Archive for the ‘’ Category
January 31, 2009
An innovative company, Promethean Power Systems, is designing a solar powered refrigerator system that will be used in areas of India where access to an electric grid is unreliable. The company was founded by Sorin Grama and Sam White after Promethan Power Systems recieved the award for runner-up winner in MIT’s $100K Entrepreneurship Competition in 2007.
Promethean Power Systems is designing an energy-efficient hybrid solar refrigerator system for food distribution networks that operate in off-grid or partially electrified areas. The system uses clean, quiet, solid-state technologies such as thermoelectric cooling modules and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. A small generator is used during extended periods of cloudy conditions to backup the solar panels. By comparison, conventional refrigeration systems are not designed for efficient, off-grid operation. They use diesel-thirsty power generators and freon-based refrigeration compressors that require constant maintenance.
The market need for this product is quite obvious and the passion of these two social entrepreneurs is also apparent by their vision, “to develop a complete, stand-alone rural refrigeration system that stimulates businesses, reduces dependency on fossil fuels and increases the quality of life in emerging markets by enabling its users to reliably store food, vaccines and other perishable items.” We look forward to hearing more about Promethean Power Systems as they fulfill their vision and provide social and environmental benefits to communities of India.
January 29, 2009
Come to Nicaragua this summer and engage your head, heart, and hands in the real work of developing countries. These hands-on courses allow you to be immersed in the daily life of rural Nicaraguans by living with host families and working alongside local community members to create their vision of a model community through renewable energy and sustainable practices.
This 11 day course is held July 6th – July 16th 2009. It is a great introduction to the science and use of appropriate renewable energy technologies such as solar cookers, dryers and photovoltaic systems.
Discuss the theory behind solar energy and the challenges of development with your instructors and other course participants over lunch. Spend your days learning how to construct solar cookers or install photovoltaic systems. Laugh along with your host family as you try to recall your high school Spanish, balance water on your head or make tortillas. Most activities and classes are held in the new adobe Solar Center. Housing will be simple, like that of a typical rural Nicaraguan family.
Explore a beautiful country and its culture while learning about renewable energy and sustainable development in the field. The courses provide a unique travel experience that is educational, rewarding, and fun!
See the following link for more information, http://www.grupofenix.org/courses.html
January 27, 2009
The Tech Awards is a program to honor technical innovations that benefit humanity. If you check out the website, www.techawards.org, you will see that Salud del Sol would be an excellent fit for such a nominee. Not only is there a possible monetary award to support the project, but the program provides other opportunities for networking and learning. Salud del Sol has decided to apply for this award later this year or early next year, once the solar autoclave has been in the field some time.
January 24, 2009
I recently came across this excellent overview prediction about social entrepreneurship in 2009 at change.org. Most importantly, the author, Nathaniel Whittemore, predicts that social entrepreneurship will play an ever-increasing role in social change. The article highlights seven predicted trends for 2009: a partner in the White House, green innovation, blended value investing, online action platforms, mobile technology, measuring social impact, and globally-engaged education. We in Salud del Sol have witnessed some of these trends, such as the popularity of green innovation in the generous reception of the solar autoclave project into the engineering design course. We have also seen the increasing importance of globally-engaged education, with the growth and success of the ETHOS program, as well as in our attendance and interactions with other universities at the recent Colloquium on International Engineering Education in Rhode Island. The entire emphasis of the weekend was exploring ways to educate engineering students for the global workplace. The workshops focused on partnerships in exchange programs, internships, and international projects.
I found one trend particularly enlightening: measuring social impact. Here, the author discusses the many forces that are pushing non-profits to provide more proof of impact than mere anecdotal stories, such as forces from new blended-value investors who seek good economic, social, and environmental investments; forces from the people that programs are supposed to help; and pressure from the economic crisis and its effects on endowments and other grantors. Third party consulting has taken off as a way for organizations to measure their social impact in ways that compare them to other organizations. The author also predicts that some organizations will find new ways to hear the voices of the organizations’ beneficiaries, such as by using mobile technology.
Measuring our success is something that Salud del Sol is in the midst of figuring out. We have some of the women’s stories here on our website, complete with pictures and even video. The interviews have confirmed the intensity of the needs we hope to help meet: an environmentally sustainable way to sterilize medical instruments in the small local clinics, employment and empowerment for the local community, and a boost to the Nicaraguan economy. But now, how do we measure the progress toward these goals? Fortunately, accountability is built into our business plan, especially with frequent immersion through the ETHOS program, which is continuing again this year. But besides self-accountability, we are currently searching for ways to measure our social impact. Any ideas?
- Lori
January 22, 2009
Sunday, January 11, Lori met with Amy Elliot of MedWish International (www.medwish.org) to learn more about the non-profit organization and to discuss ways that the two organizations could partner. She was first given a tour of the MedWish facility in Cleveland, Ohio, where she learned all about the great work that is being done there.
MedWish has a mission to save lives and save the environment. They collect usable medical equipment from local hospitals and other healthcare providers and then send these items to underserved populations. Thus, they help to save lives in developing countries and to reduce solid waste in landfills by recycling medical equipment. They also pay close attention to their own operations to ensure they are fulfilling their environmental mission through recycling and other green practices. Additionally, MedWish is a host for medical mission trips to some of these same countries.
The business has a focus on sustainability, as evidenced by their policies. For instance, the supplies are provided to recipients free of charge, but the recipients have to pay shipping. This prevents abuse of their services and creates vested interest. MedWish International was founded in 1993, but has seen especially blossoming growth in the last few years, receiving 380,000 pounds of equipment in 2008. They have five staff members in Cleveland, but much of the work is done by volunteers from all walks of life.
MedWish International has supplied aid to over 70 countries, including Nicaragua. In 2008, they helped to send an ambulance filled with medical equipment to the St. Martin de Porres Hospital in Chinendega, Nicaragua, as well as an additional 20-foot container shipment of medical supplies later in the year. This hospital hosts international medical brigades from the U.S. that provide medical care, which include people from Ohio.
During her visit, Lori learned of the dire need for solar powered autoclaves within the organization of MedWish. Amy explained that every recipient of a MedWish shipment made in 2008 would have requested an autoclave if one were available. However, discarded autoclaves that still function are hard to come by. They currently only have two in stock, despite the vastness of supplies collected. It is this need that prompted the meeting and discussion with Salud del Sol. MedWish could be a distributor of Salud del Sol’s solar autoclave, or perhaps they could be a distributor of a Salud del Sol manufacturing kit that provides instructions for communities to build their own solar autoclaves. There are many opportunities for partnership between Salud del Sol and MedWish. Other ways that the organizations can benefit each other include finding funding sources, partnering for grants, networking with customers and recipient groups, and connecting with mission trip groups. Salud del Sol is excited about the possibilities for future work with MedWish International, as this meeting was just the first step toward brainstorming a mutually beneficial relationship for two organizations with very intertwined missions of social and environmental responsibility.
Enjoy!
- Lori
January 20, 2009
Physicians for Human Rights is sponsoring a national conference, Health and Human Rights in 2009, beginning Friday, Janurary 31 thought Sunday, February 2. The conference will be held at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Conference keynote speakers include,
- Stephen Lewis, Co-Director of AIDS-Free World and former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS to Africa
- Julio Frenk, MD, MPH, former Minister of Health, Mexico, Dean of Harvard School of Public Health.
The conference program is available at conference09.phrblog.org/program
Registration closes Janurary 23. Questions about the conference can be sent to Danielle, the Student Program Coordinator of PHR, at dfox @ phrusa.org.
January 20, 2009
Greetings from Boston, MA on this historic Tuesday morning. The excitement from Washington, D.C. is contagious. While I watched the inaguaration ceremony and speeches from a local restaurant, I couldn’t help but feel inspired by the next leader of our country. The clanking of silverware and plates came to a halt as Barack stepped up to the podium, and the restaurant patrons errupted in applause as Obama was appointmented as the 44th President of the United States of America. How great was it to hear,
“We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.”
I’m excited to see what this new Presidency brings; and what support will be available to continue our work of using technology to raise the quality of healthcare in developing countries and perhaps even across the US!
On the Salud del Sol front, I will be attending a conference in Providence, RI on January 31 – February 1. The Health and Human Rights in 2009 conference is sponsored by Physicians For Human Rights, a collective organization of healthcare students and professionals with a passion for promoting the right to health. Along with pursuing health care has a human right, PHR also investigates human rights abuses across the world and works to stop them. The conference offers various sessions for developing advocacy skills and presenting significant healthcare and human rights issues across the globe. Sounds like a fit for the mission of Salud del Sol! Not to mention an incredible opportunity to talk with other students and healthcare professionals working in the international arena. If you have any insight to this conference or know someone attending, I would love to hear from you!
January 15, 2009
Lori in Sabana Grande, Nicaragua 2008
During our first year of existence, we made huge strides toward fulfilling our mission: to provide communities in Nicaragua with the opportunity to improve their own healthcare systems while supporting sustainable development that creates jobs for members of these communities. In the spring, the four founding members wrote a full business plan for the solar autoclave venture, which led to winning $10,000 toward the project in the University of Dayton Business Plan Competition. During the summer, three members and a few other ETHOS students were able to travel to Nicaragua to perform testing on the autoclave, conduct business and computer training, and begin networking for Salud del Sol and Las Mujeres Solares.Throughout the year, five engineering students were researching and developing the solar autoclave during their senior capstone course at the University of Dayton. As the year ended, I completed my Honors Thesis: “Solar Autoclave for Rural Nicaragua,” which ties together all of the efforts that have been happening over the last three years.
Alongside these accomplishments, we have recently been increasing our organizational capacities as well. This month, we will file to become a non-profit corporation. We are forming our Board of Trustees, establishing our roles, and constantly moving forward.
We hope that you will continue to peruse our website, as 2009 promises to be another exciting year. We already know that four ETHOS students will be traveling to Nicaragua this summer for ten weeks, including our Director of Product Research, Daniel Hensel. Opportunities continue to pop up, and we continue to take full advantage of them. Please feel free to write any questions, comments, or advice for us through the comment threads throughout our website, for we are constantly looking for new ways to grow our organization and fulfill our mission.
With appreciation,
Lori Hanna
Executive Director
