Describe the critical need your solution addresses.

1 in 5 developing world children (1.5 million annually) die before age 5, often from treatable causes such as diarrhoea, malaria, poor nutrition and sanitation. Poor awareness and scant local availability of simple, cheap medical and health supplies are key; a function of poorly developed rural transport and distribution systems.

Explain your initiative in more depth and its stage of development.

In May 2008 former British Aid worker Simon Berry realised that with multi-nationals competing for CSR 'wins' he could use his skills in stakeholder management, ICT and Social Media to campaign to resurrect an idea he originally had in Africa in 1988: ColaLife.
With Facebook supporters quickly growing into thousands, and harnessing the support of UK and international media, by June 2008 Simon gained an interview with Coca-Cola's Global Head of Stakeholder Relations, Salvatore Gabola. Simon was invited to Tanzania by Coca-Cola in November to visit locally owned Manual Distribution Centres (MDCs) and local bottling enterprises and contribute to a stakeholder development event. In on-going dialogue, Simon successfully brokered a relationship between Coca-Cola and a global NGO, AED Ltd, as partners in a 'Learning Lab'. By April 2009 Coca-Cola publicly committed to trials of ColaLife; AED is now managing a first fieldwork programme in Tanzania, piloting a variety of training and development initiatives centred around MDCs. To ensure ColaLife is a successful part of this trial, we have incorporated, developed a support team and micro-payments partner, and now need start-up funding to commission Africa-based prototyping of our 'AidPod' design, a concept now accepted in principle by key stakeholders including local MDC owners.

How does your strategy and approach respond creatively and comprehensively to key issues?

WHO/UNICEF's October 09 report highlights slow progress in diarrohea treatment: 1 in 5 child deaths is still due to diarrhoea, killing more youngsters than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. They call for 'strengthened distribution systems' and 'innovative delivery' coupled with new communications strategies so that new-formula low-osmolarity Oral Rehydration Salts reach the 61% of children (71% in Africa) who currently go without this simple, recommended life-saving treatment. Distribution problems and low awareness are worse in rural areas. WHO recommends 'Diarrhoea Kits' combining ORS and zinc treatment with educational materials, acknowledging 'market-based solutions are often the most effective way to deliver key diarrhoea control commodities'.
ColaLife creates a new model of developing country distribution for simple, lifesaving medicines. It offers win-win arrangements locally, nationally and internationally, letting agencies exploit unused space in existing commercial channels, which already penetrate locally, to 'piggy-back' social product distribution, incurring minimal extra cost, management and logistics. Aidpods fit in the space between cola bottles, carrying locally-determined products close to health centres, field workers and communities even in rural areas. On delivery, micro-payments by mobile incentivise local carriers and businesses to develop diversified social enterprise roles, complementing and enhancing what is already in place. ColaLife incentivises multi-nationals with new, practical and genuinely impactful CSR opportunities.
We want to make it culturally and economically unacceptable for big business to practice mono-distribution in developing countries, where traditional health distribution channels outside urban areas are, as charity VillageReach explains 'simply not available or so expensive to procure that they are not operationally viable'.
The 'AidPod' packaging provides a waterproof, insect-proof and tamper-proof container that separates social products (physically and intellectually) from the commercial product; can carry clear educational and awareness messages and instructions; can be bio-degradable and/or recyclable, or even personalised for one patient, field worker or local shop.