Archive for category: Technology

Information and stories about technology news.

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Digital Family Card in Kazakhstan: Solving Poverty with Technology

Digital Family Card in KazakhstanKazakhstan has made strong progress in reducing poverty, but some families still face more difficulties than others. The World Bank reported that Kazakhstan’s poverty rate fell from 49.5% to 8.5% between 2006 and 2021. These advancements helped 5.9 million people leave poverty. However, poverty in rural areas remained higher than in cities, with 11.4% of the rural population living in poverty compared with 6.6% of residents in urban areas. The same report also found that children made up 40% of poor people in Kazakhstan in 2021. These gaps demonstrate why the Digital Family Card in Kazakhstan matters for families that may need faster and direct support.

How the Digital Family Card Works

The Digital Family Card in Kazakhstan is a government technology tool that helps identify families who may qualify for social support. The project emerged from joint work between Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Instead of making every family search for programs on their own, the system uses official data to help the government understand which families may be at risk.

UNDP says the Digital Family Card offers more than 30 services that people can access automatically, without needing to apply. This is important because vulnerable families may not always know what support exists or how to request it. UNDP also says the project focuses on groups such as single mothers raising more than three children, families with disabled members and orphaned children.

A System Built Around Family Needs

The Digital Family Card in Kazakhstan does not work like a regular plastic card. It functions more like a digital profile that helps the government understand a family’s situation. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says the system uses a scoring model of family well-being with 120 parameters from more than 20 data sources. These include areas such as social and economic conditions, education, health and housing.

This kind of system can make social assistance more targeted. For example, a family may need help because of low income, disability, unemployment or another difficult situation. The Digital Family Card can help the government see these risks earlier and connect people to support. ITU also explains that the system uses anonymized data for analytics, which helps protect personal information while still allowing the government to make decisions based on strong data.

From Pilot Program to Social Support Tool

Kazakhstan started testing the Digital Family Card in 2022. According to the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Labor launched the card in pilot mode for nine types of benefits and social payments. The plan included using the card to provide state guarantees in social protection, health care and education.

The Digital Family Card in Kazakhstan later became part of the country’s wider social policy. UNDP says Kazakhstan included the project in its Social Code. The system now has information on more than 6 million families. This information helps the government plan spending and deliver social assistance more accurately, using real-time data.

Making Benefits Easier to Access

One major goal of the Digital Family Card in Kazakhstan is to make government support easier to receive. UNDP explains that the system can assess family vulnerability without citizens needing to take the first step. If a person may qualify for support, the system can send an SMS asking for consent. If the person agrees, the social benefit, payment or other type of support can go directly to the person’s bank account.

This matters for people who may not have strong access to government internet platforms. Some families may live far from public offices, lack digital skills or not know which benefits match their situation. A text-message system can reduce confusion and make the process easier. It also helps the government reach people before their problems become more serious.

Recognized as a GovTech Solution

The Digital Family Card has received some recognition. In February 2024, the project won the 2024 GovTech Prize at the World Government Summit in Dubai. It won in the “Inclusive Digital Transformation” category. UNDP says the award recognized the card as a tool that improves access to government support for vulnerable people.

Kazakhstan has continued to use the card as part of its social support system. In July 2024, the Prime Minister’s official website reported that the government planned to use the Digital Family Card platform to monitor the well-being of families in five categories, from emergency and crisis levels to satisfactory and prosperous levels. This helps local officials track whether families’ living conditions improve or worsen.

Looking Ahead

The Digital Family Card in Kazakhstan does not solve poverty. Families still face problems linked to rural inequality, children’s poverty and access to services. However, the card helps address one important issue: accessibility of families to know programs. By using data, SMS notifications and automatic services, Kazakhstan is making social support easier to access. For vulnerable families, this digital tool can address many of their issues instantly.

– Mateo Alcocer

Mateo is based in West Hills, CA, USA and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Sustainable Heating Solutions with Mat Zero

Sustainable Heating SolutionsAccording to the latest U.N. reports, there were approximately 42.5 million refugees worldwide as of June 2025. Many have sought shelter in refugee camps or informal settlements where basic needs are scarcely secured and new challenges constantly arise. While many have fled their homes, others remain in armed conflict zones where livelihoods are under threat. Amid this turmoil, humanitarian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide continue to work with vulnerable communities to restore hope by working directly on the ground, securing funds, pressuring governments to take action and developing innovative and cost-effective solutions and technologies to save and improve the lives of refugees.

Innovative, Sustainable Heating Solutions

In 2025, Sri Hollema, a graduate student from Loughborough University, won the Women in Innovation award by Innovate U.K. for her work with Mat Zero, which is revolutionizing humanitarian heating through sustainable energy. What started as a university project, Mat Zero is now a growing global movement with products commercially available. With a humanitarian mission to provide warmth for all, Mat Zero donates a heating unit to a family in need for every product sold.

The UNHCR previously shared stories highlighting how much warmth can impact the lives of those living as refugees, in conflict zones or in informal settlements.

  • Warmth and Shelter: For many people, warmth means shelter. Many displaced families endure cold temperatures without adequate heating or shelter. Access to both can provide some comfort amid a life full of uncertainties.
  • Human Connection: Warmth nurtures human connection, especially for those in war zones where homes are damaged and exposed to harsh weather. Access to warmth can create space for community as people are more likely to visit.
  • A Slice of Hope: In many settlements, significant temperature drops during winter add to the challenges displaced communities face daily. Providing warmth during cold winter months can offer a slice of hope, which can go a long way.

The impact of having access to adequate heating extends beyond health concerns and many communities continue to be underserved in this area. With this in mind, Hollema founded Mat Zero.

Mat Zero

Mat Zero is a startup working on sustainable heating solutions to help the world’s vulnerable communities who have been forcibly displaced and continue to face challenges in meeting basic rights and needs, including access to warmth. Temporary settlements are heavily affected by severe weather conditions due to poor infrastructure. During winter, many communities face the cold, harsh winds and storms.

Founder Hollema developed the project with a simple belief: “Warmth is a human right, not a luxury.” Since its inception, Mat Zero has won and been shortlisted for multiple awards, including The Conduit’s Young Innovator Awards, the Santander X U.K. Awards in 2024 and Innovative U.K.’s Women in Innovation in 2025.

Its mission to “heat the person not the space” ensures underserved communities are kept warm in a safe and sustainable way. The mat comes with an energy hub and solar panels and relies on sustainable technology using carbon fiber heating, usable in all kinds of shelter. The group’s product ensures warmth comes in a safe form with no toxic fumes or risk of fires, an extremely important factor for crowded spaces.

The team continuously tests and improves the product’s effectiveness and recent field trials in Nepal showed 87% of users felt more comfortable at night. It does not stop there. Having tested the product’s effectiveness on the ground with clean, sustainable energy, Mat Zero can also benefit other humanitarian organizations.

Cost-Effective Solution for Humanitarian NGOs

Heating a household requires a lot of energy and can be costly. With its innovative heating solution, Mat Zero can potentially reduce the amount spent on providing heating by NGOs. Additionally, the heating mats are designed to last up to five years before the battery needs replacement.

Designed to offer clean and sustainable heating technology, Mat Zero provides a promising solution to ensure the world’s vulnerable communities stay warm and safe.

– Marine Baume

Marine is based in London, UK and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Technology for Smallholder Farmers in India

Technology for Smallholder Farmers in IndiaA trader pulls up to a field in rural Maharashtra. He names a price for the onion harvest. The farmer, who has no way to check if it is fair, has always accepted. That is how it has worked for generations.

Not anymore.

Before the trader has finished talking, the farmer’s phone buzzes. A message in a WhatsApp group — 2,000 members, all onion growers in the same region — has just circulated today’s wholesale rate from the nearest mandi market. The trader’s offer is 30% below it. The farmer tells him to leave.

This single exchange captures what the technology for smallholder farmers in India revolution looks like. Not a Silicon Valley app. Not a government scheme. A free messaging platform, a few thousand farmers and information that was always available — just never to them.

The Middleman’s Greatest Weapon Was Ignorance

India’s agriculture sector employs 42% of the country’s workforce.

Yet the people doing that work have historically been the most informationally isolated. Smallholder and marginal farmers — those with less than two hectares of land — account for 86.2% of all farmers in India, but own just 47.3% of the arable land. They grow the country’s food from a position of almost zero leverage.

The trader knew the mandi price. The farmer did not. That single information gap — replicated across millions of transactions every harvest season — has quietly transferred billions of rupees from the people who grew the food to the people who simply moved it. WhatsApp groups are closing that gap in real time.

500,000 Farmers, Two Friends From Sangli

In 2012, two friends in Sangli, Maharashtra — Dr. Ankush Chormule and Amol Patil — noticed something simple: farmers around them had endless questions about pests, soil, crop timing and market prices and nowhere fast to get answers. WhatsApp had just launched. They started a group.

Seven years later, that group had grown into a network of more than 500,000 farmers across seven states. Their sugarcane group alone has 230,000 members from Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. Farmers report getting answers to crop questions within five to 15 minutes. Farmers in the network detected the arrival of fall armyworm pests in Maharashtra before it became a regional epidemic — weeks before any government alert.

“If something as simple as a video helps a farmer, it means his income goes up and his faith in the occupation is restored,” Patil told The Better India.

No funding. No offices. No staff. Just a phone and a willingness to answer messages.

One farmer in the network, Ramesh Jadhav of Nashik district, told local reporters that the group helped him identify a fungal infection in his tomato crop within hours of posting a photo — saving an estimated ₹80,000 (approximately $841) worth of produce he would otherwise have lost. Cases like his are now common across the network.

What the Data Says

The anecdotes are compelling. The data backs them up. Research from the GSMA found that 75% of active users of mobile agricultural services made measurable improvements to their farming practices — translating to 1.5 million farmers globally reporting better productivity outcomes.

The annual financing gap for smallholder farmers worldwide sits at $170 billion — a number that better market access directly chips away at.

Meanwhile, the infrastructure for scaling this further is already in place. India crossed 958 million active internet users in 2025, with rural India now accounting for 57% of that base — around 548 million people.

Rural internet users are growing at 16% annually, twice the pace of urban areas. By 2026, India is projected to have one billion smartphone users, with rural areas driving the majority of that growth. The phones are there. The farmers are using them. The question is whether anyone in power is paying attention.

The Problem With Official Solutions

For decades, governments and development organizations have tried to close the agricultural information gap through extension officers, radio broadcasts and expensive digital platforms. Many have produced modest results at enormous cost. WhatsApp groups are producing comparable — often greater — impact for free.

The reason is trust. A price update from a government portal is data. The same update forwarded by a cousin farming the same crop two villages over is intelligence. Technology for smallholder farmers in India works when it moves through existing social networks, not around them.

India’s farmers are not waiting for a solution to be designed for them. In Maharashtra, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, they have already built one — on a platform that was never intended for agriculture, using nothing more than the collective knowledge of people who have worked the same land for generations.

The middleman still shows up. He just does not get the same answer he used to.

– Parthivee Mukherji

Parthivee is based in Edinburgh, Scotland and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Wind Energy Projects in Rural Oman and Economic Stabilization

Wind energy projects in rural Oman are transforming remote areas into renewable powerhouses, boosting local economies and stability.In the governorate of Dhofar in Oman’s fog-filled mountains, the traditional khareef (monsoon) winds have become a new form of currency. By 2026, the initiative to provide clean, low-cost electricity to remote communities will advance with the expansion of Dhofar Wind Farms. Civilians will witness the region’s most remote desert landscape transform into a renewable energy powerhouse, showcasing the power of wind energy projects in rural Oman.

The Power of Two: Dhofar 1 and Dhofar 2

The Dhofar 1 Wind Farm became the first utility-scale wind project in the Gulf. Developed by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) through an EPC consortium of GE Renewable Energy and Spain’s TSK, the wind farm aimed to generate enough electricity to supply 16,000 homes, meeting 7% of Dhofar Governorate’s total power demand.

By doing so, it offset carbon dioxide emissions annually and reduced reliance on natural gas for domestic power generation. In 2026, 150 km north of Salalah, 13 General Electric wind turbines totaling 50MW of power will operate. While the official estimate for homes powered is 16,000, the project was designed to potentially meet the consumption of up to 60,000 homes in ideal conditions.

The proven reliability of Dhofar 1 established a blueprint for scalable green infrastructure in the desert. Recognizing that clean energy could catalyze broader regional development, Oman accelerated its strategy. Building on the operational success of this initial project, the newly commissioned Dhofar 2 launched through a strategic agreement between Nama Power and Water Procurement and a consortium of leading energy firms.

In the spirit of Oman’s 2040 vision, a $112 million (RO 43 million) investment was accumulated. At double the number and capacity of Dhofar 1, Dhofar 2 adds another 125MW to the grid.

Together, these facilities now provide clean energy to more than 34,000 homes and offset 268,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. For the first time, rural southern Oman is seeing a future where its energy is as limitless as the wind.

The Local Impact: In-Country Value

The CEO of Nama Power, Ahmed bin Salm Al Abri, stated that Dhofar 2 will contribute to freeing an estimated 76 million cubic meters of natural gas annually. Said gas can now be diverted to more valuable industrial uses or exported to stabilize the national economy. The 36 wind turbines required for the completion of the project have arrived, with foundations completed and in-country value targets exceeded through these vital wind energy projects in rural Oman.

Oman utilizes a targeted procurement method called “Ring-Fencing.” By legally isolating specific components of the project’s supply chain, such as road construction, electrical wiring and long-term maintenance services, the government ensures that international conglomerates cannot bring in foreign subcontractors. Instead, these contracts are “fenced off” exclusively for Omani National Registered Suppliers (NRS) and local SMEs. This mechanism guarantees that a massive portion of the project’s capital remains within the governorate, transforming a standard construction site into a self-sustaining regional economic hub.

Not only is the government pushing the 2040 vision for an environmentally friendly economy, but it is also nurturing local businesses, shifting the Dhofar project into a regional economic hub. A “Mandatory List” of contractors was created, including more than 312 products that must be “Made in Oman.” For the Dhofar 2 expansion, reaching the 25% In-Country Value target allows at least $28 million of the $112 million investment to be paid directly to Omani companies for engineering, logistics and civil works.

Major energy players run “Vendor Development Programs” that provide technical training to small local businesses so they can meet international quality standards.

The Human Impact: “Omanization” and Training

For remote southern communities, this shift fundamentally alters daily life. Previously, local schools and health care clinics in the Dhofar highlands faced frequent power rationing due to the erratic nature of diesel transport. The integration of stabilized wind power means these vital facilities now operate with uninterrupted, 24-hour electricity.

According to the Nama Group’s sustainability frameworks, the Dhofar wind initiatives are serving as an active classroom for the next generation of Omani engineers. Specialized training modules have been deployed to equip local youth with highly technical competencies in wind turbine diagnostics, AI-driven grid management and automated robotics. This targeted capacity building has generated approximately 150 direct and indirect jobs within the region.

By shifting local expertise toward advanced green technologies, the project ensures that these newly skilled professionals secure sustainable careers designed to last throughout the 25-year operational lifespan of the wind farms, keeping the financial and intellectual rewards of the energy transition entirely within the local community.

Rural Stability

For generations, economic necessity forced rural Omani youth to abandon their home provinces, migrating en masse to the heavily centralized capital city of Muscat in search of employment. This traditional “urban drift” hollowed out rural communities and placed immense infrastructure strain on the capital. However, the specialized localized training mandated by the Dhofar wind farm initiatives is successfully turning the tide. Guided by the Oman National Spatial Strategy (ONSS) managed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, these projects serve as a key place-based delivery model to decentralize public investment and economic development across all 11 governorates.

By equipping local technical college graduates directly with elite skills in wind turbine diagnostics, AI-driven grid management and automated engineering, these projects provide lucrative, high-tech career trajectories without forcing families apart. Instead of fleeing the countryside, young Omani professionals are choosing to stay in the Dhofar governorate to anchor a newly emergent local green economy. This structural shift achieves a core priority of the ONSS framework: ensuring a balanced, resilient distribution of growth that keeps rural communities both demographically stable and economically vibrant.

Looking Ahead

In 2026, the Dhofar wind projects proved a transition of dual victory. In addition to creating sustainable energy, they have created investments in local companies and expanded the job market for the Omani youth. The Sultanate is ensuring an often difficult goal: driving long-term economic development through wind energy projects in rural Oman. The desert winds, once only regarded as a geographical consequence, have become the heart of Oman’s rural future.

– Celine Dib

Celine is based in London, UK and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Zipline’s Drones and the Future of Health Care in Africa

Zipline’s DronesIn rural Rwanda, a child with severe malaria was transferred through multiple facilities, reaching Kabgayi District Hospital in critical condition after delays that can take hours due to long travel distances. The hospital urgently requested O+ pediatric blood from Kigali, a journey that would normally take about three hours by road in life-threatening cases.

Instead, one of Zipline’s drones arrived within minutes, dropping chilled blood by parachute at the hospital. Doctors began transfusion immediately, and the child stabilized, showing how rapid delivery replaces long transport delays and reduces the time between emergency need and treatment. It reflects a shift in rural healthcare, where distance once shaped outcomes, but fast delivery now bridges the gap between crisis and care.

Barriers to Health Care Access in Africa

Across much of Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty, distance and weak infrastructure constrain healthcare access, with nearly 40% of people living in extreme poverty. In countries such as Rwanda, only about 25% of roads are paved, and heavy rains can isolate entire regions, disrupting ambulances, blood transport and emergency response when time is critical for survival.

These conditions are especially dangerous in emergencies like maternal hemorrhage, severe malaria, traumatic injuries and newborn complications, where rural clinics can diagnose patients but lack essential supplies such as blood, oxygen, vaccines, antibiotics or specialists, forcing transfers that can take hours—sometimes up to five hours for emergency blood delivery.

Healthcare worker shortages, underfunded systems and fragile supply chains further strain the situation, leaving many rural facilities staffed by only a few nurses. WHO recommended doctor-to-population ratios remain difficult to meet, while solutions like Zipline’s drone delivery system aim to reduce these delays by rapidly delivering critical medical supplies to remote facilities. 

Zipline’s Emergency Healthcare Access

Zipline is an autonomous drone delivery company providing on-demand access to critical healthcare supplies. It launched its first national-scale network in Rwanda in 2016, growing from 21 hospitals to about 450 facilities and reaching most of the population. Its mission is to ensure fast, reliable medical delivery regardless of terrain, traffic or weather.

Initially, it focused on delivering blood products to hospitals facing urgent shortages in Rwanda, then expanded to vaccines, cancer medications, insulin, infusion therapies and other essential medicines across thousands of facilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it also supported vaccine distribution to underserved communities, improving access and delivery speed.

 Its electric fixed-wing drones fly up to 300 kilometers on a single charge at about 70 mph. Healthcare workers place orders via phone, text, WhatsApp or online, pack supplies into “Zips” at distribution centers, then send them through autonomous aircraft using GPS/GNSS and RTK centimeter-level positioning. Zipline’s drones drop deliveries by parachute into precise zones, with real-time tracking and rapid drone reuse through midair recovery.

Zipline’s Transformational Impact

Founded in 2016 in Rwanda, Zipline has evolved from a single distribution center serving 21 hospitals into one of the world’s largest autonomous medical delivery networks. It now operates across Rwanda, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya and other African countries, fully integrated into national healthcare systems and running routine, large-scale medical logistics operations.

Zipline’s drones system has completed more than 2 million commercial deliveries and flown more than 135 million autonomous miles across multiple countries. In 2023 alone in Rwanda, it delivered 28,754 units of blood, with an average delivery time of 42 minutes from order placement to arrival, demonstrating consistent rapid-response logistics at national scale.

Evidence from health-system studies shows major performance gains: delivery times for critical supplies such as blood, vaccines and emergency medicines are reduced by more than 50%, often arriving in 30 to 45 minutes instead of hours or days. Associated research reports up to a 51% reduction in maternal mortality in Rwanda and 56% in Ghana, around 60% fewer stockouts of essential medicines and vaccines and up to a 37-percentage-point increase in immunization coverage in serviced regions.

Zipline reports impacting more than 458,000 lives by improving emergency access to essential medical supplies, emphasizing that aircraft technology accounts for only about 15% of system complexity, with the core advantage being scalable logistics infrastructure.

In November 2025, Zipline announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of State to expand across Africa, backed by up to $150 million in U.S. funding and up to $400 million in African government utilization fees, scaling from 5,000 to 15,000 health facilities and potentially reaching about 130 million additional people.

Zipline’s Future Impact on African Healthcare

Zipline’s future in African health care focuses on scaling networks powered by Zipline’s drones to serve hundreds of millions of people. Leadership projects reaching up to 130 million globally through centralized hubs integrated into national health systems, enabling rapid delivery of blood, vaccines, medicines and emergency supplies, especially in remote and low-infrastructure regions.

Advances in automation and aircraft performance drive expansion. New drones cut launch time from about 10 minutes to roughly 1 minute and increase capacity from around 50 to up to 500 flights per hub per day. Each hub aims to serve populations of up to 10 million, significantly expanding delivery reach beyond emergency use cases into routine healthcare logistics, diagnostic transport and disaster-response operations, while reducing medical stock-outs and improving healthcare access across Africa.

– Malak Kamel

Malak is based in Amman, Jordan and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Lady Health Workers Treat Postpartum Depression in Pakistan

Postpartum Depression in PakistanAs many as one in four new mothers in low- and middle-income countries experience perinatal depression, which includes depression during and after pregnancy and rates in South Asia are among the highest in the world. Yet most affected women will never see a mental health professional. Pakistan has fewer than one psychiatrist per 100,000 people, far below the global average. Postpartum depression in Pakistan is one of the most under-treated drivers of household poverty and a program built around community health workers, rather than specialists, is helping to close that gap.

The Weight of Poverty for Pakistani Women

Poverty shapes everyday life for a large share of Pakistan’s population. The World Bank estimates that about 22.5% of Pakistanis lived below the national poverty line in fiscal year 2025, down from 25.3% the year before, with the September 2025 Pakistan Poverty, Equity and Resilience Assessment warning that earlier gains have been eroded by COVID-19, inflation, the 2022 floods and macroeconomic stress. Roughly 61% of the population lives in rural areas where formal mental health services are almost entirely absent. Poverty affects women differently than men.

In many low-income households, women carry the majority of unpaid caregiving and domestic work, have less independent income and less decision-making power over health spending and are more likely to be excluded from formal employment. Pakistan’s female labor force participation rate stood at around 24% in 2024, one of the lowest in South Asia. For a new mother struggling with untreated depression, the consequences ripple outward: lost wages, weaker bonds with a newborn, poorer infant nutrition and a tighter intergenerational cycle of disadvantage.

Postpartum Depression in Pakistan

Depression during and after pregnancy is one of the most common complications of childbirth and its effects reach beyond the mother. Research has linked maternal depression to pre-term birth, child under-nutrition and stunting, creating consequences that pass from one generation to the next. For families already living in poverty, the burden compounds. A mother struggling silently may find it harder to care for her infant, maintain household income or seek health services.

The stigma around mental illness deepens the problem. In a country where mental health care is concentrated in cities and where talking about depression often carries shame, rural and low-income women are the least likely to receive support and the most likely to be told their symptoms are simply part of motherhood.

Therapy Without Therapists

The response is the Thinking Healthy Program, a structured psychological intervention based on cognitive behavioral therapy and designed specifically for delivery by nonspecialists. It was developed in Pakistan by Professor Atif Rahman and colleagues and tested in a landmark cluster randomized controlled trial published in The Lancet in 2008. That trial, conducted with community health workers in rural Rawalpindi, roughly halved the risk of perinatal depression among mothers and improved infant health outcomes. The results drew international attention.

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the Thinking Healthy manual and recommended the approach for treating perinatal depression in low-resource settings worldwide. The model has since been adapted across South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The program works because it does not depend on scarce specialists. Community health workers are trained to help mothers recognize negative thinking patterns, build supportive routines and strengthen family support, during the same home visits they already make for maternal and child health.

Building on the Lady Health Worker Network

In Pakistan, that delivery network already exists. The Lady Health Worker Program, launched in 1994, employs more than 100,000 women who provide primary health care to communities across the country, with a focus on maternal and child health in rural areas. Each worker is recruited from the community she serves, which helps build the trust that mental health support requires. A 2025 study in the Journal of Global Health confirmed that contact with Lady Health Workers during pregnancy and after birth is associated with stronger uptake of maternal and child health services. That existing relationship makes the workforce a natural vehicle for the Thinking Healthy Program.

Researchers have also tested versions delivered by trained peer volunteers from the community rather than government health workers. Indeed, a 2025 trial published in Nature Medicine, conducted in rural Rawalpindi, found that technology-assisted peer-delivered Thinking Healthy was as effective as the standard WHO version in sustaining remission of perinatal depression, offering a way to extend care where health workers are stretched thin. The work is led by the Human Development Research Foundation, an Islamabad-based research organization. Challenges remain. A 2024 analysis found that Lady Health Worker coverage in Sindh province reached only 43% of the population, with wide district-level gaps. Expanding mental health care depends on first strengthening and sustaining the network that delivers it.

Looking Ahead

Postpartum depression in Pakistan remains widespread and under-treated and no single program will resolve it. Yet the Thinking Healthy Program shows that effective care does not require a psychiatrist in every village. By training community health workers and peers to deliver evidence-based therapy, Pakistan has built a model that is both affordable and proven. With sustained investment in the Lady Health Worker network, treatment for postpartum depression can become a route out of a hidden cycle of poverty for the rural and low-income mothers who need it most.

– Amna Al Harrazi

Amna is based in Dubai, UAE and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How Motorcycle Ambulances in Uganda Are Saving Lives

Motorcycle Ambulances in UgandaFor many families living in remote villages, reaching a hospital can take hours. Poor roads, long travel distances and limited transportation options often delay treatment during medical emergencies. However, motorcycle ambulances in Uganda are helping thousands of people access health care more quickly, especially pregnant women, newborns and children living in rural communities.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Uganda’s maternal mortality ratio was estimated at 284 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. Many maternal deaths occur because women are unable to reach health facilities quickly during complications. By providing emergency transportation in remote areas, motorcycle ambulances help address one of the most common barriers to care and improve access to skilled medical assistance when it is needed most.

A Lifeline for Rural Communities

Unlike traditional ambulances, motorcycle ambulances can travel on narrow dirt roads and rough terrain that larger vehicles often cannot access. These vehicles typically consist of a motorcycle attached to a covered trailer designed to transport patients safely to health facilities. The need for better transportation is especially important in rural Uganda, where distance and transportation costs often prevent families from seeking timely medical care. In some communities, people previously relied on walking, bicycles or private motorcycles to reach clinics, even during emergencies. Motorcycle ambulances in Uganda thus provide a faster alternative.

Helping Mothers Reach Care

One of the greatest benefits of motorcycle ambulances is improved access to maternal health services. Research conducted among women in eastern Uganda found that nearly half of the surveyed mothers had used motorcycle ambulances to reach health facilities for delivery and emergency care. Health workers report that these ambulances help women arrive at clinics faster, reducing delays that can lead to serious pregnancy and childbirth complications. Increased access to health facilities also encourages more women to give birth under the supervision of trained medical professionals rather than at home. This improves outcomes for both mothers and newborns and helps reduce preventable deaths.

A Cost-Effective Solution

Motorcycle ambulances are significantly less expensive to purchase and maintain than conventional ambulances. Their affordability allows local governments, health organizations and community programs to operate them in areas with limited resources.

According to Africannews, motorcycle ambulances have become an important tool for connecting isolated villages to health centers. Their ability to navigate difficult roads means patients can receive treatment sooner, even during the rainy season when travel becomes more challenging. The success of motorcycle ambulances in Uganda demonstrates how low-cost innovations can address major barriers to health care access.

Expanding Access to Health Care

The success of motorcycle ambulance programs has attracted support from international organizations focused on maternal and child health. Similar programs supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have demonstrated how innovative transportation solutions can strengthen rural health systems and increase access to life-saving services.

Motorcycle ambulances also help transport sick children and emergency patients who require urgent care. By reducing travel times, they increase the likelihood that patients receive treatment before their conditions become life-threatening.

Looking Ahead

Motorcycle ambulances in Uganda show how a simple innovation can create meaningful change. By overcoming transportation barriers, these vehicles help patients receive treatment sooner and improve access to essential health services. As motorcycle ambulances in Uganda continue to expand, they are proving that practical and affordable solutions can save lives. For many families living far from hospitals, they are more than a means of transportation—they are a pathway to healthier futures and stronger communities.

– Masa Qasim

Masa is based in Toronto, Canada and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Understanding Poverty in South Sudan with Poverty Simulations

poverty in south sudanPoverty in South Sudan is among the worst in the world. More than 70% of the population is on or below the poverty line, and only around 30% of the population is literate. This intense poverty is a result of national fragility, prolonged conflict, economic collapse and the inability of the government to provide for its citizens. More than two-thirds of the South Sudanese people need to rely on humanitarian aid for their survival. And though the amount of aid sent to South Sudan is an inspiring metric, things will not change without stronger efforts. And efforts won’t be strengthened unless the people of the world band together in support of poverty eradication.

Poverty Simulations

Now, Poverty Simulations are taking effect all across the U.S. and are enlightening the general public to the candid realities of poverty. Poverty simulations are simulations that imitate what real people in poverty go through. They are garnering more and more support for poverty relief efforts across the globe by educating the public

Poverty simulations are the exact thing that is necessary to help increase support for South Sudan. Most people know about poverty, but few truly understand it. Understanding poverty in South Sudan more deeply is now possible with poverty simulations.

What it is Like to Live in South Sudan

South Sudan is the world’s newest country, having gained independence from Sudan in 2011, less than two decades ago. This youth comes with significant struggles for the population. First of all, the population of the nation is very young. More than 70% of the population is below 18 years old. The young, inexperienced government of the country has struggled since its birth to provide for its people and manage conflict. This has led to a nation overrun by food insecurity and division.

There are few large towns in South Sudan, and most people live in compact, makeshift houses in very small villages. In some regions, people do not even use money for transactions; instead, farming and harvesting are the main sources of sustenance. Sources of aid, like schools, churches and social services, are near nonexistent. Civil conflict is rampant as well. Daily violence often prevents people from going about their daily lives

This level of poverty can be difficult to comprehend, but there is now an accessible way to begin understanding what it’s like on a deeper level.

What are Poverty Simulations and How do They Work?

Poverty simulations are group activities mostly for schools, nonprofit workers, nurses or other individuals who may encounter poverty in their field of work. They aim to help people who live in developed countries, like the U.S., understand and sympathize with people who live in extreme poverty. The activities themselves are comparable to role-play games.

Jason Morrow, an internist and an ethics professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, was responsible for running a poverty simulation for his medical students to help them empathize with patients who are living in poverty. According to Morrow, “The (poverty) simulation is an immersive experience where students play a role within a family.” “In the exercise, they have to survive and try to thrive with low income and limited resources.”

Individuals are put into groups or families, and each is assigned a particular role. The individual must perform that role as best they can. Resources are also set throughout the setting of the simulation, like social services, the grocery store, the church, and others, where the participants can go for help and amenities. However, the participants can not always receive exactly what they need to thrive. Often, they’re turned away from the help they need; this mirrors the reality that most people in poverty face.

Morrow claims that poverty simulations bestow participants with an understanding of poverty beyond just reading about it: “It’s one thing to read about how poverty strains cognition. It’s another thing to spend two hours running from one side of the room to the other so you can try to pay your utility bills, not get evicted, and make sure your child has some sort of supervision.”

These simulations are extremely valuable for understanding any kind of economic struggle, but this fictional poverty doesn’t even come close to some of the things that people in South Sudan go through. Many live a life without money altogether. They must grow their own food and trade for resources. However, that does not mean poverty simulations don’t help people sympathize with the struggle for wellness. On a fundamental level, all who live in poverty go through a similar mental strain of not knowing how they will make it to tomorrow.

Hope for the Future of South Sudan

With a better understanding of South Sudan’s immense hardships, it’s also important to understand that hope is still there. There are organizations working hard in and around South Sudan to bring relief to those suffering from extreme poverty. Here are a few examples:

Global Care has partnered with the Diocese of Wau to put more than 50 students through educational training to become teachers for the children of South Sudan. Global Care has also established several other schools in the region, which have helped hundreds of children receive an education who would not otherwise have received it.

The United Nations has an ongoing peacekeeping operation in South Sudan. It has established camps to protect civilians from conflict and stationed officials around the country to respond to violent incidents, according to CFR.

Hopeland has partnered with Medair to manufacture and distribute shelter kits in South Sudan to communities affected by severe flooding. Shelter kits are packages made from recycled materials that can be used to create makeshift shelters to shield from harsh weather conditions.

South Sudan has some of the worst poverty rates in the world, but if developed countries are consistently sympathizing more and more with poverty thanks to poverty simulations, then support for relief efforts in South Sudan will remain strong and grow even stronger.

– Lucas Cain

Lucas is based in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Friendship’s 3-Tier System and Health Care in Bangladesh

Health Care in BangladeshBangladesh is at the heart of the battle against the changing climate. According to the World Bank, around 21% of the country is prone to annual flooding. This leaves many inhabitants isolated without access to health care and makes it difficult to build permanent hospitals. Approximately 12 million people live on the chars, which are river islands formed by sediment deposits due to flooding. Accessing hospitals can be difficult for these people due to damaged infrastructure.

In 2002, Bangladeshi entrepreneur Runa Khan began Friendship, a social purpose organization. The organization aims to address the challenges faced by the inhabitants of the chars with floating medical boats and other community initiatives using a three-tier system.

Friendship’s Three-Tier System

  • Tier 1: Floating Medical Boats Expand Health Care Access in Bangladesh: On the frontline of the system are three floating medical boats that serve the chars, as well as the land hospital located in Shyamnagar. The purpose of the boats is to expand medical care to those in rural areas who cannot access hospitals due to seasonal flooding, which damages roads and infrastructure. The floating medical boats offer free surgeries, check-ups, and medicine, along with pediatric, gynecological, dental and eye care. The boats help up to 175 people per day.
  • Tier 2: Satellite Clinics Focus on Prevention and Women’s Health: Satellite clinics carry out frequent visits to rural and isolated zones to educate communities on hygiene and nutrition, as well as providing basic treatments and free medicine. The main focus of these clinics is prevention and follow-ups. For instance, Friendship screens more than 18,000 women per year for cervical cancer and treats around 150 women for precancerous lesions.
  • Tier 3: Community Medic-Aids Support Health Care: The Friendship Community Medic-Aids (FCMs) are women trained by the organization to give primary health care to the communities. Some of these women are also trained as Community Skilled Birth Assistants (CSBAs) to give ante- and post-natal care, deliver children and provide basic childcare. In 2022-23, a study showed that over 90% of people asked had taken health care services from FCMs, demonstrating the impact they have on the communities.

Combining Health Care and Climate Adaptation

Friendship not only provides health care services but also addresses other issues like climate resilience. To prepare the communities for natural disasters, Friendship has carried out preventative measures such as restoring forests to protect villages from cyclones. More than 650,000 trees have been planted on the southern coast of the country, protecting at least 125,000 people.

Actions like these help combat many issues suffered due to storms. The destruction of villages and infrastructure can lead to malnutrition from a shortage of resources, a lack of health care due to isolation and an increased risk of waterborne diseases from living in flooded areas. Friendship’s three-tier system with floating medical boats, satellite clinics, and FCMs allows medical staff to reach vulnerable communities in times of need, while also implementing preventative measures to save more lives.

In 2025, Friendship was a finalist for the Earthshot Prize for its incredible work protecting the communities in Bangladesh. The organization’s holistic three-tier system demonstrates how health care and climate adaptation can work together to support the vulnerable communities in Bangladesh.

– Emma Wheeler

Emma is based in Valencia, Spain and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

 

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AI Health Care in Southeast Asia

AI Health Care in Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia is a diverse and dynamic region with a population of 675 million. Southeast Asia consists of 11 countries divided into mainland and maritime Southeast Asia. Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and East Timor (Timor-Leste) are archipelagic countries. In some of these archipelagos, health care crises have persisted for a very long time. Some islands are isolated and remote, where the traditional doctor-to-patient ratio is low. Building hospitals across the scattered islands is a slow and challenging process.

However, artificial intelligence (AI) is helping address this medical challenge by transforming standard smart devices into diagnostic hubs and clinical tools instead of relying solely on the construction of physical infrastructure. Local health care workers are utilizing low-cost, AI-integrated handheld devices and natural language processing platforms to conduct clinical screening and triage at the doorstep. AI-powered health care in Southeast Asia is serving as a modern solution to these challenges.

Handheld Diagnostics

Portable handheld devices are actively reducing the need for heavy and expensive hospital equipment and machines. Clarius Ultrasound is a transportable imaging tool that is improving the workflow of community health workers. It is a wireless handheld ultrasound scanner that can be connected to a smartphone. These scanners are cordless, which makes them easy to sanitize and carry anywhere. In remote areas of Southeast Asia, expectant mothers and patients traditionally needed to travel by boat to reach the regional hospital, which often put their lives at risk. The emergence of handheld scanners is transforming this situation.

Smarter Triage

Processing a large volume of patients and identifying who needs urgent care is another major challenge. In regional clinics with limited resources and a large number of patients, traditional triaging methods can be slow and exhausting for the workforce. Bot MD and Halodoc have emerged as solutions to this challenge. Bot MD is AI-powered, providing clinical assistance and a platform for patient engagement. It is specifically designed to assist hospitals and health care workers in automating workflow and remote monitoring.

AI-integrated health care in Southeast Asia is enhanced with the emergence of platforms such as Halodoc. Halodoc is an Indonesian platform that provides digital health care services. It allows patients to access specialists and doctors round the clock through calls, text messages and video consultations. It also allows users to order prescribed medicines and health care products. Options for booking laboratory tests are also available. It is improving health care access across Indonesia’s 17,000 islands.

Optimizing the Sparse Medical Workforce

These AI-integrated health care technologies in Southeast Asia also aim at workforce optimization. In remote areas where few doctors might be handling an entire island, their time becomes extremely valuable. When AI-integrated health care technologies handle language translation, preliminary documentation and baseline image analysis, they effectively reduce the burden on doctors.

Health care workers and volunteers can conduct initial screenings and save the information. AI-powered triage systems can then identify and alert health care professionals about severe cases. Therefore, doctors are not required to focus on routine administrative intake procedures or easily treatable cases. Instead, they can devote their time and energy to high-risk patients who require immediate, complex clinical intervention. AI-integrated health care in Southeast Asia serves as a solution to these challenges of isolated and remote islands.

Conclusion

The digital health care revolution is transforming health care dynamics in Southeast Asia. It demonstrates that it does not always take massive concrete infrastructure to overcome health care challenges; equitable health care can be achieved through small, handheld AI-powered devices. Technologies such as Halodoc, Bot MD and pocket ultrasound systems are helping to bridge the health care gap. AI-powered health care in Southeast Asia is successfully improving patient treatment and access to care.

– Noor Ul Ain Ameer

Noor is based in Islamabad, Pakistan and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr