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Issue Health systems in developing countries usually provide poor services to marginalized communities, in part because of the inability of those affected to communicate their problems. Solution Working in Burkina Faso, the project team tested the efficacy of a toll-free hotline linked to an interactive voice server (IVS) to improve health governance in Burkina Faso. A first in West Africa, the project aimed to increase patient and staff participation and potentially improve governance, responsiveness and performance of the health system. Outcome The results showed that a telephone hotline could be used to improve the delivery of health services in Burkina Faso. In the initial…

Birth asphyxia causes up to 1.8 million newborn deaths and stillbirths every year. This global tragedy can be prevented by effectively Helping Babies Breathe at the time of birth. Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) has been shown to reduce newborn mortality by up to 47%. Such mortality impact is however not sustained due to rapid skills …

Harmonic Medical, based out of Toronto, are working with collaborators in Egypt to develop and test a low-cost, non-invasive focused ultrasound surgery (FUS) system for the treatment of uterine fibroids in an outpatient setting. This solution would provide a cost-effective, safe, accessible alternative to the traditional treatment for uterine fibroids - hysterectomy - for women …

…the most disadvantaged populations in the world. Though their population exceeds 110 million their plight has remained neglected, as they are alienated from mainstream Indian society due to prevailing stigmas and prejudice. DNTs display poor health seeking behavior, often attributable to their lack of access to government health services. Disparities are particularly pronounced for antenatal care (ANC), delivery, and immunization. In the targeted area, it was found that: 33% of women had institutional deliveries, 8% of children were fully immunized, and…raise settlement awareness of health issues. Educational sessions and Gender Sensitive Self-Assessments and Planning involved visual tools and communication due to the high illiteracy rate among DNT groups. Gender discrimination was addressed by ensuring all Health Volunteers were women and that 50% of the members of the Settlement Health Committees were DNT women. Outcome The…

…Tanzania, the prevalence of malaria is as high as 26% in some regions. Insect-borne diseases (such as malaria) are among the most complex of all infectious diseases to prevent and control, and are best combatted through a combination of vector control (use of public health insecticides on bed nets or by spraying), medicines and vaccines. Solution…was to develop and test a low-cost CO2 source from yeast-molasses fermentation, to be used as an attractant in surveillance and control of vector-borne diseases, and also for soil enrichment in household vegetable gardens. Disease-transmitting mosquitoes rely on their olfactory cues, including CO2 output, to find their hosts. In the project, the efficacy of yeast-molasses fermentation as an alternative source of carbon dioxide was tested against yeast sugar fermentation and industrial carbon dioxide sources. Experiments were conducted in Lupiro Village, Ulanga District, in southeast Tanzania. Four odour-baited stations (OBS) were placed 30 meters apart and baited with CO2 generated from either yeast-sugar fermentation, yeast-molasses fermentation, industrial…

Through the PREVENT Project, Pamoja Tunaweza Womens' Centre is developing and testing the impact of a mobile platform in disseminating sexual and reproductive health education to adolescent girls. This platform will use interactive voice recognition to facilitate their access to additional information and counselling. The platform also provides linkages to confidential access points for contraceptive services. Participants are enrolled through a network of peer volunteers in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.

…addresses sexual violence prevention and post-rape care with youth aged 16-24 in Uganda's Bidi Bidi refugee settlement. Using a tablet-based digital comic, the project will facilitate youth to engage in discussions around sexual violence prevention. Solution across the continuum of sexual violence will be developed from qualitative research with refugee youth, and will provide a forum for youth to generate prevention and post-rape care solutions. The digital comic innovation centres youth as change-agents and knowledge producers of solutions to sexual violence and post-rape care…

Issue Sensitive, accurate, low-cost, rapid diagnostics are urgently needed for detecting tuberculosis (TB). Solution The aim of the project was to develop a rapid, point-of-care lateral flow test to detect pleural TB using the biomarker interferon-gamma (IFNg). Outcome The results were not promising, as IFNg levels in pleural fluid were found to be lower than …

Issue Sharing electronic health patient records (EHRs) across independent clinics allows patients to seek care where appropriate. This is particularly important in resource-constrained settings, where necessary healthcare resources may exist within communities but are distributed across many care organizations. Solution Kibera is Kenya’s largest slum, with about 90 independent medical clinics offering different services. The…success of the project, the Kenyan Ministry of Health has requested the team’s assistance on interoperability of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software. The team has also been invited to sit on a National Committee in Kenya to discuss equality and access to health information, which will facilitate expansion of EMRs in Kenya. An additional grant of $60,000 has been obtained from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to develop the geographical…

…Girls project addresses the issue of child rape by creating systemic change using the law. Following the Kenyan High Court’s landmark 160 Girls decision, the  project aims to have police enforce child rape laws, ensuring perpetrator accountability and eliminating impunity for child rape, while providing justice for child rape victims, protecting girls’ equality rights and ultimately keeping them safe from the violence of rape.