The Kit Yamoyo anti-diarrhoea kit won Product Design of the Year 2013
The AidPod is at the heart of the ColaLife model. It is a wedge-shaped container that fits between the necks of the bottles in a crate of Coca-Cola. The original concept for the AidPod, was to make use of that unused space to get simple medicines, such as oral rehydration salts, and other social products like micro-nutrients to the places that commodities like Coca-Cola get to i.e. most places.
However, the AidPod has many more features. It is:
- a container for the contents of the Kit Yamoyo (8 x 4g sachets of ORS; 1 course of 10 Zinc tablets; 1 x 20g bar of soap; 1 x information and branding leaflet)
- a measure for the water you need to make up the ORS solution (200ml) – in places where people do not have, or understand measures
- a storage device for made-up ORS solution and …
- it can act as a cup for drinking the ORS
All these features are explained by Simon Berry in the video below as he opens a kit and demonstrates its use:
The production version of the AidPod is the Mark XI (shown above, a very slight modification to the Mark X below). It’s taken nearly three years of campaigning and open innovation to get here.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Mark X | Mark IX | Mark VIII | Mark VII | Mark VIb |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Mark V | Mark IV | Mark III | Mark II | Mark I |
Up until Mark VIb the AidPod was seen as the container to carry a range of social products. Then, for the trial in Zambia, we focussed on using the AidPod to carry the components of an Anti-Diarrhoea Kit (ADK). At this time (from December 2011) our partner PI Global, a specialist and innovative packaging design company, engaged. They helped us make a reality our ideas for the AidPod to be a functional part of the ADK acting as a measuring jug, a mixer, a cup and potentially a water sterilisation device*.
This is what the ADK looks like:
They fit in a Coca-Cola crate like this:
They are packed with benefits for the customer:
We expect that the AidPod will support water sterilisation through the SODIS technique. We will be running tests to confirm this over the coming months. This is how we envisage this will work:
More blog posts about the AidPod.
[Last updated: 14 Sep 2012]
The Akaa Project is a small US based nonprofit organization working in the Yilo Krobo district of the Eastern region of Ghana to create opportunity and improve the quality of life for families with poor resources and who have little access to health care. The Akaa Project is a partner to the United Nations’ Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and has a committment to the Every Woman Every Child Global Program, initiated by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to unite global forces to alleviate poverty and child morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Residents of the Yilo Krobo district in Ghana are very underserved. Diarrhea is clearly one of the major causes of illness in children. In December 2012/January 2013, our project was instrumental in gettng 2 bore holes drilled, in an area where clean water never was available. Children remain at risk for dehydration due to malnutrition, lack of medical care, parasites and HIV.
The school which the Akaa Project assisted the families to develop, now has approximately 80 students, with the recent entry of children from 2 nearby villages. I will be in the community in early April to train a community member in basic health care and oral rehydration
The project would greatly appreciate any assistance from Colalife with the availability of anti-diarrheal kits.
Many thanks for your kind consideration,
Mary Grimanis PNP
Health Care Coordinator
The Akaa Project, Inc.
Hi Mary
Thanks for your comment. We are working in Zambia on a rigorous trial of the ColaLife concept. Our aim is to generate solid evidence that the system works so that the most sceptical of strategists can have the confidence to incorporate the key aspects of ColaLife into their own programmes. Johns Hopkins University is involved in the evaluation.
So I would suggest that the best next step would be for you to draw our work to the attention of the appropriate authorities in Ghana. If there is enough interest in Ghana, I may be able to visit within the next six months.
Simon
What a great innovation, however I have to say that I’m disgusted that Coca-cola manages to reach areas which are in need of the AidPod. How is it that these poison peddling multi nationals can get to people, and yet much needed aid and support can’t. To answer my own question, I suppose it’s money. Good on you guys for managing to piggy back on their strangle hold
What has been good about working with Coca-Cola is that we have learnt how they do it and they have helped us in this learning process. Many people wouldn’t work with Coca-Cola on principle but this, we believe, is a mistake. Coca-Cola have achieved things – in terms of distribution – that the public and NGO sector have not, albeit with a fizzy drink.
What we believe we have done is apply the learning from Coca-Cola and apply it to an essential medicine that addresses the second biggest killer of under-5 children in sub-Saharan Africa. Namely dehydration from diarrhoea. For a fuller explanation of this please read this recent blog post: It’s the value chain stupid.