A diagnosis could be as quick as a text message away through the program MedicSMS.
MedicSMS is a new way for doctors to give diagnoses to patients in developing countries. The service is provided by means of Artificial Intelligence (AI), an upcoming technology that is gaining credibility and popularity.
Many people in developing countries have access to basic mobile phones. According to the 2015 Ericsson Mobility Report there are 2.6 billion smartphone subscriptions that exist globally. By the year 2020, Ericsson predicts that number will jump to 3.5 billion.
MedicSMS capitalized on growing mobile connections, creating a new way for patients and their doctors to interact when “in-person” is not an option. The program works collaboratively with IBM Watson, a “supercomputer platform” that can “analyze health data” and Twilio, the SMS service used. The machine, using basic question and answer sets, will “reveal insights from large amounts of unstructured data,” according to IBM.
After the data is received from the patient, Watson goes to work. The AI interface translates the SMS into a “likely diagnosis,” according to MedicSMS. The patient is then delivered a set of steps to follow for their newly diagnosed condition.
After a diagnosis is made, patients can start a treatment regimen immediately.
A service similar to MedicSMS, called FrontlineSMS, is seeing success from its pilot project in Malawi, which is the world’s poorest country, according to data from the World Bank.
According to the FrontlineSMS website, the service saved hospital staff an estimated “1,200 hours of follow-up time and $3,000 in motorbike fuel.” The time saved by Frontline SMS could be allocated to other patients in need of “in-person” aid, while the financial resources could be stretched further to assist other people in need.
The MedicSMS AI interface also asks for a location from the patient. That information is logged and transported to local health authorities that can administer extra aid if needed, as well as medication that the patient requires.
The GPS location also allows health authorities to pinpoint where illnesses and diseases are taking place, helping them to be better prepared for future outbreaks of certain diseases.
Harley Katz, one of the Ph.D. members of the MedicSMS team, hopes that soon, health organizations can better understand where the epicenter for diseases and outbreaks are taking place.
“Eventually, we’re hoping to track much more, including where similar symptoms are popping up on the map,” he said.
– Alyson Atondo
Sources: World Bank, Ericsson, IBM, Frontline SMS, Techcrunch, Devpost
Photo: Google Images
Plant Lamps Light the Way for Rainforest Villages
According to the Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia (UTEC), around 40 percent of the rainforest villages in Peru do not have much electricity.
Translation: sundown means lights out. It’s a genuine problem for families and students unless they resort to unhealthy and dangerous kerosene lamps which are bad for eyesight and lungs because of the resulting smoke.
Nature, the geographical isolation of these communities and routine flooding are all part of the problem.
However, researchers and students at UTEC decided to make nature part of the solution. Taking stock of their surroundings, the team used two plants and soil to create “plantalámparas” or plant lamps.
Elmer Ramirez, a professor of Energy and Power Engineering at UTEC, explains, “We can obtain energy from the earth. Based on principles and findings documented in other countries we developed our own prototype, using a clean energy system.”
Ramirez goes on, “Every plant produces nutrients, and these nutrients — in contact with microorganisms in the earth called geobacter — undergo an oxidation process generating free electrons that are captured through electrodes. These electrodes are in a grid. This energy is stored in a conventional battery to be used to light an LED light bulb.”
Each plant lamp unit consists of a planter with an electrode grid buried in the soil, in which a single plant is growing. The electrode grid collects free electrons generated by oxidation processes and stores the energy in a conventional battery, also buried in the soil.
The battery then powers the low-consumption LED lamp, attached to the side of the planter. Each lamp is capable of generating enough power to supply two hours of light per day.
UTEC has partnered with global ad agency FCB Mayo to produce several prototypes for distribution. As of now, ten houses in Nuevo Saposoa have a plant lamp. With such innovation and low production costs, the demand for plant lamps will likely increase.
A promotional video provided by UTEC presents many members of the Nuevo Saposoa community expressing their gratitude. One resident is heard saying, “electricity is life for our children.”
– Kara Buckley
Sources: Discovery News, Slate, MIT Technology Review, YouTube
Photo: Vimeo
FINCA Boots Entrepreneurship in Underserved Countries
FINCA International helps small business owners in more than 23 countries worldwide by providing the finances and resources they need to keep their businesses up and running.
The innovative nonprofit focuses on four core areas: financial assistance, social intermediation, enterprise development and social service impact.
FINCA International serves as a financial intermediary by providing developing business owners with loans, teaching them how to open savings accounts and helping them find insurance tailored to the products and services they offer. This helps new businesses blossom into full-running operations that help women and men provide for their families.
Their second facet, social intermediation, is also an important part of their business model. Because they are serving entrepreneurs in countries that may be lacking in gender equality, they have to serve as people who can help bring change to these communities. FINCA International provides this intermediation through education in financial literacy and Village Banking loan programs.
In addition to enterprise development, they also help developing communities through educational programs, nutrition services, and health training. These programs contribute to the success and growth of the villages and towns they serve.
FINCA International was launched in 1984 by former Peace Corps member Dr. John Hatch. Hatch started the organization as Village Banking, which operated in Bolivia and served as a financial intermediary for farmers struggling through tough economic times. The following year, Hatch started the organization.
In its early days, FINCA International operated primarily in Latin America, including Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador, but by the early 1990s, its services had spread to Africa and Eurasia as well. Since its inauguration, FINCA International has lived up to its name and has provided services in countries all over the world.
Subsidiaries exist in countries in Africa, Western Europe, Latin America and Asia.
– Julia Hettiger
Sources: FINCA, Give, Philanthropedia, MicroCapital
Photo: Flickr
Using Cell Phones to Measure Poverty in Developing Countries
A new study published by the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley reports that mobile cell phone information can be used to measure levels of wealth and poverty in developing countries.
Historically, poverty data in developing countries has been difficult to measure because information is captured through door-to-door surveys.
“[Cell phones] could be a useful policy instrument to estimate the geographic distribution of poverty and wealth,” said Joshua Blumenstock, one of the study’s authors, in a NY Times interview.
Blumenstock and his colleagues used anonymous data from 1.5 million subscribers of Rwanda’s largest mobile phone network. The team analyzed billions of interactions which included the time and length of phone calls as well as text messages. Cellphone towers helped them get a rough idea of geographic location.
During the study, the researchers also interviewed 850 cell phone owners. The respondents were asked about their housing situations, the assets they had access to and other indicators of wealth or poverty.
The researchers used this information to create an algorithm that predicts a person’s wealth based on their cellphone usage. Using this model, the team was able to answer more specific questions including whether a house has electricity.
Notably, the resulting wealth and poverty maps closely mirrored the findings of the Rwandan government’s door-to-door surveys.
The researchers are trying to conduct similar work in Afghanistan because certain areas are dangerous or too difficult to access and door-to-door surveys are not possible.
“We do not think this method is the be-all or end-all, but in the absence of good information, this is better than nothing,” said Blumenstock. However, the researchers’ approach could lead to new ways to quickly analyze poverty at a fraction of the cost of other methods.
– Jordan Connell
Sources: PC Tech Magazine, The New York Times
Photo: Flickr
MedicSMS Diagnoses Patients Remotely in Developing Countries
A diagnosis could be as quick as a text message away through the program MedicSMS.
MedicSMS is a new way for doctors to give diagnoses to patients in developing countries. The service is provided by means of Artificial Intelligence (AI), an upcoming technology that is gaining credibility and popularity.
Many people in developing countries have access to basic mobile phones. According to the 2015 Ericsson Mobility Report there are 2.6 billion smartphone subscriptions that exist globally. By the year 2020, Ericsson predicts that number will jump to 3.5 billion.
MedicSMS capitalized on growing mobile connections, creating a new way for patients and their doctors to interact when “in-person” is not an option. The program works collaboratively with IBM Watson, a “supercomputer platform” that can “analyze health data” and Twilio, the SMS service used. The machine, using basic question and answer sets, will “reveal insights from large amounts of unstructured data,” according to IBM.
After the data is received from the patient, Watson goes to work. The AI interface translates the SMS into a “likely diagnosis,” according to MedicSMS. The patient is then delivered a set of steps to follow for their newly diagnosed condition.
After a diagnosis is made, patients can start a treatment regimen immediately.
A service similar to MedicSMS, called FrontlineSMS, is seeing success from its pilot project in Malawi, which is the world’s poorest country, according to data from the World Bank.
According to the FrontlineSMS website, the service saved hospital staff an estimated “1,200 hours of follow-up time and $3,000 in motorbike fuel.” The time saved by Frontline SMS could be allocated to other patients in need of “in-person” aid, while the financial resources could be stretched further to assist other people in need.
The MedicSMS AI interface also asks for a location from the patient. That information is logged and transported to local health authorities that can administer extra aid if needed, as well as medication that the patient requires.
The GPS location also allows health authorities to pinpoint where illnesses and diseases are taking place, helping them to be better prepared for future outbreaks of certain diseases.
Harley Katz, one of the Ph.D. members of the MedicSMS team, hopes that soon, health organizations can better understand where the epicenter for diseases and outbreaks are taking place.
“Eventually, we’re hoping to track much more, including where similar symptoms are popping up on the map,” he said.
– Alyson Atondo
Sources: World Bank, Ericsson, IBM, Frontline SMS, Techcrunch, Devpost
Photo: Google Images
PPPs Fight African Youth Unemployment
According to The Guardian, “youth unemployment is a global issue,” as young people account for approximately 40 percent of the world’s unemployed. Of note, 90 percent of this demographic live in developing countries, such as South Africa.
Not surprisingly, one of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals seeks to address this global issue by “substantially [reducing] the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training” by 2020.
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have already started to make a difference for unemployed youth in South Africa, where the youth unemployment rate stands at a staggering 50 percent. PPPs are working to provide young workers with government funded education, internship opportunities and technical services.
PPPs run projects between the private sector and the government, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and the private sector, or a combination of all three.
Zambian Youth Benefit
In Zambia for example, a PPP comprised of Unicef, Barclays and the Zambian government provided free courses focused on enterprise, entrepreneurship and communication skills.
According to The Guardian, Ernest Daka, a 22-year-old Zambian unemployed youth turned entrepreneur, credits a business and financial literacy course offered by this PPP as his motivation to become a self-starter.
Daka learned how to apply for a startup loan from a microfinance institution to purchase 50 chicks, a chicken coop, feed and charcoal.
The young entrepreneur began raising chickens after he learned more about local food supply and demand during the PPP course. Daka hired his brother as an employee and plans to package his chicken and eggs for grocery and restaurant sale in the future.
He has since repaid his loan in full and was able to pay for his brother’s school fees using profits from his business.
New Funding for PPPs
In 2014, the African Development Bank Group (AFDB) approved the financing of 48 new private sector operations with an investment of UA 1.59 billion. According to the AFDB, PPPs are one of the best ways for countries to foster development via power transport, water and sanitation and telecommunications.
As the desire for greater efficiency and better services grows, the availability of public financing resources diminishes. The South African government continues to promotes PPPs to make up for this lack of funding, improve the business environment and reduce the youth unemployment rate.
– Kelsey Lay
Sources: African Development Bank Group, The Guardian, UN
Photo: Flickr
South Korean Villages Fight to Keep Primary Schools Open
While rural schools in South Korean villages are facing closings, communities are trying to find solutions to keep them open. Next spring, local school Nogok Primary will close after its only enrolled student graduates, 12-year-old Chung Jeong-su. For the one student enrolled, it costs more than $87,000 per year to keep the school running.
In South Korea, 93 percent of students graduate from high school on time compared to 81 percent in the United States, an average considered among the best in the world.
“Villages around here have no more children to send,” the school’s only teacher, Lee Sung-kyun said. “Young people have all gone to cities to find work and get married there.” Located 110 miles east of South Korean’s capital, Nogok is a typical farmland town where farmers tend to potatoes, beans, and red peppers.
In the aftermath of the Korean War, farmers found premier education as a ticket to freedom for their children to escape poverty. By sending their children to Nogok Primary, students graduated and earned wages that were significantly higher than their parents.
Along with other Nogok Primary youth, recent high school graduates began moving to big cities where they could pursue university or receive higher-paying jobs. This demographic shift hit rural towns, including the Nogok community.
In 1960, the population of Nogok was 5,387. In 2010, the town reported a population of 615. That year, only 17 were primary school age. Since 1982, nearly 3,600 schools have closed across South Korea due to lack of enrollment.
“It’s a sorry sight,” said Mr. Baek, a graduate of Nogok Primary. “When I was a student here, 300 children were crawling all over there, giving weeds no time to grow.”
While the country has an excellent education system, rural South Korean villages are suffering, creating a larger gap between the rich and the poor. With the 13th largest economy in the world, South Korea’s rural towns have taken initiative, starting campaigns to save their schools. Some solutions include hiring buses to transport children from neighboring towns and providing free housing for families moving to the rural towns with school-age students.
Continued efforts give villages hope they can bring another generation of students back to the once prospering population.
– Alexandra Korman
Sources: ABC News, The New York Times, U.S. Department of Education
Photo: Google Images
Waiting for Health Project Highlights Global Health Crisis
Health care is considered by many to be a fundamental right. However, there are so many people in the world that do not have access to the care and services they need, creating a global health crisis.
A project called Waiting for Health brings awareness to this problem through a photo series that chronicles the stories of those waiting for health care. The photos are taken by 12 photographers and focus on 12 different countries.
The Waiting for Health project was created by the Global Coalition for Universal Health Coverage. It also had support from the Rockefeller Foundation.
Ultimately, the project hopes to spark a conversation about the disparity that exists in health care around the world.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately one billion people in developing countries do not have the access to health care that they need due to a number of factors such as high costs, poor quality facilities as well as a shortage of health care workers.
A 2014 WHO World Health Statistic revealed that in the African Region there were approximately 2.6 physicians per 10,000 patients. The density of the remaining health workforce to the population is also concerning: nursing and midwife personnel (12), dentistry personnel (0.5) and pharmaceutical personnel (0.9).
Due to the lack of financial resources, many people living in extreme poverty often have to choose between getting the medical attention that they need or buying food for survival.
Waiting for Health hopes to rejuvenate the conversation surrounding health care. Photographer Aurelie Marrier d’Unienville says that the photos will give people a different perspective on health care in developing countries. The photos will add a touch of “humanity” giving viewers a better visual understanding of what is occurring around them.
“Statistics and surveys present us with inanimate and abstract figures of which we can’t relate,” she said. “These photos present a compelling and visual story, which can evoke a sense of real understand and empathy.”
Her photos focused on the health care crisis in Guinea, but the series documents many other global experiences. Another example focuses on Libyan refugees in Norway waiting for mental health care.
According to the Waiting for Health website, “We hope these photographs inspire all of us to slow down and think more deeply about what really needs to change and make universal health care coverage a reality,”
– Alyson Atondo
Sources: European Parliamentary Research Service, World Bank, Waiting for Health, Mashable
Photo: Flickr
WeChat Wallet Launches in South Africa
Social messaging app, WeChat recently introduced a digital wallet service in Johannesburg, South Africa.
With WeChat Wallet, users can securely store bank cards and make instant cash payments just as they would with a physical wallet. The new service also enables users to electronically send cash to friends or family.
In addition, WeChat Wallet also offers the use of three chip, PIN debit and credit cards and the capability to transact via cards verified by Visa and MasterCard.
WeChat, which is owned by Chinese juggernaut, Tencent has partnered with Standard Bank for the launch of WeChat Wallet.
When registering for the digital wallet, users automatically become Standard Bank Instant Money users, which makes it possible for those without bank accounts to use the service. Accountholders at other banks are also able to access WeChat Wallet.
Brett Loubser, Head of WeChat Africa told IT News Africa, “The service is another way WeChat is merging the online and offline worlds, providing people with seamless payment integration in a single application. Now they won’t be inconvenienced if they forget their purses or money at home because everything they need is at their fingertips.”
WeChat Wallet is available to South Africans who are sixteen or older with a Valid ID who use iOS or Android phones. To register for the digital wallet service, all they have to do is log into WeChat, tap “wallet” then follow the step-by-step instructions.
To use the digital wallet service for in-store payments, customers simply need to scan the QR code located in stores that support this mobile payment platform and then enter the amount of their purchase into their phone. Users can even “cash in” and “cash out” via Instant Money vouchers at Standard Bank ATMs and other participating retailers.
According to Tencent, more than 200 million customers globally have added their bank cards to the mobile payment platform in November 2015.
– Jordan Connell
Sources: NFC World, It News Africa
Hydroponic Systems: Food Security in Developing Countries
Hydroponic systems use water and nutrients to grow high-yield crops through a sustainable method that does not require soil. As an agricultural alternative, it uses less water and boosts local markets by providing food security. The methodology also creates opportunities for additional income in developing regions.
While advanced hydroponic systems remain impractical for some developing regions there is an alternative, simplified hydroponics growing system. Such a system is accessible with training and a small initial investment. Yields from simplified systems are lower than advanced systems but still outperform traditional farming methods and use 80 percent less water.
Simplified hydroponics can be taught to farmers and individuals with no prior knowledge. These farmers can generate income from small plots of land with vertical farm tools, even in urban areas. New jobs and farms supported by hydroponics contribute to a green economy.
The World Bank sees the potential for simplified hydroponic systems. Jonathan Coony, Program Coordinator for the Climate Technology Program at the World Bank writes, “These sustainable techniques enhance climate resilience while creating local jobs and fostering regional investment.”
Research by students at MIT also noted that materials such as fish tanks, ceramic and aluminum containers can be appropriated into hydroponic systems at a low cost. In addition, some materials, especially in simplified hydroponic systems, can be locally sourced.
A pilot program for low-resource communities in Ecuador utilized simplified hydroponics to improve nutrition, especially among children. The diet of most poor Ecuadorians contains little to no fruits and vegetables.
Practical Hydroponics & Greenhouses published a report of the pilot program, which organizers saw as an opportunity to improve nutritional options with simplified hydroponics.
The program’s objective was to consistently provide high-quality vegetables and train the community on how to use hydroponic systems. After two years, the program concluded and the report affirmed the viability of simplified hydroponics as “an effective alternative for integration into food security.”
Hydroponic systems can be utilized to grow crops for livestock as well. Hydroponics Kenya, a Nairobi-based company, sells hydroponic supplies and systems to the local community. According to the company, a 6m x 9m area can produce 500kg or 1,100lbs of fodder for livestock.
Hydroponics Kenya founder Peter Chege has been recognized by several NGOs for his innovations modifying hydroponic systems for the Kenyan climate with fabric and specialized trays. His business is growing and hiring more employees, “We are recruiting, and every week we sell five hydroponic systems,” Chege said.
– Cara Kuhlman
Sources: InfoDev, Mission 2014 at MIT, Practical Hydroponics & Greenhouses, The World Bank
Photo: Flickr1, Flickr
South African Company Makes Water from Air
In South Africa, one company is tapping into an alternative yet ubiquitous source for drinking water—the air.
Water From Air is pioneering technology for use in domestic settings that allows clean, drinkable water to be harvested from the humidity in the air.
Even though the technology used in Water From Air’s machines is not new, the company’s CEO Ray de Vries told news24 that his company is the first to make home units available.
The machines operate according to the humidity in the air, drawing it in and cooling it to allow condensation to form in a collecting tank. The collected water is then disinfected with ultraviolet light and filtered to remove further impurities.
Since the water is drawn from the air rather than the ground, it is already cleaner and excludes contaminants more commonly found in terrestrial sources. The result is “100 percent pure and clean” water, according to de Vries.
The company manufactures different sized machines powered through solar, diesel or gas. The most popular machine is the AW3 model designed for domestic use in households and clinics. Depending on the humidity of the surrounding air, the AW3 model is capable of capturing 32 liters of water per day.
Models designed for larger scale use are estimated to be capable of producing up to 1,500 liters of water per day. The company estimates that in cities such as Cape Town where humidity averages approximately 75 percent, the device might be able to provide an average of between 25 and 28 liters of water every day.
Water From Air has sold upwards of 400 units since its debut earlier this year. As severe drought conditions persist in South Africa, the company is trying to keep pace with the growing demand for its units.
The main idea behind marketing the devices is to provide households in drier regions with a more secure supply of water, especially in times of water shortage or drought. The Water From Air devices enable users to directly harvest water from the surrounding air instead of transporting the precious resource from other areas of the country.
Unlike more expensive alternatives such as desalination, Water From Air also offers a cost-effective and novel approach geared towards sustainability.
The machines are manufactured in the company’s native South Africa, “made by South Africans for South Africans” according to de Vries. Water From Air expects to provide 300 initial jobs to South Africans and potentially add another 600 as the company’s operations continue to grow.
– Jace White
Sources: Water From Air, Business Standard, News24
Photo: Flickr