpret the nurse’s instructions to my mother. Even when I was discharged, they escorted me home and helped my mother with the chores.” The company also arranges for flowers and cake to be delivered to the new mother, to congratulate her.

The discharge is also arranged, and depending on the agreement, the company may continue their services such as grocery shopping and cleaning, as the new mother recovers.

“New mothers love to be pampered so we keep track of her because when the child makes a year, they may want us to throw a party for them,” says Abbey Mawerere, the director. Essentially, the interaction cements a relationship between the woman and the company that is beneficial to both.

The caregiving component
Joshua Owere, director, Good Health International Clinic, says many of his clients have benefited from the concierge services. “Not every patient can have their relatives with them all the time. Some people are too busy and only get time to see their sick relatives at the end of the day.

Others have to request for leave from work to nurse them.” Seeing a gap in the sector, Quick Errands established an office at the clinic that provides caregivers to lonely patients, to talk to them, help them with errands, and generally see to their wellbeing, for an hourly fee.

“There are clients who began using our delivery or grocery shopping services and continued to use others as well,” says Mawerere.

Although the prices differ according to the services required, the prices are calculated per month. “For pregnant women, in the delivery week, we charge between Shs 300,000 and Shs600,000 depending on the need,” says Nigiwan.

Impact
Besides having a spacious and well branded office, Mawerere and Nigiwan agree that the company now has visibility among the middle-class. “The other day at Lugogo Indoor Stadium during a match, people were asking if I was the concierge lady,” Nigiwan laughs. “That kind of recognition means that people appreciate our work.

Initially we received clients through referrals, but now people see us on social media and just call.”

Challenges
“Like any other start-up business, we need capital,” says Mawerere. “To run errands we need working capital of about Shs 10m. We run shifting errands and for that we must hire a truck. Ideally we should have at least three trucks of different sizes.”

The fact that some of the services offered are new concepts on the Ugandan market, people are yet to grasp their importance.

“Grocery shopping services have not yet caught on, yet the advantages are that you can do away with impulse shopping because we only buy what is on the list,” says Nigiwan, adding that, “and you can save the money you would have spent on fuel.” “We want the sector to grow so that we can be recognised officially and regulated,” says Mawerere.

“We encountered difficulties when licensing the company because KCCA did not know where to categorise us. So they put us among commission agents.”

Future plans
The company is looking to expand its operations to go beyond its current radius of Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono districts. “To capitalise, we are looking for one or two shareholders who can provide Shs300m to buy equipment and do massive marketing.”

Mawerere predicts that concierge services in Uganda will soon explode as more and more people realise the value of time. “For someone who leaves office at 5.30pm and has to pass by the market or supermarket for shopping, the earliest they can reach home is 8.30pm.

With our service, we can deliver the shopping to their office or home, so that after work they just drive home.”
The company is also considering issuing prepaid cards with a particular amount of money to clients so that they can get any service they require.