YAPAYKUY is one of the social entrepreneurship finalists of the PERUMIN Inspira program, to be presented at PERUMIN 35. We spoke to Karla Honorio, YAPAYKUY CEO and responsible for the Commercial Department, who shared with us some details of the great work they have been performing.

What does YAPAYKUY mean?

“Yapaykuy” is a Quechua word that means “Include Me” and is the name of the application we have developed to facilitate communication and inclusion of people with hearing and verbal impairment, total or partial muteness, dysphemia, cerebral palsy, and some other disorders.

What is YAPAYKUY application? How does it work?

The application has a real-time sign language translator and voice-to-text converter, and a sonometer to identify hazards in noisy places, a pictogram for this population’s education and communication, video calls with a sign language interpreter advisor for work interviews, among others.

How and when did this venture come up?

The idea was conceived 3 years ago. We have deaf friends who brought us closer to the reality of millions of people who suffer from being unable to communicate with others in a simple manner; this is why we believe in our idea that relies on technology and we know that we can make it profitable and sustainable to assist this disabled population.

Who is part of your work team? Do you have allies or external partners? 

Our team is made up of Lisset Anicama Mogrovejo (Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist) and I, Karla Honorio Heredia (Mechatronics Engineer). Additionally, we have agreements and support from various institutions such as the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP), the National Council for the Integration of the Disabled (CONADIS), the Chilean Consortium of Multinational Entrepreneurship that operates in different countries in South America (CENCOSUD), Chio Lecca Fashion School (inclusive institute for the hearing impaired), among others.

Which is your impact zone?

The department of Puno, specifically Juliaca (3,824 masl). Our direct beneficiaries are the settlers from this region with total or partial hearing disability, verbal disability or muteness, dysphemia, cerebral palsy and some other disorders, adding up to approximately 7,000 people.

What are the results obtained from using the application?

The application has 650 users registered this year. Through it, we have achieved a huge social impact. We have been able to already make a deaf person hold a fluent communication and understood a speaking person, a mute child to express his ideas and be understood, provide sign language learning material for the hearing community, among others; aiming to bridge the communication gap suffered by approximately, 700 000 people, among deaf and mute all around Peru.

What are your expectations of participating in PERUMIN Inspira?

We hope that it will help us to contact more companies that want to implement the software at their workplaces.

What are the goals or projections that you expect to achieve with YAPAYKUY application?

In the short run, our market is composed of hearing and visual impaired patients who wish to improve their personal interrelations and telephone companies that may want to install this App on their different devices to honor their commitment to build a more inclusive society.

In the long run, we plan to have private companies embracing this application to improve their communication with workers suffering from this disability, as well as schools and universities.  

For further information on this project, visit their Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/yapaykuyapp/