What do banana skins and women's health have in common?

Welcome to the latest news update on the work and findings of the COVIDaction team! We have a growing audience for these updates. If you know someone who would like to receive our messages, let them know they can sign up here.

🏆 COVIDaction Data team announces three more awardees! 

Three awardees have been announced under the theme of Data Analytics and Use. We’re looking forward to working with OpenFN, BAO Systems and Fraym. Read all about their amazing work 👉 here.

🍼 Helping pregnant women under pandemic pressure

Women in Zambia are often required to buy their own birthing kits - this means finding and paying for cotton wool, sterile materials and even a scalpel. The Safe Motherhood Alliance was formed to help pregnant women in this situation, but entrepreneur and founder Muzalema Mwanza saw that the pandemic would require extra work including the supply of PPE. Read our feature profile about her work and how she has found innovative and sustainable solutions including the use of banana skins to create sanitary products.

COVIDaction @COVIDactionTech

Our grantee, @alliance_safe, is passionate about saving the lives of #women and children during pregnancy and childbirth. Listen to their founder Muzalema Mwanza’s story and see how her org uses cultural knowledge to create solutions for the vulnerable in developing countries.

🌍 Sign the declaration to Restore Data Rights  

One of our Responsible Data awardees, The Open institute, joined the launch of the #RestoreDataRights Declaration recently. The movement has been started to encourage the transparent, accountable and inclusive use of COVID-19 across Africa. You can find out more here and if you want to sign the declaration yourself, then step this way. 

📚 What we’re reading 

🚑 Could Primary Health Care do with a shot of AI? Would that need a change in dataset or mindset? 

♻ It might not be worth recycling plastic. We were shocked too!

📜 Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are exacerbating the impact of COVID-19, especially where there is social and economic disparity.

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Have a great weekend and we’ll be in touch with another update very soon! 

The COVIDaction Team

COVIDaction is building a technology and innovation pipeline for the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme is funded by UK Aid.