The Birth of a New Health Care Solution: How This Organization Partnered With an Experteer to Reduce Infant Mortality in India

BEMPU is a public health organization that works to reduce infant mortality through innovative and affordable solutions — like the BEMPU bracelet which detects infant hypothermia. BEMPU is supported by some of the world’s leading global health organizations, like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID’s Saving Lives at Birth, but BEMPU needed extra support to build team capacity to move its product from design into adoption.

By partnering with the empowering.people.Network and MovingWorlds, BEMPU was connected with an international expert to help market its life-saving product to at-risk populations. In early 2018, BEMPU was matched with Carlo, an experienced graphic-design professional that traveled to its headquarters in India to volunteer his marketing and design skills. After a detailed planning and preparation process, Carlo touched down in India, conducted analysis and interviews, and then created user-friendly marketing materials to raise awareness about BEMPU’s work to better reach those that needed this life-saving product the most.

In this interview with BEMPU, we learn more about the inspiring work it is doing in India.

What problem does BEMPU solve?

BEMPU is a social health organization with a mission to reduce infant mortality by building affordable, life-saving innovations for low-resourced areas of the world. BEMPU’s flagship product — BEMPU Hypothermia Alert Device — solves the problem of neonatal hypothermia in hospital and home settings, thereby saving babies from injury or death due to hypothermia. Using partnerships with government health departments and global health groups, like UNICEF, it can effectively distribute its products to the areas that need it most.

Why did BEMPU choose to host a skilled volunteer?

BEMPU aims to solve the problem of hypothermia, which is a serious, yet neglected, issue. Most parents from the target population are not even aware of hypothermia and its dangers to their baby. So while BEMPU had set up international distribution partnerships with the aforementioned groups, it still needed help creating campaigns to educate the end users.

To successfully solve this issue, education and training is as essential as the product itself. While the BEMPU’s product is a proven intervention, extra support was needed to build team capacity and capabilities to solve awareness and education issues. A skilled volunteer, aka, empowering people. Expert, through the MovingWorlds partnership with Siemens Stiftung’s empowering people. Network, brought these skills to BEMPU to build effective communication and training material to raise awareness about hypothermia and its dangers to infants.

How did the “empowering people. Expert” add value?

Carlo, a graphics and animation designer, built multiple training materials in the form of animated videos and posters which are now used in all BEMPU’s hypothermia programs across the world. The material he created is informative, easy to understand and engaging for the audience. Distributed alongside the product, BEMPU now has a solution to educate at-risk populations in addition to providing them a life-saving product.

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Join BEMPU in making a difference by volunteering your skills in graphic design, supporting global health, or by signing up for a membership with MovingWorlds – and be sure to learn more about our special partnership with the empowering people.Network, which sponsors professionals on these highly skilled volunteering projects.