An on-going training session for Pesinet [photo courtesy Pesinet]

Mali has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. There are roughly 111 deaths for every 1000 live births in the country and the under-5 mortality rate is 191 out of every 1000 children. The need for early detection of diseases and stronger local health structures led to the creation of Pesinet, a non-profit that uses mobile technology to provide regular health checkups and affordable health insurance for young children in Mali’s capital, Bamako.

Roughly 600 children are currently enrolled in the program in the neighborhood of Bamako Coura, under the care of four Pesinet agents (each covering around 150 children). Pesinet combines bothearly warning systems and insurance. Families pay 500 CF a month for each enrolled child; the payments cover doctor examinations and half the cost of any medications the child needs if he or she gets sick.

Enrolled children are tested weekly for symptoms of illness such as fever, cough, diarrhea, low weight, or vomiting by community health workers who enter data from each visit into a custom-designed Java application on their phone.  The data is sent via GPRS to an online database. Doctors at local community health centers monitor the patient data for sudden changes in health. If changes occur, the community health workers receive an alert on their phones and then go back, in turn, to alert the family that the doctor needs to give the child a checkup.

Pesinet’s Lucie de Clerk recently contributed to an ICT4CHW (ICT for Community Health Workers) discussion. She writes, ”The ICT system we use has been fully designed by us. It enables remote follow-up of children, keeping of medical records, and production of activity reports and health statistics. It is thus used for medical as well as management purposes.”

De Clerck estimates that it takes the community health workers about ten minutes to complete each child’s check-up and record the data. Only children that need immediate attention are contacted after the data is reviewed by the health center doctors, so the field workers only have to take action if something is wrong.

The organization is working to become self-sustaining through enrollments but is currently still partially dependent on funds raised outside of the insurance program. De Clerck writes “Our first aim was to achieve local operational self-financing, i.e monthly subscription fees covering the running costs of the service. Experience shows that we are able to achieve 50%, while the other 50% are currently covered by the funds we raise. We have yet to find a sustainable economic model.”

De Clerck says that the community health workers adopted the technology quickly; she attributes the rapid pickup to a simple design and the relatively small amount of data collected. However, the organization has faced network connectivity issues which has resulted in the fieldworkers keeping separate, paper-based records and limiting the real-time usefulness of the program. This would also limit the use of Pesinet in more rural areas where network connectivity is weaker and Internet connections less reliable than in the capital (as the doctors at health centers need Internet access to view the data from the field workers). The organization is currently working on new specifications for its technology so that the application will be less reliant on mobile and web connectivity.

Another challenge was creating demand among beneficiaries, as insurance and preventative medicine are not very prevalent in Mali. So Pesinet and the field workers have to promote the idea of paying for non-sick children as a precaution against future illnesses. However, among the families of the 600 children who have been enrolled since the program launched, satisfaction rates are high.

A survey of participating families found that the service has been well received by beneficiaries so far; 94% reported satisfaction with Pesinet, 97% of participating families called the service “very affordable”, and participating health centers have seen a 37% increase in visits through Pesinet subscribers.

For an in-depth look at Pesinet, check out Mobile Active’s case study on the project, or listen to Pesinet co-founder Anne Roos-Weil describe the project in this video from the MobileActive Mobiles for Women Tech Salon.

[via Mobile Active]

According to Gerry van den Houten, Technical Director at SABMiller, cassava is the biggest but least commercialized crop in Africa. The beer manufacturer has identified this as an opportunity to support farmers and localize supply chains by producing a lager made from the root vegetable, called Impala.

Cassava has been popular among home-brewers across Zimbabwe and Mozambique for generations, due to its plentiful supply and drought-resistant nature. However home brewed beers often come with dangerous health risks, and governments are not able to collect tax from sales. SABMiller aim to market Impala as a safe alternative to the home brewed variety, at 75 percent of the cost of other lagers, to attract the market that might usually home brew. They will source raw materials in Africa, from both commercial farmers and smallholders — the brewer will deal directly with the commercial farmers, who are responsible for the development of around 1,500 smallhold farmers. SABMiller claim it will use around 40,000 tonnes of raw cassava a year to produce the beer, and expect it to contribute to 10 percent of their annual sales in Mozambique over the next three years. A test batch of 150,000 litres has already been sold, and they plan to expand Impala to South Sudan next year.

[via Springwise]

Afghanistan based mobile network, Roshan has expanded its mobile banking service, M-Paisa so that members of the Eastern Region Fruit Growers Association (EFGA) can repay loans to the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF).

The ADF is a program launched by the Ministry of Agriculture aimed at proving Afghan farmers with access to credit. The ADF was initially established with a US$100 million grant provided by the United States Agency for International Development, and is expected to grow further with contributions from other donors, as well as the Government of Afghanistan itself.

One of the factors constraining loan payments is the distance between rural households and financial institutions; currently, farmers travel long distances to make payments in person. To bridge this distance, approximately 500 farmers, as part of a pilot program, in Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar, will use M-paisa to make loan repayments, on their mobile phone.

“This partnership with M-Paisa constitutes a unique opportunity to use a technological innovation to facilitate loan repayments by shortening the distance between farmers and financial institutions, reducing their security risk and helps them save time” says Mr. Juan Estrada, Chief of Party of the Agricultural Credit Enhancement (ACE) Program, currently managing the ADF.

Users begin by registering for free on OliveTrips with a Gmail address and mobile phone number. They then register their car, bike or other vehicle, including seating capacity, fuel type and mileage. They can also choose to include expiry dates for their insurance and pollution-under-control (PUC) documents. Next, users can post details of the trips they hope to take, including specifying whether they prefer male or female co-riders, or any other requirements. Once that’s done, OliveTrips can be used to search for other posted trips that match the user’s requirements. When one looks promising, users can express interest, prompting OliveTrips to send an email and SMS to enable direct communication between those involved.

Perhaps even more interesting, however, is that OliveTrips periodically sends users a customized EcoReport depicting the environmental benefits, financial savings, and fuel savings they’ve made from using the service. Such reports are sent quarterly for most, but can be sent monthly for the site’s heaviest users. OliveTrips also offers the option of renewing users’ insurance and PUC documents for them.

Ride-sharing sites are no longer uncommon, so it makes perfect sense to see new competitors expanding the services they offer, particularly in such a way as to emphasize the benefits of what they do.

[via Springwise]

This sort of service is very attractive to clients who would want to show what kind of effect their transport usage has on the environment, and with the sort of detailed reports that OliveTrips does, this is all possible.

Pay as you go is a common way of paying for calls on your cellphone. Now the idea could help make solar power a more realistic option for families in Kenya and other African countries.

The system, called IndiGo, consists of a low-cost flexible plastic 2.5W solar panel that charges a battery. This is connected to a USB mobile phone charger and an LED lamp that provides around 5 hours of light from one day’s charge.

Developed by solar energy firm Eight19, based in Cambridge, UK, IndiGo costs $1 a week to run, though the unit itself must be leased for an initial $10 fee. Users add credit by buying a scratchcard that they validate by sending a text message from their phone.

IndiGo is being trialled in Kenya and will be tested in other countries in the next few months. Eight19 hopes the device will go on sale early next year. The company also plans to offer higher-power systems as demand for solar energy increases, such as a 50W system that could power a small TV.

Many rural areas of countries such as Kenya are not connected to the electricity grid, so people light their homes using kerosene lamps. As well as being relatively expensive, these create smoke pollution and carbon emissions. Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO of Eight19, says the high cost of fuel locks people into a cycle of poverty. “They’re paying disproportionately large amounts for their energy,” he says – typically $2 or £3 a week.

Bransfield-Garth says the benefits of his firm’s solar power system aren’t just economic – it will improve access to power too. People in rural Kenya currently pay around $0.20 to charge their phone, and many also have to travel to a charger. One man in the trial used to make a 2-hour round-trip each week and wait another 2 hours to actually charge his phone. He can now do it at home.

“There’s no doubt it’s a great development,” says Sabah Abdullah , who researches sustainable energy development in developing countries at the University of Bath, UK. But she warns that the system could be hard for people with low literacy levels to use and that relying on a mobile phone for payment could marginalise those who can’t afford such devices. “These are the people who really need a step up in terms of electrification.”

[via Jacob Aaron]

“See Better to Learn Better” is a free eyeglasses program in partnership with the Mexican government and Augen Optics. The collaboration between the non-profit and Yves Béhar/fuseproject has lead to Collección Escolar 2010. A collection of customizable and iconic corrective eyewear that is specifically designed for students, ages 6-18 years old.

Similar to the OLPC philosophy, we wanted to design products that are suited to the children’s specific needs, life and environment. The children receiving these glasses need frames that are durable, ergonomic and have key customization elements like shape and color that make wearing the glasses fun and personal.

Currently, the percentage of children in need of lenses at or above .75 correction, and can be as high as 60-70% in some schools in states like Morelos, Sonora and Chiapas. The average classroom need percentage is 11%. Additionally, the wearing of glasses is looked at as a handicap, this social stigma adds to the resistance to correct the problem.

To solve all of these challenges, we designed two part frames that are fully customizable with top and bottom colors that can be mixed and matched to fit all children’s personal choices. The innovative interchangeable nose pads let children with more petite noses wear the glasses comfortably. Through the use of the two part construction, 7 colors, 5 shapes and 3 sizes, these glasses can be swapped and adjusted in the field in order to update prescriptions.

At every school, we encourage students to create their very own pair of glasses with their favorite styles, size and color combinations. All this can be done through the special options catalogue, a fun and interactive way for kids to first encounter and chose their glasses.

The glasses are designed to be worn beyond the classrooms utilizing materials, advanced Gilamid plastic, with its hyper-flexible property, making them practically indestructible. Some fun in the soccer field? no problem.

The aim of “See Better to Learn Better” is to provide a solution to children in families that cannot afford the high cost of an eye exam and eyewear. The program gives a free eye exam administered in schools and students pick their own frames. The prescription and desired frames are produced locally by Augen, a Mexican company, and then delivered to the schools.

With Collección Escolar 2010, each pair is designed for students and created by students.

Backpacking through India, Vinay Kumar G. realised that a rural artisan suffers most because of the lack of direct access to markets. More often than not, the products exchange hands of three or four middlemen who pocket all the profits. As the supply of such village based products is more than the demand, the artisans are left with a raw deal.

The Village Store came into being with the help of seed capital provided by Unltd India. It sourced authentic handmade village craft products directly from artisan groups spread all over India and marketed them in urban India. In order to incorporate sustainability in its very process, The Village Store decided to source and market only eco-friendly products, thus adhering to a triple bottom line approach.

Read more on this brilliant idea over at The Better India website

This article is part of a series of carefully curated articles from the wonderful ‘The Better India’ website.

Here’s an interview that Usha Bhende of the wonderful blog Dutiee, conducted with  the founder of Toybank

Toybank is an organization whose mission is to deliver happiness to underprivileged street kids, and to give them the opportunity to have a childhood.

Usha: Hello Shweta, can you tell us what Toybank does?
Shweta: We want to ensure that every child has a happy healthy childhood and that play is a part of that childhood.
We also want to teach these underprivileged kids about ‘giving’ and ‘sharing’ using toys as a medium. These are taught via workshops/magic shows by volunteers, who spend time with the children.

Usha: When did the Toybank idea occur to you?
Shweta: I’m actually an engineer by profession. We noticed that underprivileged kids are subject to malnutrition, hunger, health problems, substance abuse, theft, harassment by the police. So childhood and adolescent depression is on the rise through the growing years. Play through toys helps.
Some social organizations fulfill basic needs like food, clothing and education while some like us focus on bringing happiness through play into the lives of children.

Usha: How does it work?
Shweta: New and used toys are collected and recycled. We never buy toys. Old toys are picked up from individuals, corporations and organizations from all over the country. We clean and gift -wrap and distributed these toys to underprivileged kids, in the age group 1 to 15 years.

We work with NGOs, Government schools, community play centers, Government hospitals and orphanages. We stress on morally correct toys. So violent toys like guns are rejected as are Barbies or battery-operated toys which create lifestyle conflicts and class differences. Board games that are stimulating, educational and promote team-building are welcome. Books are discouraged because they promote solitude and not all kids are literate.

Usha: What was the response like?
Shweta: Oh it’s been overwhelming! I can’t forget the joy that lit up the kids’ eyes when they realized that they actually OWNED the toy! Also we do video’s in regular schools, to explain to children the lives of these underprivileged kids. The response is heartening.
Children are really motivated. A boy collected 200 toys! They are motivated into giving sometimes even their own favorite toys. Inscribing them with encouraging messages like ‘study hard’, ‘go to school’, ‘do well in life’, ‘all the best’.

At present Toybank has given toys to over 10,000 kids and we hope to triple the number in the next 2-3 years.

Usha: And how have the children reacted?
Shweta: We have witnessed clear changes in many of the children. The kids have learn’t the importance of sharing, of being more sensitive towards their environment, of respecting their elders and even their brothers and sisters, of controlling their temper and most of all through the toys they receive, they have become children again! Happy, and smiling. Just as how children should be.

These observations convinced us that there is a definite need for an organization like ours. The two hour interaction sessions with our volunteers has given voice to their bottled-up dreams and aspirations in unique ways. For example, we’ve met girls who want to be pilots! In such cases, the toys we give them are matched with their aspirations.

Usha: How do you manage logistics?
Shweta: With a core team of 3-4, and 50-100 volunteers. Toybank has now spread across metropolitan India, in cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi and a small operation in Bhutan.

Usha: What are your future plans?
Shweta: By June 2011, we plan to setup toy-libraries in Maharashtra, India. We also plan to go international some day, especially in war torn areas of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa.

This article originally appeared on the Dutiee Blog

For every moment that passes, another Kenyan is suffering and starving. But this time, Kenyans are raising their voices and making a difference. Instead of just sitting around and waiting for outside help, Kenya’s digital natives have put together initiatives to help resolve the crisis.

We are constantly rediscovering the wonders that can be effected within the digital space. Ideas, resources, and funds are being collected by both individual and corporate citizens. Here are just a few of the current initiatives.

1] Squad Digital has donated its website for the cause, and individual employees are sacrificing things that are precious to them. The monetary equivalent of these sacrifices will be donated to help feed our starving countrymen.

2] Safaricom Kenya has pushed the Kenyans for Kenya campaign which encourages Kenyans to donate funds through M-PESA PayBill No. 111111. The plan is to raise Ksh 500,000,000 in four weeks, and within the first week, the campaign has passed the Ksh 150,000,000 mark.

3] Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) has set up a Kenyans for Kenya Account No. 11 333 333 38 where well-wishers can deposit funds.

4] #FeedKE is a campaign initiated by Ahmed Salims of Fluid Tees. He has used his blog, his brand, and his online presence to encourage fellow Kenyans to donate to the cause. Funds are being channeled directly to The Kenya Red Cross through M-PESA, PayBill No. 10,000. The Account name is FeedKE.

5] Barclays Bank of Kenya has set up The Partnerships and Empowerment Against Hunger (PEAH) initiative. Employees are giving up their lunch and pushing other initiatives to raise funds. These activities include fundraising walks and selling handkerchiefs. The bank will match employee contributions shilling for shilling.

Everybody has a role to play to relieve this situation in the short, medium, and long term. The people of Turkana are doing their best to survive this crisis, with a lot of help from the Turkana Basin Institute.

Take a moment to think of how you can help, whether it’s giving up luxuries, donating funds, redirecting web traffic, or simply spreading the world. What are you giving up for Kenya? What solutions can be implemented to prevent this recurring problem? Let us know in the comments section. No one person can fix this, but together, we can save our starving countrymen.

[Disclaimer: Asif Khan, curator of the ufahari platform is Manager of Digital Strategy at Squad Digital, the agency that came up with the concept for the Kenyans for Kenya web platform]