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Innovators Mobilize to Help Developing Countries Combat COVID-19 Grand Challenges Canada innovators offer resources, ideas, affordable solutions for low-resource countries in need of pandemic essentials: medical oxygen, ventilators, masks, more Novel, affordable ways to acquire medical oxygen, ventilators, masks and other critically-needed COVID-19 supplies and services are among 20 Grand Challenges Canada innovations mobilizing to…says Dr. Silver. “We have been guided by local governments’ needs, with locally supplied medical oxygen topping the list — a resource in tragically short supply and high demand throughout much of the developing world.” The innovators leading these 20 solutions are based in 11 countries — Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Brazil, India, Bangladesh,…throughout Africa and beyond, from the Amazon to the Himalayas. 4 projects provide medical oxygen 2 produce rugged, battery backed-up ventilators 1 is pivoting from affordable locally-produced sanitary pads to low-cost masks 2 offer innovative diagnostic / imaging equipment 7 support remote patient care, monitoring and essential products delivery 1 supports mental health care 2 support…device provides continuous respiratory support for all patients, from infants to adults, and is optimized for low-resource settings: affordable, portable and rechargeable, with an internal compressor that allows it to operate independent of compressed gas lines. OneBreath anticipates its devices serving India soon and is seeking expedited regulatory processes (including US Food and Drug Administration…formed the backbone of Rwanda’s national COVID-19 case-contact monitoring response and has already demonstrated benefit. Video: https://vimeo.com/238653892   2) Praekelt.org (South Africa) Praekelt.org has created MomConnect, a free WhatsApp-based text messaging platform to promote healthy pregnancies and infant care. Registered users receive biweekly advice tailored to each stage of motherhood, including clinical visit reminders and…Learning Ltd. (Tanzania) With GCC support, Ubongo locally produces culturally-relevant, multi-lingual, multi-media “edutainment” and other learning resources for young children and caregivers in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. TV and radio shows deliver engaging stories, animations and songs that teach children early numeracy, language and literacy, motor development, socio-emotional learning and good health /   wellbeing, with complementary content…

…a single infectious agent. TB is a leading killer of people living with HIV, causing one fifth of all deaths. Over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and it is among the top three causes of death for women aged 15 to 44. More than half a million children became ill…suspects (Kenya) In this case, the innovation is a mobile telephone application to assess the possibility of TB infection. Users use their phone to connect with a website, fill out a questionnaire and have the result of this online assessment on their screen (Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)).    Improving tuberculosis surveillance in low-resource settings using the Ledger Shredder (Kenya) High HIV-related case loads, complex diagnosis and weak health systems for delivering TB care hamper efforts to reduce the global burden of tuberculosis. The innovators will develop and implement the ledger…be evaluated for use in health centres (Vikrant Educational and Social Welfare Society). A rapid low-cost test for pulmonary tuberculosis (Afghanistan, India, Indonesia) Building a low-cost and electricity-free thermal cycler that amplifies the myobacteria’s DNA in sputum samples will develop a low-cost platform for rapid detection of tuberculosis, especially in remote areas, where access to…less than one hour, which will save lives and improve health in the most resource-poor regions of the world (McMaster University). Mystery clients to assess and improve quality of TB care (India) Mystery patients will evaluate the quality of TB care in India and help establish a quality surveillance project. This innovative project can help…

…Wellness ACEs innovation for children and youth in children’s homes in Nakuru, Kenya Tumaini Wellness is a peer-led mental health innovation that aims to provide nurturance and quality mental health care to at-risk youth affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in seven children’s homes in Nakuru, Kenya. The innovation uses a stepped-care approach, adapting the…promotion and prevention digital game, South Africa Digital gaming offers an opportunity to provide Mental Health Prevention & Promotion (MHP&P) interventions to youth at low cost and high reach. Foundation for Professional Development’s digital game “StepWell” aims to equip youth with new social and interpersonal skills to navigate everyday challenges, improve self-image and relationships, and…socioemotional development activities, and a platform for sharing lived experiences of mental health challenges. Children Care Uganda's youth mental health leaders will develop and implement the activity series as an add-on to their existing programs in the Gulu District. Lifafa Research Foundation, Youth Mental Health Promotion, Cameroon In Cameroon, discussing mental health issues are often…services for youth. It will achieve these objectives through a social media-based mental health literacy campaign, building a national map locating LGBTQ+-friendly mental health services, providing anonymous online peer-led counselling and crisis intervention chat services, and in-person peer-facilitated art therapy support groups at three LGBTQI+ serving CBOs in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hue.…villages in northern Thailand to help address the mental health challenges in their communities, where over 30% of people do not have Thai citizenship or access to free health care. Through training that includes principles of psychology, counselling techniques to support youth experiencing mental health challenges, and with the support of community leaders and public…shops. Young barbers will be trained as peer mentors to connect with their youth clients on mental health issues and link them to appropriate care. SiyaFanaFana, FanaFana - Chat for Change - Improved well-being of Zimbabwean LGBTQIA+ youth using a scaled digital chatbot service, Zimbabwe [caption id="attachment_51255" align="alignnone" width="2042"] Photo credit: SiyaFanaFana[/caption] In Zimbabwe, levels…will train students to provide non-clinical MHPSS as peer supporters, establish a Mind and Body clinic within the student union building, and establish a toll-free hotline and website with a mental health e-course with information on mental health, self-care, and links for self-referral to on and off-campus mental health services. --- About the Global Mental…

…November 17, 2020—Grand Challenges Canada (GCC), with funding from the Government of Canada, is increasing its investments in 14 innovative health and international development projects. Our support allows innovators to adapt their product to also provide novel, affordable and locally sourced resources, ideas and solutions to acquire critical COVID-19 supplies and services for low-resource countries during the global pandemic. Together with this supplementary funding, the 14 innovations will have received total Grand Challenges Canada support of…needs,” said Grand Challenges Canada Co-CEO Dr. Karlee Silver. “A secondary health crisis is unfolding in the shadow of the pandemic: people are not able to access quality primary health care. When a person’s first point of contact with health services is threatened, it’s a sign that overall health systems are failing; and mothers and…door of Muso’s partner health facilities to distinguish suspected COVID-19 cases from other patients.” MAMaZ Against Malaria At Scale Innovator: Development Data Location: Zambia Reaching rural and highly mobile populations Children in rural areas of Zambia presenting with severe malaria may be too sick to ingest oral anti-malarial drugs, and are often living far from…employees. Schools are closed in Zambia, so mothers are shouldered with the bulk of household work and also need to assist their children with school work and online learning. As a result, they often have to work outside the normal working hours. Nonetheless, we are ensuring that community-based child health activities continue safely and without…reliable healthcare access for both themselves and the communities they interact with. North Star Alliance East Africa makes services available for these groups through a network of Roadside Wellness Centres, otherwise known as ‘Blue Boxes’: shipping containers converted to primary care clinics, which are strategically located along the major transport routes of sub-Saharan Africa. To…

…and treatment to 7,400 individuals and the training of 50 medical practitioners. So far 50,000 individuals in the slum are aware of the availability of the system. WHO-recommended strategies to tackle malaria include: prevention with long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying; diagnostic testing and treatment with quality-assured anti-malarial medicines; preventive therapies for infants, children and pregnant women; tracking every malaria case in a surveillance system; and scaling up the fight against emerging drug and…insecticidal plaster. which is smeared onto mud walls of huts. Modifying housing [caption id="" align="alignright" width="270"] A typical funnel-shaped rural house in Kenya has open eaves, which allows for easy entry of mosquitoes potentially transmitting malaria. Photo credit: Atieli et al, 2012[/caption] Innovators from Maseno University (Kenya) are modifying typical rural houses by installing a ventilated…approaches and devices. Rapid tests specific for malaria University of Toronto is developing a low-cost test using nanostructured microelectrodes to detect malaria in unpurified blood samples with high sensitivity and specificity. (Tanzania) Kenya Medical Research Institute is developing a non-invasive test that can detect and quantify malaria parasites in saliva. Implemented in Kenya and Nigeria.…that threatens the life of the mother and the fetus. Every year, over 60% of pregnant women globally are at risk of infection. Malaria exposure in the womb leads to stillbirth or preterm birth, and may  have a profound impact on early brain development. University of Alberta scientists are investigating in Benin and Colombia how antibodies…

…Concordia Annual Summit in New York City. The finalists emerged from a pool of 615 applications received from 86 countries – 48 percent of which came from lower-middle-income countries. About one-third of the applications involved projects led by women. The finalists, who stand collectively to receive $5 million in funding, will now put their innovative…network of support groups that promote the inclusion of children and young people with disabilities. Comprehensive Community-Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania – Deploying 3-D printing technology to make high-quality lower-body prosthetics for people with disabilities in Tanzania. Anonymous innovator – Developing maggot-debridement therapy for effective wound care in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Fundación Acción…for Yemen and Haiti that uses DNA-amplification to detect the bacteria Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera, in less than 30 minutes. Anonymous innovator – Piloting an inexpensive, electricity-free cold-storage box in India and Afghanistan that can keep essential food and medication fresh for more than 20 weeks. Sun Buckets, Inc. – Testing a method to…