Oral Rehydration

According to UNHCR, about 1.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in northern Iraq. Most of the refugees are children, because half of the Iraqi population is under 18 years. A majority of the refugees are suffering from life-threatening dehydration and diarrhea. Today there are effective and simple solutions to treat dehydration, in the form of oral rehydration.

111012 SEKof 350000 SEK donated 284Donations 0Days left

Objective

On site in northern Iraq, we will distribute oral rehydration solution in troubled refugee camp primarily for women and children. At least 5000 000 units rehydration solution, corresponding to approximately 50,000 people that will be dosed for minimum 10 days.

Innovation

EFD uses innovation as the basis for their action to achieve maximum effect. At the initial stage of a possible intervention, we need to make an assessment of conditions for innovation to exists. If so, EFD can continue and implement the project according to our process. If these criteria are met, we believe that the possibilities for innovation are. It has to be:

  • Desirable (from a human perspective)
  • Feasible (from a technical perspective)
  • Sustainable (from a business / economic perspective)

In this project, we can see that all parts are met. The area we had to analyze deeper this time, has been on sustainability, that is, the business economic perspective. The conclusion that we can see is the economic buoyancy of the project and hence we see that the innovation potential there. An important aspect is the fact that we ourselves are involved in the production of the fluid replacement (see below under “solution”) and can ensure quality, etc., and that we are in a continuous improvement process, right through to distribution to the needy. There’s also an upside in terms of planning. Dehydration is unfortunately a recurring and continuous problem in places of crisis. With the start of this project, we ensure that we have a process on fluid replacement, which we can use in future projects.

Solution

Process optimization is to go directly to the source and EFD has together with a pharmaceutical company develop a WHO recommended recipe for rehydration and it will be produce directly from the factory. Rehydration formula will be produced and packed in sachets, risk analysis highlights a much higher risk of error with effervescent tablet in humid and warm climate. This is also in line with our overall strategy to help as many as possible at as low a cost as possible.

Implementation

EFD is always on site and are a driving force in all the projects, to ensure control of the process and that the implementation promises takes place. We guarantee all stakeholders (donators & collaborators) that our concrete actions are being implemented.