Ram Tumuluri – Business Innovations that are making huge social impact contributions
Ram Tumuiri – “If COVID – 19 pandemic has taught us anything; it is the importance of equality of access to healthcare, education and innovation. Combine these three things, and you have the workings for a better future for all of us. In this article we highlight 10 innovation that help the world’s poor in their fight against poverty, illness and their quest for a better future for their children.”
How innovation is helping to improve healthcare in poor nations.
Safe vaccines – Jet Injections
Vaccines save lives. In the developing world, healthcare providers are forced to tackle additional difficulties to simply administer vaccines safely, given the complexities of sterilization, safe transportation and storage. Sometimes, needles can be misused. Jet injectors offer a nifty solution. The device uses pressure to send a fine stream of fluid (vaccine) through skin and bypass the need to use needles. This single-use device is cost-effective and efficient. In more fascinating ews, it uses 80 percent less vaccine when compared to a conventional needle injection.
Saving lives – Hemafuse
Blood transfusions are essential during certain medical emergencies to save lives. In some nations, getting access to a safe and reliable blood supply is a gargantuan, sometimes impossible task. Sisu Global Health offers cost-effective devices to solve this issue. Hemafuse collects blood from the patient’s own body, filters it, and removes clots and particulates. Medical professionals can collect the blood in a blood bag before pumping it back into the patient’s body.
Fighting infant malnutrition – NIFTY Cup
Latching issues in newborns and infants can and often do lead to severe malnutrition and even death in the developing world. In rural Africa, NIFTY cups save the lives of such newborns and infants with its unique design. NIFTY cup’s spout makes it easy for infants with issues such as cleft palates or similar issues to drink milk or formula. At just 1 USD per cup, this reusable device is saving the lives of infants.
Providing warmth – Embrace Warmer
Hypothermia can kill premature newborns and those with low birth weight. This is sadly a common issue in the developing world. Embrace Warmer is a safe and effective sleeping bag for infants. It helps to keep the baby’s body temperature at desired levels. This award winning innovation is reusable and inexpensive.
How innovation is helping developing nations to cook healthy food and find drinking water.
Safety in cooking – Wonderbag
Stoves sans proper ventilation can lead to sickness related to smoke inhalation and in some cases even death. This is an unfortunate reality in some countries. Wonderbag provides zero-energy and reusable work around prolonged hours over the stove. All any cook has to do is, bring their food to a boil using conventional methods and then tuck the pot in the Wonderbag to continue cooking (up to 12 hours). Families in Africa are already cutting down cooking time with the Wonderbag.
Iron deficiency no more – Lucky Iron Fish
Iron deficiency is a global problem and it can have devastating consequences in developing countries. Lucky Iron Fish is an imaginative solution to fighting iron deficiency related problems such as anemia and low energy. Families can simply place the Lucky Iron Fish (made with iron) in a pot of boiling water to enrich vegetables with added iron. The inventors get individuals in wealthy nations to buy their own Lucky Iron Fish and simultaneously donate one to someone else in need.
Safe drinking water – LifeStraw
Approximately 11 percent of the world’s population lack access to safe drinking water. They are forced to drink contaminated water and suffer from various illnesses such as kidney diseases at some point in their lives. LifeStraw offers an easy, viable solution to regions with limited access to water. The device is essentially a straw, complete with a filtration system and a cloth (especially designed).
How Innovation is easing the way for Children to Learn.
Low cost computers – the XO Laptop
Often, developing communities struggle to provide access to technology and resources to their children. The XO Laptop is here to fill this particular gap. It is a small, durable and low cost computer that comes with a powerful screen which helps children to read even in harsh sunlight. The inventors have thoughtfully included built-in wireless internet. Today, over 2 million children in countries such as Afghanistan, Peru and Kenya use the XO Laptop.
Helping girls learn – Flo
Girls in countries like Kenya miss out on days of school monthly because they cannot afford menstrual products. Moreover, poor menstrual hygiene impacts their health in the long run. Flo offers these young girls a safe alternative. It is an inexpensive, eco-friendly kit complete with reusable pads, a washer dryer container and a wearable pouch.
Fending off soaring heat – Eco-Cooler
Our final pick is an ingenious, low-cost invention to help keep the scorching heat at bay in developing regions with little access to electricity. Eco-Cooler is a cooling system made from recycled plastic bottles. Crafted with plastic bottles (cut in half) stacked on a board, this device should be installed like a window. The bottlenecks’ cool down the hot breeze from outside. At the moment, villagers in Bangladesh use this innovative, low-cost solution.
The world needs inventors who care about real world problems and can come up with out-of-the-box solutions. The benchmark for their innovations should be the extent and depth of their social impact.
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