π We are delighted to announce that the 1st place winning project team of the Gilead x Social Shifters Global Healthcare Equity Challenge is:
π₯1st place ($10,000):Β Comfort Peace Ayikoru – Project Kanga- Care (Uganda)! π
The Gilead x Social Shifters Global Healthcare Equity Challenge focused on ideas and innovations which promote prevention, strengthen health systems, and improve access to treatment for people in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
KangaCare is a low-cost, locally made, alternative to neonatal incubators used to support the life of premature babies. A knitted double-layered carrier that embraces the Kangaroo-inspired βskin-to-skinβ mother care technique and is fitted with vital reading sensors, and micro-processors for infant vital sign monitoring.
Comfort Ayikoru, CEO and Co-Founder of KangaCare, shared her thoughts with us: β I realized almost 7 in 10 babies die are premature babies due to the insufficient facilities on ground.
[…] Most mothers then opt for Kangaroo Skin to skin care but most of the mothers use unsterile and light clothing to do this even predisposing these babies to more infections leading to death. It is with this background that I and my colleagues decided to come up with a simpler and more affordable solution to curb this vice.β
Please join us in congratulating the project team behind KangaCare! To find out more about KangaCare you can visit their website – http://kangaprecare.com/.
We also wanted to thank all of our 12 finalists for their dedication to the cause and their incredible pitches last week. It was a very tough decision for our judges and you should all be proud of what you have accomplished! π
Special thanks to our partners Gilead Sciences Thu Do Tanvi Sharma Michael Calcagno Dennis Israelski and thanks to all of the Gilead volunteer coaches.
π Stay tuned for the announcement of our 2nd winner!