Its always great to see how much progress you are making!
I don't know much about your clinic/maternity ward, but if you don't have reliable power you may want to check out WE CARE Solar http://wecaresolar.org/
The site does not contain details of the application process, but I know they have sent equipment to Uganda, so try contacting them if this is something you are interested in.
From the About Us page:
"WE CARE Solar promotes safe motherhood and reduces maternal mortality in developing regions by providing health workers with reliable lighting, mobile communication, and blood bank refrigeration using solar electricity.
...We also designed a portable solar electric system that fits in a suitcase. The “WE CARE Solar Suitcase” powers overhead LED lighting, charges cell phones or two-way radios, and includes LED headlamps that come with their own rechargeable batteries. The first deployment of these systems occurred in June 2009. Now these systems have been introduced in fourteen countries, including Haiti, to aid medical relief teams after the 2010 earthquake, and Liberia, where we worked with the World Health Organization on a study of the effects of electricity on maternal health outcomes.
Our Solar Suitcases are user-friendly, robust, durable, and nearly maintenance-free. They work in mobile settings or can be easily installed in existing hospitals and clinics lacking reliable source of power. Improved surgical lighting, enhanced usage of existing medical equipment, and the support of mobile telecommunication systems reduces delays in providing care, and increases the capacity of health workers to care for patients with obstetric complications. In addition, workers report more confidence in performing skilled care, and no longer fear night duty"
Oh power is such a probem in Kisozi. It goes off frequently and it can even take a week and a half sometimes to come back. We have the medical centre (where people can get medical assistance from the doctor and get medicine etc.) and hiv/aids information centre (where the workshops are organized, blood tests can be done etc.) and behind that, they have built some wards where patients can be admitted and where we can establish a maternity ward. So, we hope we will be abe to do that early 2012. And in that plan, we have included solar power for the medical centre and maternity ward. We know we can buy the solar panels locally, but I'm really interested to know what We Care does. Thanks for the link, we are going to study that!
Esther
Following on from the thread about WE CARE solar, there are some other organisations around doing solar for healthcare. I have some knowledge in this field, and know other people who may be able to help/ advise technically
Useful American organisations:
The Solar Electric Light Fund, who have previously worked in Uganda http://www.self.org/
Powering Health, funded by USAID - a fantastically useful website with some interesting case studies of clinics in Haiti, particularly on how to run a solar/batter/diesel inverter system so that you get 24/7 power for the critical loads http://www.poweringhealth.org/
We are already in close collaboration with WE CARE SOLAR to help install solar systems to a rural health center in our community. This has been made possible through a collaborative effort of WE CARE Solar teaming up with Safe Mothers, Safe Babies (SAFE) in Uganda to bring 21 Solar Suitcases to health facilities before the new year.
We will continue to work towards improving rural health by working at various level. We also will explore other organisations that can help in this.
--
For and on behalf of Luhwahwa Youth Development Foundation (LUYODEFO)
Yes, long time! Good luck with getting everything set up.
Sylvia, I wonder if there are ways for you and Eddy and Esther to share information. I know you are on opposite sides of the country, but you are doing similar things to each other. For example, maybe there are ways that their heath centre can learn from yours, or get linked up with SAFE. I also remember you posting about a need for sanitary pads for girls. Eddy's group are to starting to train people to make their own, so maybe they can share their patterns, instructions etc so you can see if this would be practical for LOYODEFO too.
Ken, thanks for the link. I am now thinking that it would be good to have a look or talk at Makerere University to learn from what they are doing. Though I know from experience it might also be a possibility they don't want to share info or experiences. For example, Afripads cannot share their information or even tell where in Kampala they buy their materials to make reusable pads. I have checked everywhere in Jinja and Eddy went to Nile textiles, but finding suitable materials is a problem where we are.
Mary and Sylvia, we are indeed on different sides of the country, but I think it is a good idea to learn from one another and to share ideas especially concerning the reusable pads. I am going to send Sylvia our contact information. And what an invention, that solar suitcase! I am studying their website and it would be the solution in Kisozi for the medical centre, though I expect we will be able to install solar panels early 2012 thanks to an organization who is going to try and support us with that. But I am really interested to hear more about their work so I will contact them anyway, just to hear more about what they do. I am now thinking that a solar suitcase could even work for those women who are not able to reach the medical centre themselves, but I need to find out if midwives or doctors take them in the field too or if it is only meant to be at one location.
Thanks for all this useful information, I am busy studying all sites and its info now.
To all: at the medical centre, some good solar panels are definitely needed. This year (2011-2012) we are working again with some Worldschool groups (well, a lot actually, there are 12 groups and 29 students in total working on Hau projects :D :D ). And one of the projects is to find ways to get energy from goat's waste. The students are doing research and will come with a plan which the households and shops in Kisozi can use to charge their phones, so that radio and/or tv can still work, that they can use light at night despite power being off and that shops can continue using eletrical equipment. I hope the students come up with something really good and something which can easily be carried out for real, because then the goats (or rather, their waste) from the goats project can for example be used in this plan.
Dear Esther
This is an interesting project. However, making electricity is going to be more complicated than solar. There are millions of biogas plants in India & China, most are used to produce gas for cooking. To produce electricity, you need an engine and generator as well as a biogas plant, which is much more complicated. These all have to be matched together so that the gas production is enough to run the engine.
At first it would be best just to use biogas for cooking.
There is loads of info out on the web. Practical Action is a good site with lots of info:
Make sure the system is well designed and properly built. I don't want anyone to lose their eyebrows (or their life) in a gas explosion!
--
Garry Jenkins
Hi Eddy and Esther
Its always great to see how much progress you are making!
I don't know much about your clinic/maternity ward, but if you don't have reliable power you may want to check out WE CARE Solar http://wecaresolar.org/
The site does not contain details of the application process, but I know they have sent equipment to Uganda, so try contacting them if this is something you are interested in.
From the About Us page:
"WE CARE Solar promotes safe motherhood and reduces maternal mortality in developing regions by providing health workers with reliable lighting, mobile communication, and blood bank refrigeration using solar electricity.
...We also designed a portable solar electric system that fits in a suitcase. The “WE CARE Solar Suitcase” powers overhead LED lighting, charges cell phones or two-way radios, and includes LED headlamps that come with their own rechargeable batteries. The first deployment of these systems occurred in June 2009. Now these systems have been introduced in fourteen countries, including Haiti, to aid medical relief teams after the 2010 earthquake, and Liberia, where we worked with the World Health Organization on a study of the effects of electricity on maternal health outcomes.
Our Solar Suitcases are user-friendly, robust, durable, and nearly maintenance-free. They work in mobile settings or can be easily installed in existing hospitals and clinics lacking reliable source of power. Improved surgical lighting, enhanced usage of existing medical equipment, and the support of mobile telecommunication systems reduces delays in providing care, and increases the capacity of health workers to care for patients with obstetric complications. In addition, workers report more confidence in performing skilled care, and no longer fear night duty"
Mary
Hey Mary,
Long time!
Oh power is such a probem in Kisozi. It goes off frequently and it can even take a week and a half sometimes to come back. We have the medical centre (where people can get medical assistance from the doctor and get medicine etc.) and hiv/aids information centre (where the workshops are organized, blood tests can be done etc.) and behind that, they have built some wards where patients can be admitted and where we can establish a maternity ward. So, we hope we will be abe to do that early 2012. And in that plan, we have included solar power for the medical centre and maternity ward. We know we can buy the solar panels locally, but I'm really interested to know what We Care does. Thanks for the link, we are going to study that!
Esther
Esther
Following on from the thread about WE CARE solar, there are some other organisations around doing solar for healthcare. I have some knowledge in this field, and know other people who may be able to help/ advise technically
Useful American organisations:
The Solar Electric Light Fund, who have previously worked in Uganda
http://www.self.org/
Powering Health, funded by USAID - a fantastically useful website with some interesting case studies of clinics in Haiti, particularly on how to run a solar/batter/diesel inverter system so that you get 24/7 power for the critical loads
http://www.poweringhealth.org/
SunEPI - another US not for profit
http://www.sunepi.org/
I hope this helps
All the best
Garry
--
Garry Jenkins
We are already in close collaboration with WE CARE SOLAR to help install solar systems to a rural health center in our community. This has been made possible through a collaborative effort of WE CARE Solar teaming up with Safe Mothers, Safe Babies (SAFE) in Uganda to bring 21 Solar Suitcases to health facilities before the new year.
We will continue to work towards improving rural health by working at various level. We also will explore other organisations that can help in this.
--
For and on behalf of Luhwahwa Youth Development Foundation (LUYODEFO)
Hi Esther
Yes, long time! Good luck with getting everything set up.
Sylvia, I wonder if there are ways for you and Eddy and Esther to share information. I know you are on opposite sides of the country, but you are doing similar things to each other. For example, maybe there are ways that their heath centre can learn from yours, or get linked up with SAFE. I also remember you posting about a need for sanitary pads for girls. Eddy's group are to starting to train people to make their own, so maybe they can share their patterns, instructions etc so you can see if this would be practical for LOYODEFO too.
Mary
Papyrus sanitary: http://www.ugpulse.com/articles/daily/homepage.asp?ID=549
Hello Mary, Ken, Sylvia,
Ken, thanks for the link. I am now thinking that it would be good to have a look or talk at Makerere University to learn from what they are doing. Though I know from experience it might also be a possibility they don't want to share info or experiences. For example, Afripads cannot share their information or even tell where in Kampala they buy their materials to make reusable pads. I have checked everywhere in Jinja and Eddy went to Nile textiles, but finding suitable materials is a problem where we are.
Mary and Sylvia, we are indeed on different sides of the country, but I think it is a good idea to learn from one another and to share ideas especially concerning the reusable pads. I am going to send Sylvia our contact information. And what an invention, that solar suitcase! I am studying their website and it would be the solution in Kisozi for the medical centre, though I expect we will be able to install solar panels early 2012 thanks to an organization who is going to try and support us with that. But I am really interested to hear more about their work so I will contact them anyway, just to hear more about what they do. I am now thinking that a solar suitcase could even work for those women who are not able to reach the medical centre themselves, but I need to find out if midwives or doctors take them in the field too or if it is only meant to be at one location.
Esther
Gary,
Thanks for all this useful information, I am busy studying all sites and its info now.
To all: at the medical centre, some good solar panels are definitely needed. This year (2011-2012) we are working again with some Worldschool groups (well, a lot actually, there are 12 groups and 29 students in total working on Hau projects :D :D ). And one of the projects is to find ways to get energy from goat's waste. The students are doing research and will come with a plan which the households and shops in Kisozi can use to charge their phones, so that radio and/or tv can still work, that they can use light at night despite power being off and that shops can continue using eletrical equipment. I hope the students come up with something really good and something which can easily be carried out for real, because then the goats (or rather, their waste) from the goats project can for example be used in this plan.
Esther
Dear Esther
This is an interesting project. However, making electricity is going to be more complicated than solar. There are millions of biogas plants in India & China, most are used to produce gas for cooking. To produce electricity, you need an engine and generator as well as a biogas plant, which is much more complicated. These all have to be matched together so that the gas production is enough to run the engine.
At first it would be best just to use biogas for cooking.
There is loads of info out on the web. Practical Action is a good site with lots of info:
http://practicalaction.org/biogas
http://practicalaction.org/energy/biogas_expertise?utm_source=S000&utm_m...
Make sure the system is well designed and properly built. I don't want anyone to lose their eyebrows (or their life) in a gas explosion!
--
Garry Jenkins