Progress Report - 30/4/10

May 2, 2010 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment 

Children with AidPod in Tanzania
Children of Mikindani, Tanzania with a model Mark III AidPod, January 2009
Image credit: Tim Dench

May 1988 - May 2008 - the first 7,305 days - no progress!

  • May 1988 Had the idea while working on the British Aid Programme in NE Zambia that Coca-Cola’s distribution muscle could be used to distribute oral rehydration salts in developing countries
  • I tried to promote the idea but made no progress at all!

May 2008 onwards- the last 578 days - real progress!

  • 6/5/08 The presence of Coca-Cola’s Chief Executive at the Business Call To Action event re-kindled the idea. I contributed to the online blog saying: What about Coca Cola using their
    distribution channels (which are amazing in developing countries) to distribute rehydration salts? Maybe by dedicating one compartment in every 10 crates as ‘the life saving’ compartment?’     (original live blog available here)
  • 6/5/08 I decided to blog the idea and then follow-up by trying to get Coca-Cola’s attention. The blog post is here.
  • After the blog post I tried to get the idea debated on the BBC Radio 4 iPM programme. I was successful on the 3rd attempt and after getting friends to support the idea on the iPM blog (see below).
  • 6-14/5/08 I was in communication with Coca-Cola but could not get past the first line in Coca-Cola’s CSR department
  • 16/5/08 Heard Annie Lennox on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. She said We can distribute Coca Cola all around the World but we can’t seem to get medication to save a child from something as simple as diarrhoea and I think that that is wrong. At this point I decided my blog post wasn’t going to be enough! I decided to set up a Facebook group to get people behind the idea.
  • 18/5/08 Facebook Group formed.
  • 19/5/08 #colalife tag set-up in hastags
  • 21/5/08 Interviewed by Eddie Mair for the iPM Programme.
  • 21-24/5/08 The iPM Team worked flat-out to create an amazing feature for the programme on 24/5/08 and this paid off handsomely
  • 23/5/08 colalife tag establsished in del.icio.us
  • 23/5/08 The iPM Team received a Written statement received from Coca Cola - ‘willing to talk’
  • 24/5/08 The campaign was featured on iPM (BBC Radio 4)
  • 24/5/08 As part of the iPM feature, Eve Graham (ex lead singer - The New Seekers) sang supporting lyrics to ‘I’d like to teach the world to sing’.
  • 27/5/08 Coca-Cola Reydration Project proposed on RSA Networks (RSA Members only)
  • 1/6/08 The colalife ampaign was nominated for the New Media Awards
  • 5/6/08 Telephone conference with Coca Cola’s Global Head of Stakeholder Relations and UK conterpart
  • 13/6/08 Facebook Group grew from 0 to 2,115 in 26 days. Membership includes a ‘frontline’ Rehydration Project in India
  • 16/6/08 Face to face meeting with Coca Cola’s Salvatore Gabola in Brussels.
  • 3/7/08 Ran workshop at the 2gether08 Festival
  • 3/7/08 Follow-up interview with the iPM Programme (video)
  • 6/7/08 Coca-Cola’s Adrian Ristow sent his first diary note from Ethiopia
  • 6/7/08 ColaLife Google Group established
  • 6-20/7/08 Facebook bug did not allow Kate Andrews to be added as group administrator - Facebook Support contacted
  • 13/7/08 Simon Berry interviewed on the BBC World Service
  • 17/7/08 Progress Report (6th Facebook Newsletter) >>more
  • 21/7/08 Kate Andrews became Admin of the Facebook Group (group size: 3,400)
  • 29/7/08 Kate’s article published on Inhabitat.com
  • Inhabitat article starts an avalanche of other artcles including on treehugger, trendhunter and many more.
  • 3/8/08 ColaLife Flickr Group established
  • 3/8/08 colalife.org domain name purchased
  • 3/8/08 Aims & objectives finalised through Google Group
  • 4/8/08 Colalife website and dedicated blog built by Facebook Group member Dave Briggs.
  • 6/8/08 Facebook Group membership hits 4,000
  • 14/8/08 First face-to-face meet-up of the ColaLife Group
  • 20/8/08 Meeting with James Alexander, CEO, We Are What We Do
  • 21/8/08 Interviewed for Common Ground Magazine (US) - feature to be published on 1/10/08
  • 21/8/08 Responded to questions from El Mercurio, Chile
  • 27/8/08 Facebook Group membership hits 5,000, Google group has 55 members, Flickr Group has 256 members
  • 27/8/08 Progress Report >>more
  • 31/8/08 Article published in the Sunday edition of El Mercurio, Chile. This is the first the ColaLife story has been printed on paper. >>more
  • 1/9/08 ColaLife banner ads made available. >>more
  • 8/9/08 Facebook group hits 5,500 - the number of children under the age of 5 that die each day in Africa. >>more
  • 12/9/08 ColaLife ‘Buzz Monitor’ created using Pageflakes. >>more
  • 15/9/08 talkSPORT interview. >>more
  • 20/9/08 Excellent ‘Before and After’ ORS pictures found. >>more
  • 4/10/08 ColaLife featured as a case study at ‘Social Activism Online’ conference. >>more
  • 18/10/08 ColaLife press page created >>more
  • 19/10/08 ColaLife Video for Google’s Project 10^100 published on YouTube. View the video on YouTube.
  • 19/10/08 Application submitted to Google’s Project 10^100. >>more
  • 25/10/08 Kate Andrews writes ColaLife Wikipedia Entry.
  • 25/10/08 Coca-Cola invites ColaLife to Dar Es Salaam! >>more
  • 1/11/08 Progress Report >>more
  • 6/11/08 ColaLife Video for Google’s Project 10^100 made available for the iPod >>more
  • 10/11/08 Skype call with ColaLife mentor Tielmann Nieuwoudt
  • 15/11/08 Jess ponsford submits innovation ‘ColaLife Pod’ design ideas >>more
  • 18/11/08 Facebook Group membership hit 7,000
  • 20/11/08 BBC to cover the Tanzania Trip >>more
  • 20/10/08 ColaLife case study presented at NCVO’s Collaboration conference
  • 24/11/08 ColaLife plenary presentation at NCVO’s Info 2.0 conference >>more
  • 24/11/08 Views of ColaLife Video for Google’s Project 10^100 hit 3,000
  • 25/11/08 Kate Andrews presented ColaLife as a case study at KHiO, Oslo
    National Academy of the Arts >>more
  • 25-29/11/08 Simon Berry in Tanzania at the invitation of Coca-Cola >>more
  • 25/11/08 Field trip to Manual Distribution Centres (MDCs) in Dar Es Salaam >>more
  • 26/11/08 Stakeholder meeting convened by Coca-Cola in Dar Es Salaam
  • 26/11/08 Made prototype ‘ColaLife Pods’ >>more
  • 27/11/08 Field trip with Benito Xaverly - ‘ColaLife Pods’ discussed on video >>more
  • 28/11/08 Met with Dr Jane Miller, PSI, Dar Es Salaam. PSI are potential partners in the trialing of the ColaLife idea >>more
  • 4/12/08 interviewed by Nigel Courtney for NESTA Innovation Handbook
  • 5/12/08 Live interview on newstalk Radio, Ireland’s national talk radio station >>more
  • 6/12/08 Progress Report >>more
  • 13/12/08 ColaLife aims and objectives formally reviewed and re-stated based on the learning so far and informed particularly by the trip to Dar Es Salaam. The AidPod moves centre stage.
  • 16/12/08 Face to face meeting at Global Tolerance HQ >>more
  • 27/12/08 BBC iPM ‘Best of Year’ feature broadcast >>listen
  • aidpod domain names registered >>more
  • Introduced by Kate Andrews to David Berman the author of Do Good Design >>more
  • 8,000th member joins ColaLife Facebook group >>more NOTE: we are now encouraging people to join our Facebook page
  • 24/1/09 AidPod ideas explored >>more
  • 21/2/09 ColaLife Twitter background released >>more
  • 4/3/09 Mark II of the AidPod revealed at face to face meeting at Global Tolerance HQ >>more
  • 8/3/09 Supporters encouraged to make their own aidpods - patterns released >>more
  • 11/3/09 ColaLife’s Simon Berry is second blogger to be confirmed for the G20 Summit >>more The G20-specific blog posts are here
  • 18/3/09 Simon Berry featured in ‘Social Pioneers’ supplement in the Guardian >>more
  • 25/3/09 The children of N’gombe Compound, Lusaka celebrate the aidpod >>more
  • 28/3/09 Dame Barbara Stocking (Director, Oxfam GB) gives her verdict on the aidpod >>more
  • 5/4/09 Bob Geldof talks to Simon Berry about the aidpod >>more
  • 8/4/09 theWorkshop in Sheffield build a giant aippod >>more
  • 25/4/09 Coca-Cola commit to ColaLife trials in Radio 4 interview >>listen
  • 25/4/09 ColaLife, ’story so far’ presentation at ‘Africa Gathering’ >>watch
  • 6/5/09 ColaLife’s first birthday
  • 17/5/09 ColaLife featured in HARVARD report >>more
  • 11/6/09 Giant aidpod installed at NESTA, the UK’s Innovation Centre >>more
  • 12/6/09 Prof Don Nutbeam endorses ColaLife in televised panel discussion on global public health >>more
  • 17/6/09 Mark III of the aidpod unveiled >>watch >>slideshow
  • 24/6/09 ColaLife to play Glastonbury >>more
  • 1/7/09 Mayor of London says ‘No’ to ColaLife giant aidpod on the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square >>more
  • 5/7/09 Russell Tanner dedicates his spot on the 4th Plinth to ColaLife >>more
  • 7/7/09 ColaLife headlines in NESTA handbook on social innovation >>more
  • 11/7/09 Twitter campaign for plinth appearance starts >>more
  • 14/7/09 Sarah Brown (the UK Prime Minister’s wife) tweets for ColaLife! >>more
  • 18/7/09 Russell Tanner promotes ColaLife on the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square >>watch
  • 4/8/09 ColaLife brokers partnership with global NGO for Tanzanian field work >>more
  • 5/8/09 ColaLife balloon release >>watch
  • 15/8/09 An assessment of where we are with Coca-Cola >>more
  • 26/8/09 Progress report >>more
  • 19/8/09 ColaLife is incorporated >>more
  • 24/9/09 Google back off from Project 10 to the 100th (very disappointing) >>more
  • 10/10/09 Giant ColaLife AidPod displayed at the Africa Gathering event >>more
  • 14/10/09 WHO/UNICEF Report published: Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done >>more
  • 18/10/09 ColaLife makes the GOOD 100 List >>more
  • 27/10/09 ColaLife presented at the 8th Annual World Food and Innovation Conference, Rotterdam >>more
  • 31/10/09 ColaLife enters the Buckminster Fuller Challenge >>more
  • 4/11/09 ColaLife presented at the inaugural TEDx London event >>more
  • 12/11/09 Keynote presentation at Chain Reaction 2009 >>more
  • 13/11/09 AidPod Mark III animation released >>more
  • 14/11/09 ColaLife Channel launched on YouTube - youtube.com/colalife - >>more
  • 16/11/09 The ColaLife animation reaches 10,000 views >>more
  • 27/11/09 ColaLife gets through to stage 2 of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge (35 of 215 entries have made it this far) >>more
  • 7/12/09 Giant AidPod display installed at the RSA, London >>more
  • 12/12/09 ColaLife Development Plan published >>more
  • 30/12/09 Progress report >>more
  • 31/12/09 Top 10 achievements for 2009 published >>more
  • 10/1/10 A to Z of priorities for 2010 listed >>more
  • 17/1/10 New online campaigning handbook features ColaLife as case study >>more
  • 27/1/10 Video of the presentation of ColaLife at the inaugural TEDx London published >>more
  • 31/1/10 Series on Colalife principles started >>more
  • 15/2/10 ColaLife featured by Sarah Boseley in the Guardian >>more
  • 17/2/10 ColaLife is through to the semi-finals of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge >>more
  • 21/2/10 ColaLife selected for TEDx Warwick >>more
  • 22/2/10 ColaLife live on CNN >>more
  • 11/3/10 Prof Don Nutbeam commits to be the first member of ColaLife’s Virtual Advisory Board >>more
  • 17/3/10 Question and answer session at Hult International Business School >>more
  • 12/4/10 Simon Berry to feature as a ‘Cultural Engineer’ in a book to accompany the launch of a hybrid car by Honda >>more
  • 22/4/10 ColaLife featured as a case study on new book on ‘Ethical Marketing & The New Consumer’ >>more
  • 30/4/10 Progress report (this one)

Next moves

  • Simon Berry will give up his day job in June 2010 to work full time on ColaLife
  • Fund raising has begun to raise funds to proptotype, manufacture and test the aidpod and the ColaLife concept
  • Undertake pre-trial fieldwork to build partnerships for an independently evaluated trial of ColaLife
  • Encourage and support the engagement of young people with ColaLife through work with Universities and Schools
  • On-going PR campaign to ensure support groups continue to grow

5,500 children die every day in Africa before the age of 5. This initiative could save thousands and thousands of children’s lives through positive engagement between the private and NGO sector.

Filed under: Coca Cola Campaign, Progress Reports
Tagged:

Progress Report - 30/12/09

December 30, 2009 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment 

MDC Child
Child at Rene MDC, Tanzania, November 2008
Image credit: Simon Berry

May 1988 - May 2008 - the first 7,305 days - no progress!

  • May 1988 Had the idea while working on the British Aid Programme in NE Zambia that Coca-Cola’s distribution muscle could be used to distribute oral rehydration salts in developing countries
  • I tried to promote the idea but made no progress at all!

May 2008 onwards- the last 578 days - real progress!

  • 6/5/08 The presence of Coca-Cola’s Chief Executive at the Business Call To Action event re-kindled the idea. I contributed to the online blog saying: What about Coca Cola using their
    distribution channels (which are amazing in developing countries) to distribute rehydration salts? Maybe by dedicating one compartment in every 10 crates as ‘the life saving’ compartment?’     (original live blog available here)
  • 6/5/08 I decided to blog the idea and then follow-up by trying to get Coca-Cola’s attention. The blog post is here.
  • After the blog post I tried to get the idea debated on the BBC Radio 4 iPM programme. I was successful on the 3rd attempt and after getting friends to support the idea on the iPM blog (see below).
  • 6-14/5/08 I was in communication with Coca-Cola but could not get past the first line in Coca-Cola’s CSR department
  • 16/5/08 Heard Annie Lennox on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. She said We can distribute Coca Cola all around the World but we can’t seem to get medication to save a child from something as simple as diarrhoea and I think that that is wrong. At this point I decided my blog post wasn’t going to be enough! I decided to set up a Facebook group to get people behind the idea.
  • 18/5/08 Facebook Group formed.
  • 19/5/08 #colalife tag set-up in hastags
  • 21/5/08 Interviewed by Eddie Mair for the iPM Programme.
  • 21-24/5/08 The iPM Team worked flat-out to create an amazing feature for the programme on 24/5/08 and this paid off handsomely
  • 23/5/08 colalife tag establsished in del.icio.us
  • 23/5/08 The iPM Team received a Written statement received from Coca Cola - ‘willing to talk’
  • 24/5/08 The campaign was featured on iPM (BBC Radio 4)
  • 24/5/08 As part of the iPM feature, Eve Graham (ex lead singer - The New Seekers) sang supporting lyrics to ‘I’d like to teach the world to sing’.
  • 27/5/08 Coca-Cola Reydration Project proposed on RSA Networks (RSA Members only)
  • 1/6/08 The colalife ampaign was nominated for the New Media Awards
  • 5/6/08 Telephone conference with Coca Cola’s Global Head of Stakeholder Relations and UK conterpart
  • 13/6/08 Facebook Group grew from 0 to 2,115 in 26 days. Membership includes a ‘frontline’ Rehydration Project in India
  • 16/6/08 Face to face meeting with Coca Cola’s Salvatore Gabola in Brussels.
  • 3/7/08 Ran workshop at the 2gether08 Festival
  • 3/7/08 Follow-up interview with the iPM Programme (video)
  • 6/7/08 Coca-Cola’s Adrian Ristow sent his first diary note from Ethiopia
  • 6/7/08 ColaLife Google Group established
  • 6-20/7/08 Facebook bug did not allow Kate Andrews to be added as group administrator - Facebook Support contacted
  • 13/7/08 Simon Berry interviewed on the BBC World Service
  • 17/7/08 Progress Report (6th Facebook Newsletter) >>more
  • 21/7/08 Kate Andrews became Admin of the Facebook Group (group size: 3,400)
  • 29/7/08 Kate’s article published on Inhabitat.com
  • Inhabitat article starts an avalanche of other artcles including on treehugger, trendhunter and many more.
  • 3/8/08 ColaLife Flickr Group established
  • 3/8/08 colalife.org domain name purchased
  • 3/8/08 Aims & objectives finalised through Google Group
  • 4/8/08 Colalife website and dedicated blog built by Facebook Group member Dave Briggs.
  • 6/8/08 Facebook Group membership hits 4,000
  • 14/8/08 First face-to-face meet-up of the ColaLife Group
  • 20/8/08 Meeting with James Alexander, CEO, We Are What We Do
  • 21/8/08 Interviewed for Common Ground Magazine (US) - feature to be published on 1/10/08
  • 21/8/08 Responded to questions from El Mercurio, Chile
  • 27/8/08 Facebook Group membership hits 5,000, Google group has 55 members, Flickr Group has 256 members
  • 27/8/08 Progress Report >>more
  • 31/8/08 Article published in the Sunday edition of El Mercurio, Chile. This is the first the ColaLife story has been printed on paper. >>more
  • 1/9/08 ColaLife banner ads made available. >>more
  • 8/9/08 Facebook group hits 5,500 - the number of children under the age of 5 that die each day in Africa. >>more
  • 12/9/08 ColaLife ‘Buzz Monitor’ created using Pageflakes. >>more
  • 15/9/08 talkSPORT interview. >>more
  • 20/9/08 Excellent ‘Before and After’ ORS pictures found. >>more
  • 4/10/08 ColaLife featured as a case study at ‘Social Activism Online’ conference. >>more
  • 18/10/08 ColaLife press page created >>more
  • 19/10/08 ColaLife Video for Google’s Project 10^100 published on YouTube. View the video on YouTube.
  • 19/10/08 Application submitted to Google’s Project 10^100. >>more
  • 25/10/08 Kate Andrews writes ColaLife Wikipedia Entry.
  • 25/10/08 Coca-Cola invites ColaLife to Dar Es Salaam! >>more
  • 1/11/08 Progress Report >>more
  • 6/11/08 ColaLife Video for Google’s Project 10^100 made available for the iPod >>more
  • 10/11/08 Skype call with ColaLife mentor Tielmann Nieuwoudt
  • 15/11/08 Jess ponsford submits innovation ‘ColaLife Pod’ design ideas >>more
  • 18/11/08 Facebook Group membership hit 7,000
  • 20/11/08 BBC to cover the Tanzania Trip >>more
  • 20/10/08 ColaLife case study presented at NCVO’s Collaboration conference
  • 24/11/08 ColaLife plenary presentation at NCVO’s Info 2.0 conference >>more
  • 24/11/08 Views of ColaLife Video for Google’s Project 10^100 hit 3,000
  • 25/11/08 Kate Andrews presented ColaLife as a case study at KHiO, Oslo
    National Academy of the Arts >>more
  • 25-29/11/08 Simon Berry in Tanzania at the invitation of Coca-Cola >>more
  • 25/11/08 Field trip to Manual Distribution Centres (MDCs) in Dar Es Salaam >>more
  • 26/11/08 Stakeholder meeting convened by Coca-Cola in Dar Es Salaam
  • 26/11/08 Made prototype ‘ColaLife Pods’ >>more
  • 27/11/08 Field trip with Benito Xaverly - ‘ColaLife Pods’ discussed on video >>more
  • 28/11/08 Met with Dr Jane Miller, PSI, Dar Es Salaam. PSI are potential partners in the trialing of the ColaLife idea >>more
  • 4/12/08 interviewed by Nigel Courtney for NESTA Innovation Handbook
  • 5/12/08 Live interview on newstalk Radio, Ireland’s national talk radio station >>more
  • 6/12/08 Progress Report >>more
  • 13/12/08 ColaLife aims and objectives formally reviewed and re-stated based on the learning so far and informed particularly by the trip to Dar Es Salaam. The AidPod moves centre stage.
  • 16/12/08 Face to face meeting at Global Tolerance HQ >>more
  • 27/12/08 BBC iPM ‘Best of Year’ feature broadcast >>listen
  • aidpod domain names registered >>more
  • Introduced by Kate Andrews to David Berman the author of Do Good Design >>more
  • 8,000th member joins ColaLife Facebook group >>more NOTE: we are now encouraging people to join our Facebook page
  • 24/1/09 AidPod ideas explored >>more
  • 21/2/09 ColaLife Twitter background released >>more
  • 4/3/09 Mark II of the AidPod revealed at face to face meeting at Global Tolerance HQ >>more
  • 8/3/09 Supporters encouraged to make their own aidpods - patterns released >>more
  • 11/3/09 ColaLife’s Simon Berry is second blogger to be confirmed for the G20 Summit >>more The G20-specific blog posts are here
  • 18/3/09 Simon Berry featured in ‘Social Pioneers’ supplement in the Guardian >>more
  • 25/3/09 The children of N’gombe Compound, Lusaka celebrate the aidpod >>more
  • 28/3/09 Dame Barbara Stocking (Director, Oxfam GB) gives her verdict on the aidpod >>more
  • 5/4/09 Bob Geldof talks to Simon Berry about the aidpod >>more
  • 8/4/09 theWorkshop in Sheffield build a giant aippod >>more
  • 25/4/09 Coca-Cola commit to ColaLife trials in Radio 4 interview >>listen
  • 25/4/09 ColaLife, ’story so far’ presentation at ‘Africa Gathering’ >>watch
  • 6/5/09 ColaLife’s first birthday
  • 17/5/09 ColaLife featured in HARVARD report >>more
  • 11/6/09 Giant aidpod installed at NESTA, the UK’s Innovation Centre >>more
  • 12/6/09 Prof Don Nutbeam endorses ColaLife in televised panel discussion on global public health >>more
  • 17/6/09 Mark III of the aidpod unveiled >>watch >>slideshow
  • 24/6/09 ColaLife to play Glastonbury >>more
  • 1/7/09 Mayor of London says ‘No’ to ColaLife giant aidpod on the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square >>more
  • 5/7/09 Russell Tanner dedicates his spot on the 4th Plinth to ColaLife >>more
  • 7/7/09 ColaLife headlines in NESTA handbook on social innovation >>more
  • 11/7/09 Twitter campaign for plinth appearance starts >>more
  • 14/7/09 Sarah Brown (the UK Prime Minister’s wife) tweets for ColaLife! >>more
  • 18/7/09 Russell Tanner promotes ColaLife on the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square >>watch
  • 4/8/09 ColaLife brokers partnership with global NGO for Tanzanian field work >>more
  • 5/8/09 ColaLife balloon release >>watch
  • 15/8/09 An assessment of where we are with Coca-Cola >>more
  • 26/8/09 Progress report >>more
  • 19/8/09 ColaLife is incorporated >>more
  • 24/9/09 Google back off from Project 10 to the 100th (very disappointing) >>more
  • 10/10/09 Giant ColaLife AidPod displayed at the Africa Gathering event >>more
  • 14/10/09 WHO/UNICEF Report published: Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done >>more
  • 18/10/09 ColaLife makes the GOOD 100 List >>more
  • 27/10/09 ColaLife presented at the 8th Annual World Food and Innovation Conference, Rotterdam >>more
  • 31/10/09 ColaLife enters the Buckminster Fuller Challenge >>more
  • 4/11/09 ColaLife presented at the inaugural TEDx London event >>more
  • 12/11/09 Keynote presentation at Chain Reaction 2009 >>more
  • 13/11/09 AidPod Mark III animation released >>more
  • 14/11/09 ColaLife Channel launched on YouTube - youtube.com/colalife - >>more
  • 16/11/09 The ColaLife animation reaches 10,000 views >>more
  • 27/11/09 ColaLife gets through to stage 2 of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge (35 of 215 entries have made it this far) >>more
  • 7/12/09 Giant AidPod display installed at the RSA, London >>more
  • 12/12/09 ColaLife Development Plan published >>more
  • 30/12/09 Progress report >>more

Next moves

  • Fund raising has begun to raise funds to proptotype, manufacture and test the aidpod and the ColaLife concept
  • Increase level of engagement with Coca-Cola with the aim of securing trials of the ColaLife concept in mid 2010
  • Simon Berry will give up his day job in June 2010 to work full time on ColaLife
  • On-going PR campaign to ensure support groups continue to grow

5,500 children die every day in Africa before the age of 5. This initiative could save thousands and thousands of children’s lives through positive engagement between the private and NGO sector.

Filed under: Coca Cola Campaign, Progress Reports
Tagged:

The Buzz builds for Africa Gathering

October 9, 2009 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment 

Africa Gathering Banner Logo

Africa Gathering is a bunch of innovators and enthusiasts for the development in Africa; Ed Scotcher and Mark Simpkins are leading lights. They kindly allowed me to present the ColaLife story at their first UK event back in April (2009) >>more. Ed and Mark have also been generous with their networks and I have made some great contacts and been able to generate good publicity as a result of my involvement in Africa Gathering. A couple who spring to mind are Jane Young of Scrmblr and Tim Unwin, UNESCO Chair in ICT4D and Professor of Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Anyway the buzz is building on Twitter (look out for #agathering) for this weekend’s event which kicks off this evening and runs all day tomorrow at The Hub, Kings Cross, London. Jane and I will be going along this evening and I will be there tomorrow too. My son and I are walking the Giant AidPod from NESTA to Kings Cross starting at around 4:30pm. Here’s our route. So if you’re in the Grays Inn Road area, give us a wave! Anyway, part of this buzz around Africa Gathering was a follow from @ideasforafrica which seems to be the Twitter face of Africa Rural Connect. Their follow of ColaLife drew me to their website where they are asking for ideas for the alleviation of poverty in Africa. This isn’t the core theme of ColaLife but I thought I would put it on anyway. You can see it, endorse and comment on it here.

Read more

Filed under: AidPod, Coca Cola Campaign
Tagged: ,

Progress Report - 26/8/09

August 26, 2009 by Simon Berry · 1 Comment 

MDC Child
Child at Rene MDC, Tanzania, November 2008
Image credit: Simon Berry

May 1988 - May 2008 - the first 7,305 days - no progress!

  • May 1988 Had the idea while working on the British Aid Programme in NE Zambia that Coca-Cola’s distribution muscle could be used to distribute oral rehydration salts in developing countries
  • I tried to promote the idea but made no progress at all!

May 2008 onwards- the last 455 days - real progress!

Next moves

  • ColaLife incorporated as a not-for-profit organisation (Company Limited by Guarantee)
  • Google to announce 100 semi-finalists in their Project 10 to the 100th trawl for the best ideas in the world
  • If ColaLife makes the semi-finalists a voting campaign will start
  • ColaLife will seek a patron
  • Business Plan will be completed
  • Fund raising will begin to raise funds to proptotype and test the aidpod
  • On-going PR campaign to ensure support groups continue to grow

5,500 children die every day in Africa before the age of 5. This initiative could save thousands and thousands of children’s lives through positive engagement between the private and NGO sector.

Filed under: Coca Cola Campaign, Progress Reports
Tagged:

Edging towards incorporation

August 10, 2009 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment 

Memorandum and Articles of Association - ColalIfe
The ColaLife Campaign has achieved amazing things but the consensus of the Google Group is that it is time to incorporate for several reasons:

  1. To provide supporters, particularly potential funders, a mechanism to engage
  2. To enable ColaLife to inject further pace into the campaign which is totally dependent on Coca-Cola as the moment
  3. To enable ColaLife to engage in design and prototyping of the aidpod concept
  4. To enable ColaLife to bid to implement the ColaLife idea if we make it to the finals of Google’s Project 10 to the 100th

And there are other reasons too which are being incorporated in the Business Plan for ColaLife which has been under development for a couple of months.

We have been very fortunate to have Bates Wells & Braithwaite helping us with the incorporation on a pro bono basis. The Bates Wells & Braithwaite group of solicitors are located opposite St Pauls in London and has a huge reputation in the charity and social enterprise sector in the UK. We are indebted to Uday Thakker of Red Ochre for puting us in contact with Bates Wells & Braithwaite.

We are initially incorporating ColaLife as a (not for profit) Company Limited By Guarantee. This legal structure can have charitable status or CIC (Community Interest Company) status overlaid on it in the future if that is beneficial but such overlays are non-reversible.

I will be meeting with Erica of Bates Wells & Braithwaite tomorrow to sign all the papers for submission to Companies House.

Onwards and upwards.

Filed under: Coca Cola Campaign
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ColaLife - the story so far - 25/4/09

April 26, 2009 by Simon Berry · 3 Comments 

The ColaLife Story So Far - 25/4/09 on Slideshare

View more presentations from s1m0nb3rry.

Here’s the presentation I gave yesterday at the Africa Gathering event at Birkbeck College, London. The audio was added retrospectively. The ‘Live’ version was a lot more fun! But all the facts are here. The videos and audio mentioned in the presentation are here:

Big thanks are due to Ed Scotcher and friends for organising a great day and for inviting ColaLife.

*STOP PRESS*
An hour or so after this presentation, Coca-Cola confirmed their commitment to trials on the BBC’s iPM programme on Radio 4. You can listen again here.

PROGRESS REPORTS
The latest timeline (progress report) is always here.

ADDENDUM: 30/6/09
Here is a video of the African Gathering presentation. After a bit of a flaky start with the technology it’s OK! Thanks to Mark Simpkins for uploading this.

Simon Berry at Africa Gathering, London 2009 from Mark Simpkins on Vimeo.

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ColaLife: About

February 15, 2009 by Simon Berry · 1 Comment 

The ColaLife movement is based on three facts:

  1. You can buy a Coca-Cola almost any where you go in the world, even in the most remote parts of developing countries
  2. In these same places 1 in 5 children die before their fifth birthday from preventable causes. Most die from dehydration from diarrhoea.
  3. The child mortality figures have not changed significantly for at least 3 decades which would indicate that current initiatives are not working

Our hypothesis is that getting very simple medicines, and the knowledge about how to use them, to the places you can buy a Coca-Cola would have a huge positive impact on thousands of children’s lives every day. At present more than 4,000 under fives die every day in Africa alone.


Empty shelves at Tiriri health centre in Katine, Uganda. Photograph: Guardian/Martin Godwin
A fully stocked retail outlet. Photograph: Simon Berry

ColaLife is talking to Coca-Cola about opening up its distribution channels in developing countries to save lives, especially children’s lives, by carrying much needed ’social products’ such as oral rehydration salts and high-dose vitamin A tablets. For the latest on the campaign, please visit the blog. ColaLife is an independent and purely voluntary movement backed by thousands of supporters form across the world. Many have joined the ColaLife Facebook Page and Facebook Group.

These supporters include experts in public health, emerging markets in developing countries, logistics experts and people working on the frontline in developing countries on maternal and child health. We are in the process of establishing a virtual advisory board and our first member is Don Nutbeam who is Professor of Public Health (and Vice Chancellor) at Southampton University.


Professor Don Nutbeam

ColaLife was launched by Simon Berry, who had the an idea while working on the British Aid programme in 1988. However, no real progress was made until Simon floated the idea on his blog in May 2008, he has managed to create a huge community around the campaign, through a Facebook and appearances on Radio 4’s iPM programme. He is now in discussions with Coca-Cola. He has also brokered a partnership between the international NGO, AED and Coca-Cola to trial the ideas behind ColaLife.

The latest progress reports are here.

This 30 second video was produced on 19 October 2008 to support our submission to Google’s Project 10^100 initiative:

Since May 2008 the original idea has been developed further and is now focussed on the ‘aidpod’ concept - a wedge-shaped pod that fits in the unused space between the necks of the bottles in a Coca-Cola crate. Here is a video describing Mark III of the aidpod design.

At the heart of ColaLife is the principle of local determination. ColaLife must be implemented in a way with empowers and strengthens the local public health infrastructure.
ColaLife and local determination
This is explained in more detail here. Our key principles are here.

On 25/4/08 Coca-Cola committed to ‘trial the ideas behind Colalife’ on the BBC’s iPM Programme. To hear an edited version of the interview click on the play button below:

This is the full interview. Please ignore the first 45 seconds of introduction to the whole iPM programme:

Here is a recent interview (October 2009) with Simon Berry where he commits to giving up his day time job in June 2010 to dedicate himself full time to ColaLife.

The campaign has made so much progress that we are now moving into implementation mode. We have described our initial priorities and how we would achieve these in our first development plan published in December 2009:

Development Plan cover page

But Simon can’t do all this alone. An email group has been formed for those that want to be more involved, and this site created to help spread the message even further. If you have anything to offer the campaign, please do get involved.

>> Our full aims and objectives

Last updated: 1/1/10

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Progress Report - 6/12/08

December 6, 2008 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment 

Children at Rene MDC, Dar Es Salaam >>more photos

Here is an update on the progress of the Coca Cola campaign. The headline is:
ColaLife in Dar Es Sallaam. Read the diary.

May 1988 - May 2008 - the first 7,305 days - no progress!

  • May 1988 Had the idea while working on the British Aid Programme in NE Zambia that Coca-Cola’s distribution muscle could be used to distribute oral rehydration salts in developing countries
  • I tried to promote the idea but made no progress at all!

May 2008 onwards- the last 180 days - real progress!

Next moves

  • Face to face gathering to take place at Global Tolerance on 16/12/08 >>more
  • Develop the relationship with PSI in Tanzania
  • Continue to push for field trials in the New Year.
  • Seeking engagement from a multi-national NGO (if PSI do not want to engage).
  • Encouraging ideas and contributions from members of the various ColaLife groups (eg design of inserts for crates; educational and awareness raising materials; local logistics; grass-roots engagement etc etc).
  • On-going PR campaign to ensure support groups continue to grow.

5,500 children die every day in Africa before the age of 5. This initiative could save thousands and thousands of children’s lives through positive engagement between the private and NGO sector.

Filed under: Coca Cola Campaign, Newsletters, Progress Reports
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Progress Report - 1/11/08

November 1, 2008 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment 

crowd of children

This photo was taken by Teseum - the original is here

Here is an update on the progress of the Coca Cola campaign. The headline is:
HEADLINE: Coca-Cola invites ColaLife to Dar Es Sallaam!

May 1988 - May 2008 - the first 7,305 days - no progress!

  • May 1988 Had the idea while working on the British Aid Programme in NE Zambia that Coca-Cola’s distribution muscle could be used to distribute oral rehydration salts in developing countries
  • I tried to promote the idea but made no progress at all!

May 2008 onwards- the last 180 days - real progress!

Next moves

  • Following the meeting on 24-25 November in Dar Es Salaam, I will be doing 2 days ‘fieldwork’ researching Coca-Cola’s distribution network. I’ll be seeking out and talking to as many of the stakeholders as possible.
  • Encouraging the prospect of trials of the concept in east Africa before the end of 2008.
  • Seeking engagement from a multi-national NGO.
  • Encouraing ideas and contributions from members of the various groups (eg design of inserts for crates; educational and awareness raising materials; local logistics; grass-roots engagement etc etc).
  • On-going PR campaign to ensure support groups continue to grow.
  • Event?.

5,500 children die every day in Africa before the age of 5. This initiative could save thousands and thousands of children’s lives through positive engagement between the private and NGO sector.

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Progress Report - 27/8/08

August 27, 2008 by Simon Berry · 1 Comment 

crowd of children

This photo was taken by Teseum - the original is here

I thought an update on the progress of the Coca Cola campaign so far would be helpful.

The first 7,305 days - no progress!
May 1988 - May 2008

  • May 1988 Had the idea while working on the British Aid Programme in NE Zambia that Coca-Cola’s distribution muscle could be used to distribute oral rehydration salts in developing countries
  • I tried to promote the idea but made no progress at all!

The last 120 days - real progress!
May 2008 onwards

Next moves

  • Planning for the next Business Call To Action meeting at the UN in New York on 25 September
  • Tracking the Coca-Cola research into their distribution network in east Africa
  • Encouraging the prospect of trials of the concept in east Africa before the end of 2008
  • Seeking engagement from a multi-national NGO
  • Encouraing ideas and contributions from members of the various groups (eg design of inserts for crates; educational and awareness raising materials; local logistics; grass-roots engagement etc etc)
  • On-going PR campaign to ensure support groups continue to grow
  • Event?

5,500 children die every day in Africa before the age of 5. This initiative could save thousands and thousands of children’s lives through positive engagement between the private and NGO sector.

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