Problem:

Many developing communities around the world have limited or no access to a continual supply of electricity. Poor electrical infrastructure, coupled with frequent power outages, cause numerous challenges in  community hospitals and clinics. Hospitals are often forced to improvise with lanterns, candles, or flashlights during critical medical procedures. The risks are greater during surgeries where errors can lead to postoperative complications or deaths. By having access to an uninterrupted source of light during medical procedures, the quality of health care can be improved greatly. 

 

Our Solution:

In our attempt to increase the effectiveness and standard of medical care in developing communities, we plan to design and build an innovative lamp that is cost-effective, portable, and battery-powered. Through our partnership with the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC), we have identified clinics in Nicaragua and Costa Rica that have a need for our lamps. Our goal is to design a lamp that can be easily assembled and disassembled in the case of emergencies. 

 

We will be traveling to Nicaragua during Summer 2015 to perform a needs assessment in order to determine the requirements and specifications for our first lamp prototype. Our first prototype will likely be completed by Winter 2016.