Tanzania
Designer: We Care Solar
(Solar Suitcase)
Community Organizations:
Pathfinder International; Jhpiego
2015 30 clinics equipped
2016-17 70 clinics equipped
2018 27 clinics equipped
Shining a light on safe and healthy childbirth
The lack of a reliable source of electricity during nighttime births can lead to tragic outcomes.
Without reliable, available power, nurses at rural clinics in remote locations must rely on kerosene lamps, candles, or the light from their cell phone screen to deliver babies at night. We Care Solar developed a solution: the Solar Suitcase, a complete solar electric system.
Solar Suitcase
The Solar Suitcase includes solar panels, waterproof and break-resistant medical lights, LED headlamps, a fetal monitor, mobile phone charging equipment, rechargeable batteries, and the hardware required for installation in any remote location.
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When in use, the Solar Suitcase provides for round the clock lighting for obstetric and surgical care, charges health worker cell phones to improve mobile communication and helps clinic staff to better diagnose and treat childbirth complications.
After a Solar Suitcase is installed, we see an increase in the number of women giving birth at the clinics, better ability among staff to diagnose, treat and refer patients with complications, and improved morale of healthcare workers.
Kampala, Uganda
Designer: Embrace
(Embrace Warmer)
Community Organization:
Mulago National Referral Hospital
Improving newborn health in Kampala, Uganda
Hypothermia is a preventable cause of death, injury and complications for low-birth weight and premature newborns around the world.
Our collaboration with Embrace is saving the lives of low birth weight and premature newborns by preventing and treating hypothermia at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Nearly 80 babies are born prematurely each month at Mulago, putting them at great risk for a preventable cause of death: hypothermia
To prevent and treat newborn hypothermia, Embrace implements an innovative dual strategy approach:
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Training parents and medical professionals in Kangaroo Mother Care (skin-to-skin contact)
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Equipping the facility with Embrace Warmers for times when Kangaroo Mother Care is insufficient or
may not be an option.
Embrace’s portable and easy to use infant warmer is extremely effective
in treating and preventing hypothermia and is less than 1% of the cost
of a standard incubator.
Embrace Infant Warmer
Our program has equipped five wards with Embrace infant warmers, supported more than 700 babies at risk for or experiencing hypothermia, and trained nearly 500 mothers, caregivers and healthcare workers
to identify and treat newborn hypothermia.
Brenda and her triplets embrace KMC at Mulago Hospital (read more)
Liberia and
Sierra Leone
Partners In Health
Ebola: Responding + Rebuilding
Women are serving on the front lines of the Ebola crisis in West Africa as caregivers for their families and nurses for their communities, increasing their risk for exposure, transmission and infection.
In addition, overwhelmed or collapsed healthcare systems leave pregnant women with little to no access to skilled birth attendants or healthcare services during pregnancy and childbirth.
Global Health Foundation provided Partners In Health with a $25,000 matching grant
to respond to the Ebola outbreak and to rebuild primary healthcare systems
in two of the most affected countries, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Partners In Health raised more than $125,000 in response to the announcement
of our $25,000 matching grant.
Together, our support is assisting in efforts to:
Train, equip and support 500 health providers in 47 primary health centers and 1,500 Community Health Workers to carry out community-based education, prevention, surveillance and contact tracing, as well as to
maintain essential health services in 500 villages.
SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS: