Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

CHMI Program News

There is still time to help some great innovators earn a permanent spot on GlobalGiving through the GlobalGiving Open Challenge. World Health Partners is hoping to raise money for sidecar ambulances that can be attached to motorcycles to navigate the rough terrain of rural India. The Happy Health Insurance Scheme, a program that operates a clinic and a community-based health insurance scheme in Uganda, is looking to make upgrades to their infrastructure in order to improve the quality of their services. Meanwhile, in Kenya, Hope Worldwide Kenya is mobilizing blood donors to collect 200,000 units of blood annually, helping to alleviate a national deficit. D-Tree, an organization that is working to increase safe births and reduce maternal and child mortality through clinical decision support software, is almost there; they need just three more donors to earn a spot on the site!

A big congratulations goes out to Aarohi and Rachel House, who have each raised well over $4,000 from dozens of donors and secured a permanent spot on GlobalGiving.

CHMI would also like to congratulate Saúde Criança, E-HealthPoint, and VaxTrac, who were just this week named winners of Ashoka Changemaker’s Innovations for Health competition. The competition, which was held in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sought out healthcare solutions from around the globe that had the potential to be translated across borders. Each winner received a prize of $10,000.

Finally, we’d like to highlight a new audio interview in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, which features WE CARE Solar, an organization that has developed a portable power unit, the “suitcase”, that helps power lighting, mobile communication, and essential medical equipment for emergency obstetric care.

Worth a Read

The Stanford Social Innovation Review—yes, we’re a fan—published an excerpt from Beverly Schwartz’s new book, "Rippling: How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation Throughout the World”. The book takes a look at the characteristics of entrepreneurs, based on interviews with Ashoka Fellows, that have made social entrepreneurship the movement that it is today.

A new Briefing Paper published by DFID’s Research for Development presents findings from a recently completed study that show how well-structured public information campaigns can increase poor populations’ uptake of public health insurance and other health services. As a case study, the research team looked at the RSBY health insurance in India.

Competitions and Funding Opportunities

USAID’s Innovation Fund for the Americas, which invests in cost-effective solutions to development challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean, is inviting letters of interest (LOI) from innovators that are “expected to lead to transformative improvements in development outcomes that could ultimately scale across multiple developing countries …. Innovative solutions can include new technologies and new service delivery practices or novel or more cost-effective variations on existing practices.” The next deadline for an LOI is June 1, 2012.

Ennovent’s new Impact Circle is looking to invest in and support high-potential entrepreneurs that are creating a sustainable impact at the bottom of the pyramid in India. Visit Ennovent’s website to learn more about how to apply for funding!

And now for a parting thought: Jim Yong Kim has been named the new president of World Bank. A global health expert leading the Bank, your reflections?

As always, have a great weekend and don’t forget to follow CHMI on Twitter and Facebook for more information on the latest health market innovations.