Communication/Media Platform

Decades of nutrition and more recent child development trials have produced effective interventions which improve physical growth and development. Despite the strong evidence base, strikingly little is known on the effectiveness of combining interventions into packages and best implementation models, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In order to address this challenging gap to roll-out of comprehensive improve child growth and development programs, the objectives of the project are to: 1.

Deficiency of micro-nutrients in infancy can lead to failure of full growth potential. Deficiency of iron and vitamin D is prevalent in India and supplements have been recommended. While oral fortification or supplementation of micro-nutrients is limited by issues of taste, stability, poor absorption and gastrointestinal disturbances, our innovation allows easy delivery of micro-nutrients through skin. We have developed safe nano-particles that encapsulate micro-nutrients and interact with the outermost layer of skin to enhance penetration and can be delivered through an oil platform.

iMerciv caters to the orientation and mobility needs of blind, deaf-blind or partially sighted communities around the world. We strive to empower those living with vision loss through innovative assistive technologies. The company is now set to launch its first product, The BuzzClip; a small and discreet wearable for children and adults that are living with vision loss.

We plan to develop and evaluate the ‘Irie Homes Toolbox’: a combined violence prevention and early stimulation intervention that will be delivered by preschool teachers in community preschools to parents of young children. The intervention aims to reduce child abuse and neglect and to promote positive parent-child interaction and stimulation in the home. It will include content related to child behaviour management, child-directed play and interactive book reading.

Children in deprived rural communities in Uganda do not receive adequate early childhood care and education ("ECCE"). This is partly because there is no state funded pre-school provision in Uganda. It is also due to very low levels of parental education, information and aspiration which prevents caregivers from providing their children with the opportunities they need to fulfil their full developmental potential. This leads to poor child health, poor learning and intellectual development, lost life opportunities and poverty.

"Help, the Mother is Bleeding!" An interactive voice-controlled virtual mentor to support birth attendants in resource-constrained settings

A song, recorded in local languages by twelve of West Africa’s most famous musical artists, promoting communities’ adoption of behaviors that prevent Ebola transmission. The Africa Stop Ebola collective will extend the reach of the song and key messages to rural and at-risk communities in Guniea through a mass-media and interpersonal communication campaign.

Development of the Rapid SBCC Habit Optimization Tool (R-SHOT), a simple field tool that combines local data with evidence-based principles to recommend the optimal habit and motivational tactics for a given audience and setting. The tool will help communities determine how to disrupt existing habits and insert new vector control habits into people’s lives, what the most effective motivational levers to drive behavior change are, and how these tactics should be tailored/optimized for different settings and audiences.