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Building unlikely alliances to save children's lives. Currently encouraging the private sector (including the Coca-Cola Company) to open up their distribution network to carry simple medicines. We do this through human centred product design to create a desirable anti-diarrhoea kit (ADK) that mothers want and are prepared to pay for. This leads to the engagement of retailers, wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers to fulfil the demand for the product. from a standing start in Sep-12 we have sold >50,000 ADKs and saved an estimated 150 lives. We are now scaling up to cover the whole of Zambia.
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Comments
2014-08-15 07:19:50 ColaLife is a small but nimble organization consisting of only 3 key players - Simon Berry, Jane Berry and Rohit Ramchandani - that has managed to convene a global and local (Zambia) multi-sectoral partnership to open up the supply-chains of fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs), like those of Coca-Cola, to improve access and delivery of essential medicines. Focusing on expanding coverage of effective diarrhoea treatment (ORS and Zinc), the organization has developed an award-winning Anti-Diarrhoea Kit (Kit Yamoyo) based on human centered design, as well as establishing its value-chain in Zambia leveraging existing networks (i.e. those used by Coca-Cola) to make these life-saving medicines available at the community level. They have shared their journey - successes, failures, lessons learned, etc. along the way in an open and transparent way, allowing PH practitioners, governments, academics, donors, innovators, and the general public to follow along for the educational ride. Their use of social media and open innovation has become a case-study in "doing development", and they have built a global following doing it.
2014-08-15 07:30:11 We have shared our journey through multiple online channels including:Facebook: http://facebook.com/colalife - community engagementTwitter: http://twitter.com/colalife - short announcements, community engagementYouTube: http://youtube.com/colalife - all our video resourcesFlickr: http://flickr.com/colalife - all of our image resourcesSlideshare: http://slideshare.com/colalife - all our presentations can be viewed and downloaded hereSoundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/colalife - all of our audio resourcesOur blog (http://colalife.org/blog) aggregates all these resources into news updates for our highly engaged supporters and all blog posts can be delivered to supporters by email.And finally, we have an open access area (http://colalife.org/openaccess) where colleagues in public health can access all of our reports and other resources.
2014-08-16 14:02:48 Colalife - Lives are saved through a system that is innovative, affordable and sustainable. A fantastic achievement.
2014-09-27 10:22:39 One of the refreshing things about Cola Life's approach is their willingness to share results as they go along , learn from others and adapt according to results and feedback. I love their open source approach.
2014-09-27 11:31:36 Simon, Jane and the Colalife team thoroughly deserve this award. This is an organisation that was founded through the effective use, and influence, of a social media community. In a short number of years Simon, Jane and the team have saved lives through their innovation, vision and adaptability. Colalife's transparent approach to share every step of the journey with a global community is admirable and at the heart of everything they do.
2014-09-27 23:04:05 ColaLife has a big impact on the health and welfare of families and children in Zambia. As well it had boosted its local economy. Thank goodness for these tenacious dreamers to make their vision come true.
2014-09-28 04:22:16 Simon and jane have this impressive capacity to take an idea and make it happen, and in this case a very important basic technology which is missing for many African children ,ORT. This is an important initiative which deserves support.
2014-09-28 05:21:08 Simon, Jane and the Colalife team continue to be an inspiration to us all. They have turned a simple idea - how to utilise the logistics of Coca Cola's established distribution infrastructure - to deliver life-saving drugs to hard to reach communities . They have built a sustainable business model for distribution of their award-winning Anti-Diarrhoea Kit (Kit Yamoyo) in Zambia, which has saved the lives of many children in the 0-5 year age group. Proof that an unshakeable belief in a vision can make a positive difference to the world we live in.
2014-09-28 05:23:11 I am enormously impressed by what ColaLife has achieved. Their persistence has been extraordinary, and their willingness to learn from mistakes and always to seek even better solutions is wholly admirable, and a model of openness and transparency.
2014-09-28 06:31:19 Simon's ColaLife blogs are the most honest, fearless and valuable narratives on the social venture journey. His descriptions of the ups and downs, the challenges and surprise turns, are authentic and so helpful to people starting out on the entrepreneur journey. As ceo of UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs in the UK, I recommend his blogs to everyone in our network.
2014-09-28 09:09:25 Always willing to share both good practice and mistakes and the things they have learned along the way and never afraid to ask questions.
2014-09-28 09:45:43 I first met Simon and Jane when ColaLife was more of a dream than a reality. Amongst many things that impressed me waa their openness and willingness to share. They shared their hopes and fears, their experiences and knowledge, and their passion and determination. This open, modest and determined style has typified everything that the team has done. I can't think of anyone else who deserves this award more.
2014-09-28 11:14:55 The commitment and dedication of the team, and their innovative use of Social Media both on the ground and here at home, are a testament to the unique minds behind Cola Life and Kit Yamoyo. I highly encourage the team to continue to bring down walls and spread the word about their amazing cause using the innovative social media practices they have been using thus far.
2014-09-29 02:07:10 Colalife have used social media to great effect. In early days they raised awareness and interest in the concept when it was just a dream. Today they provide consistent and open operational reporting. They keep their followers informed of highs and lows, successes and frustrations. A great example of awareness, open reporting and engagement.
2014-09-29 05:27:07 Cola Life has shifted the boundaries of international development by a giant leap forward. Their engagement of private sector systems, processes and expertise plus unstinting professionalism and integrity make this initiative an inspiration. Their desire to share and be open about the challenges, difficulties as well as the achievements offer a trailblazing framework for all engaged in this work
2014-09-29 12:19:33 I have followed this project for a while and have felt intimately involved in both the successes and challenges of their whole process. It has been wonderful to have a window into this world of their through their transparency and commitment to sharing lessons learned. I believe in this team, I'm thankful for the trust they have in their supporters.
2014-09-29 12:41:00 I think ultimately the success of Colalife has been its transparency and openness by design. Such a brilliant idea could not have led to the amazing healthcare outcomes it achieved, especially in such a challenging environment without skillful use of social media to willingly listen and be challenged on every aspect to ensure the project achieved its objectives and saved lives!
2014-10-03 05:22:51 Simon and Jane Berry are one of the best clients that we have worked with in our 30 years of innovative packaging development. Apart from just being great to work with, their briefs were clear, comprehensive and brief! their response to our work was enthusiastic, honest and respectful. I think the whole team at pi global would agree that working with Colalife was uplifting.