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Drones from scraps: How a Malawian startup is transforming medical supply delivery

Charles Pensulo

September 29, 2021 |

Hardware Things |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Malawi

Micromek builds low-cost drones using mostly 3D printers and recycled materials and delivers supplies to rural health clinics and relief organizations during natural disasters. The company’s drones can access a drone-friendly air corridor set up by the Malawian government to make the journeys more successful.

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George Floyd Square COVID-19 vaccine drives target misinformation, mistrust

Susan Du

September 25, 2021 |

Minneapolis Star Tribune |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Though police have removed barricades from the protest zone around George Floyd Square, it remains a popular gathering place for people. The church across from the spot where George Floyd was murdered in May 2020 has partnered with the Cultural Wellness Center to offer COVID-19 vaccines at the square in order to raise the vaccination rate of the surrounding community. The shots are free and recipients receive a $50 gift card for each dose of the two-dose series. While many people have come to get the vaccine begrudgingly, largely due to workplace and travel mandates, organizers are happy for any gains.

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Youths Distribute ARVs During Lockdown to Curb Human Immunodeficiency

Namiganda Jael

September 23, 2021 |

Metro FM 90.8 |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Kampala

Volunteers around Kampala help people living with HIV – who often seek medical care far from their homes due to stigma - get their medications during COVID-19 lockdowns. The volunteers mainly use bicycles to deliver the medications and are assisted in reaching people in need by the patients’ doctors as well as community leaders, like members of parliament, who use social media platforms to advertise the services. A single volunteer, like Opio Kenneth, can deliver medications to five to ten clients a day. Another initiative, with several volunteers, has reached over 4,000 clients since 2020.

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How programs across Colorado aim to end "period poverty" with free tampons and pads

Fran Kritz

September 22, 2021 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

The Grace Upon Grace Project seeks to address period poverty – the inability of people who menstruate to afford sanitary supplies – by providing free access to tampons and pads. The organization hosts a monthly free product distribution event that serves hundreds of people. They advertise events on social media, but will also provide a set number of supplies to people in need who contact them in-between events. The organization will deliver supplies to those who qualify but cannot access the events. Women can also receive supplies of diapers and pull-ups for children if needed.

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Pour Flush Toilets Eradicate Typhoid in Katunguru Village

Fatuma Nalwanga

September 19, 2021 |

The Community Agenda |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Katunguru

Katunguru village reduced Cholera and Typhoid outbreaks by building and transitioning to pour flush toilets rather than pit latrines. Pour flush toilets require just a five-foot pit, so waste water doesn’t mix with drinking water and are inexpensive to maintain. A user pours in water to flush the toilet through an S-shaped pipe. In addition to stopping disease outbreaks, residues from filled pits are used as manure and ash from kitchens are sprinkled inside after each use to prevent odors and dry up waste residues. Pour flush toilets are not constructed with wood, so they also minimize local deforestation.

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Nigeria's quest to help 2.6 million sickle cell patients

Risikat Ramoni

September 19, 2021 |

Daily Trust |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Lagos

Doctors and nurses with the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria provide free specialized care to over 5,000 people at a local hospital. An annual CT scan monitors patients' risk of stroke, with those who are high-risk getting one every three months. The CT scans are provided at a highly subsidized cost because the machine was donated to the hospital. Patients with leg ulcers, a common ailment, are treated three times a week and given free supplies to clean wounds at home. The foundation does outreach to rural areas, where they have provided education, genetic counseling, and medical services to over 8,000 people.

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How to Order an Abortion Online

Tessa Stuart

September 16, 2021 |

Rolling Stone |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

Demand for self-managed abortions increased as more states restrict women’s access to care. AidAccess provides women with abortion pills via affordable virtual consultations with its 10 medical providers, serving all 50 states. Pills are mailed to patients’ homes and are about 95% effective ending pregnancies before 11 weeks' gestation, which accounts for the majority of abortions nationwide. Self-administered abortions are even legal under Texas’ extremely restrictive anti-abortion law, with hits on AidAccess’ website increasing to about 30,000 (from the average of 2,000) after the Texas law took effect.

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As CMSD returns to virtual school, Project ACT ensures the needs of homeless students are met

Sydney Kornegay

September 15, 2021 |

FreshWater Cleveland |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Project ACT provides support services to 1,000 Cleveland public school students experiencing homelessness or living with guardians other than their parents. Students are set up with a life skills coach who provides emotional and academic support to cope with traumatic life experiences. To ensure stability during COVID-19, Project ACT distributed hotspots and Chromebooks to all 1,000 children they work with. Life coach sessions transitioned to Zoom, where weekly online tutoring sessions were also hosted. Students could also receive gift cards, enrichment packets, school supplies, and hygiene items if needed.

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Rwanda Saving Mothers' Lives With An SMS

James Rwema

September 14, 2021 |

Rwanda Dispatch |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Rwanda

The RapidSMS program provides mobile phones to connect pregnant women, community health workers (CHWs), ambulances, and hospitals. CHWs enter data into phones to track all pregnant women, monitor prenatal care, and identify women at risk of complications. The free platform also allows pregnant women to send a text message to their CHW, who can alert an ambulance to be dispatched to even the most remote regions and give hospitals advanced notice of the women’s arrival. The system has been so effective in improving health outcomes that the government is looking to use it for other medical issues like malaria.

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The hotel for homeless people

Simon Maybin

September 14, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United Kingdom

To limit the spread of COVID-19, the Everyone In initiative offers housing to people experiencing homelessness. In the first few months of the program, the government paid for hotel rooms – which were empty due to the pandemic – for about 15,000 people. Additional services provided include helping people with substance abuse issues, accessing welfare benefits, and finding permanent housing. Some hotel residents expressed a renewed sense of purpose from having stable housing. A new set of workers, like hotel staff, addressing homelessness for the first time also led to innovation.

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