Stella Apio, TERREWODE’s Program Manager for Eastern and Northern region and member of the Goat-Milk Soap Production team, leads a training session.

The October 2015 Cohort of IDIN Microgrant recipients have completed their final reports, in which they described the accomplishments they were able to make in their project with the help of an IDIN Microgrant. These updates represent the culmination of all the recipients' hard work and success enabled by the IDIN Microgrant and support of mentors in the IDIN Network.

Kendra Sharp: Goat-Milk Soap Production Project, Uganda 

The team has successfully completed the piloting phase of the project, where fistula solidarity groups were trained and created samples that were brought to the U.S. to recruit potential buyers. Next, the team and fistula solidarity groups will be working on the manufacturing and branding process for the goat-milk soap bars.

Aron Zingman and Jackie Stenson: Essmart Headlamp, India

Aron and Jackie developed a prototype for the headlamp and have begun testing the initial design. In addition, Jackie received a D-Lab Scale-Ups fellowship to help bring the project to market. In the upcoming months, the team aims to finalize the headlamp’s design and conduct user test trials. Learn more about Essmart Global here!

Surya Rajan: Baby Tempit, India

The team completed a field trial of their auxiliary thermometer for illiterate health workers and mothers and has also developed partnerships with university professors and students. In the upcoming months, the team plans to conduct more field trials and thus develop a more complete and functional prototype.

Aspen Flynn: JustMilk, South Africa

The JustMilk team has successfully conducted user feedback studies on the nipple shield and now plans to publish their results. Moreover, the team has secured additional funding sources, won first place at Pitch@Palace 5.0, and have been accepted into the CAMTech Accelator Program! Learn more about the project here.

Conrad Tankou: K-prime, Cameroon

The team was able to test the first prototype of the K-prime baby warmer and developed new heating and temperature control mechanisms based on user feedback. Next, the team plans to create a new and improved design for the second prototype.

Muhammed Awais: Hunerpur, Pakistan

The team was able to conduct market evaluation of the handicraft sector in Pakistan and is now working on marketing and branding Hunerpur’s products to prepare for implementation of the final prototype. Check out Hunerpur's products here!

Raul Sifuentes: SANIPUCP, Peru

SANIPUCP recently further improved the implementation process and product design of their toilet through multiple co-creation sessions with their users. These co-creation sessions were accompanied by trainings and workshops for SANIPUCP’s users. The team also plans to continue these regular training sessions and meetings and further refine SANIPUCP’s design and implementation process.

Jen Steen: Solar Lighting Education, Uganda

Jen and Mensah have shifted their focus to Mensah’s solar education project in Ghana. Jen has continued to strengthen partnerships with other solar education projects and plans to work with Mensah in completing the development of a solar education program.

Ibrahim Yekinni: Wellplus, Nigeria

The Wellplus team has completed the software component of their hypertension monitoring system and has now begun work on its hardware component. In addition, the team also conducted research on potential user demographics. Next, the team plans to continue the development of Wellplus’ hardware component and then test their prototype.

Rashna Engineer: Include, India

The team has currently sold 39 Portable Wheelchair ramps and is now in talks with a potential incubator company to accelerate the growth and success of Include! In addition, the team identified a new supplier to bring down the production costs and thus the price of their ramps. Learn more about Include here!

Yvonne Mtumbi: IESTEEM, Zambia 

Yvonne has conducted product quality and marketing tests, which led to improvement of the quality of the charcoal briquettes and confirmation of the project’s readiness to be put on the market. In addition, Yvonne established new partnerships and was able to recruit three additional team members to help with the production process!

Yesse Oljange: Avomeru, Tanzania

The Avomeru team has officially begun to sell  avocado oil made from their avocado oil presses and is now working on scaling-up! The team has continued to emphasize community engagement, establishing a management board made up of community leaders and local entrepreneurs. In the upcoming months, the team plans to produce and market high-quality oil locally, finalize business registration of Avomeru, and strengthen their partnerships. Learn more about Avomeru and its products here!

The team established a partnership with an local association of organic farmers which consists of 30 farmers in total! Moreover, the project was also a part of IDDS Amazon, where a group of IDDS participants generated and tested business models and possible fruit-based products. As a result of the IDDS team's research, the team has decided to focus on a fruit called Cupuaçu and developed prototypes for various products made from this fruit. In addition, the project is now being continued by the association.