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…meaning that fewer than 10% of affected children receive treatment in these regions. Endoscopic treatment of hydrocephalus is advocated in low-resource areas, because this approach can cure up to 70% of cases without lifelong dependence on an external drain. However, neurosurgical training in this procedure is hindered in these areas by a lack of experts for teaching. Solution The aim of the project was to use telesimulation – connecting two remote hospitals via Skype –  so surgeons in Ghana could be educated and…

Issue Women in urban slums lack access to care and face major health inequities. In the Kenyan slum of Kibera, women often do not know their HIV status until they receive antenatal care (ANC). Furthering this issue is the fact only 10% of women in slums access ANC. The inaccessibility of ANC leads to high…apps that allowed health practitioners to diagnose and treat mothers and their babies at the point of care. The Mobikit’s ICT platform was loaded with educational information for health workers to provide care for women with and without HIV. A health station was set up in Kibera and home visits were conducted routinely using Mobikits. The project provided spirulina, a nutritional supplement, to 300 HIV-positive women to boost their nutritional status. Using…

Issue Many people in both the developed and developing world have mobility deficits, due to neurological injury. Motor deficits influence performance of even simple tasks and better outcomes can only be achieved through better diagnosis and management of motor disorders. Solution The project tested the reliability of a new, portable device (MSM) to measure spasticity…spasticity measurement. Short-term intervention trials are also being conducted to assess the effectiveness of the measure in identifying changes in motor performance after targeted clinical interventions. Outcomes For clinical stakeholders, the project resulted in an increase in awareness about the importance of using valid and reliable clinical assessments in neurological practice, a better understanding of…also felt that it was easy to perform the assessment with proper training. Many commented that they were ready to use the new assessment in their clinical setups, if available. For patient stakeholders, the main outcome was a higher level of patient care, based on the availability of the new measure that more accurately reflects…

In Mali, a country with remote populations and threats to stability, access to accurate diagnosis, treatment and appropriate referral determines a child's survival. In 2007, the Mali Ministry of Health introduced Integrated Community Case Management, authorizing community health workers to diagnose and treat pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea and malnutrition in children under five. However, in 2013,…community health workers. Increasing the quality of community health workers’ diagnostic skills is challenged by inadequate funding. Poor competency to correctly count respiratory breaths, a key indicator for pneumonia detection, puts community health workers at risk to frequently misdiagnose pneumonia and overprescribe antibiotics.  This project will use Philips’ Children’s Automated Respiratory Monitor (ChARM) to minimize…

Issue The World Health Organization has identified lack of expertise and inadequate information systems as two of the challenges to overcoming the global impact of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which affect at least 42 million at-risk individuals worldwide, including the population of 44 provinces in the Philippines. Lack of trained individuals in isolated and poor…that this would have a multiplier effect of improving access to diagnosis and treatment, capacity-building and creating new information. The project team first reviewed the published literature for existing telehealth applications that could serve as a model for ctrl.para.site. The review found several examples of telehealth applications for improving diagnosis, but few focused on parasitic…UEP was proposed to host the regional referral centre for capacity-building of local laboratory personnel in the diagnosis of selected parasitic infections. Outcome Unfortunately, due to the resignation of the primary investigator (PI) and delays in appointing a new PI, the project was discontinued and did not achieve proof of concept. However, the project team did succeed in drafting a manual of procedures for piloting a medical tele-parasitology system in the Philippines, in consultation with stakeholders. Support was also mobilized from key stakeholders in Catarman, Northern Samar, who were keen on supporting the project. No additional work on the project is planned post-grant.

Issue In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 25% of all pregnancies show signs of malaria infection in the placenta at delivery.  During pregnancy, malaria-infected red blood cells preferentially accumulate in the placenta, resulting in maternal anemia, miscarriage, poor fetal growth, preterm birth and stillbirth. A central component of antenatal care in malaria-endemic regions is the administration…of safe alternatives threaten the success of these programs. Solution The project investigated whether malaria infection in pregnancy is associated with reduced L-arginine levels and whether L-arginine supplementation in an animal model of malaria in pregnancy would improve fetal survival and birth weight. L-arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid in humans, meaning that it can be produced by the body and does not need to be obtained from the diet in most circumstances. However, if the body is unable to make enough L-arginine to meet metabolic needs, increased dietary consumption of L-arginine…may be required. In addition, population survey data were used to assess consumption of L-arginine in Malawian women to understand dietary sources of L-arginine to devise appropriate supplementation/fortification programs. Outcome The most significant achievement of the study was to demonstrate that L-arginine improves fetal survival and growth in a preclinical animal model (mice), with no…

Funding from Grand Challenges Canada will enable Sustainable Health Ventures (an initiative of Sustainable Health Enterprises) to empower an estimated 225,000 hard-to-reach rural adolescent girls in Rwanda with high-quality menstrual pads and to educate 7,300 adolescents at more than 100 schools about menstrual health within 3 years.A survey from Sustainable Health Ventures says 18 percent…because they cannot afford to buy menstrual pads. Sustainable Health Ventures empowers women and girls to live more productive lives by manufacturing and distributing affordable menstrual pads, coupled with menstrual health education and advocacy.Developed with earlier funding from Grand Challenges Canada, Sustainable Health Ventures’ patented process converts locally-available banana fibers into the absorbent core of…at an affordable price-point to women and to schools where they can be given to girls who need them.Complementing the product is a comprehensive menstrual health curriculum designed to debunk myths and taboos about menstruation in schools and nationwide, developed and delivered in partnership with the Rwandan Ministries of Health and Education. The curriculum is designed to be integrated into existing national training for teachers and community health workers, maximizing its impact on hard-to-reach adolescent girls.Johnson & Johnson, a key project partner, is helping Sustainable Health Ventures shift from manual to…

Innovators aim to diagnose hearing loss in tens of thousands of people in the developing world thanks to new funding from Grand Challenges Canada and the first clinically validated iPad audiometer. Developed in partnership by Ottawa-based Clearwater Clinical and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the “ShoeBOX Audiometer” allows audiologists and technicians to perform critically…audiologists, and low levels of access in rural communities.At one-tenth the cost of traditional diagnostic audiometers, the tablet-based ShoeBOX Audiometer is an inexpensive and portable solution ideal for low-resource, rural settings. While screening and treatment from a qualified audiologist is ideal, the ShoeBOX Audiometer makes it easy for non-traditional individuals like family doctors and community…provide hearing diagnostic services where audiologists are not available.Led by Chief Executive Officer Michael Weider and founded by Chief Medical Officer Dr Matthew Bromwich, Clearwater and CHEO designed the ShoeBOX Audiometer with children in mind. The application is user-friendly and uses a form of ‘play’ audiometry to effectively diagnose hearing loss in children as young…Canada-approved, commercial-grade medical device.In partnership with Grand Challenges Canada, angel investors, the Business Development Bank of Canada and World Wide Hearing, Clearwater is now looking to scale up the ShoeBOX Audiometer throughout South America, as well as continuing product development and refinement.Clearwater estimates that the new funding from Grand Challenges Canada’s Transition to Scale program…

The lack of information flow from care providers to parents and vice versa in Brazil remains a systemic problem in the management of early childhood development. There is still a huge gap in parental knowledge of best practices; information is not targeted for recipient populations and feedback to care providers is missing. These communication issues prevent parents from having the tools to ensure the best brain development for their children,…

iDE, a Winnipeg based non-profit organization that supports business opportunities in the developing world, will work with Nepali small business owners and local entrepreneurs to scale up the production, marketing and sale of simple latrines, using a novel approach successfully demonstrated in Cambodia and Nepal: marketing simple, low-cost toilets as a status symbol and sanitation …that sideline local businesses – is not working”, says Stu Taylor, iDE’s Director of Performance Measurement. “Our experience shows that when you make sanitation affordable and desirable for users – and profitable for businesses – it just takes off.” iDE’s marketing approach is complemented by training for small-scale local producers and entrepreneurs to produce and sell simple-design, low-cost latrines, easily installed within a few hours. Profitability will encourage other entrepreneurs to develop new designs to attract even more customers.“When people see the toilet’s attractive…