Project

In South-Saharian Africa (SSA) more than one third of the population lives in extreme poverty (<1,90$ al giorno) and in this region live 347 of the 702 needy people in the world. The high fertility rate (5.2 newly born / woman on average) is particularly relevant In Uganda, with 4.956 births per day, for a total of 1.800.000 newly born every year, corresponding to a 3% population growth rate per year.

High natality rates and extended poverty lead to suffering indigence and deprivation, exposing the local population to health and safety risks which are particularly high in the rural areas, as well as in the suburbs.

The high infant mortality rate in Uganda, as in most of the other countries with similar needs, is mainly related to three reasons:

• exposure to infectious diseases, among which malaria
• accidental injuries due to the absence of any specific physical protection for babies
• animal attacks (rodents, reptiles, insects)

KOKONO™ is a cradle, conceived by De-LAB to mitigate these risks by providing a portable protective device for babies, so that they are protected indoor and outdoor, during transports or at home. KOKONO™ will be produced in Uganda, supporting a process of Sustainable production and Consumption which will engage Ugandan people as suppliers, distributors, trainers and users.

EDU-KO™ is a training module on maternal and infant health that will be delivered where KOKONO™ will be used. The class will be carried out by De-LAB in partnership with the NGO Amref Africa Health and will help sharing good practices to protect physical and psychological conditions of mothers and babies.

KO-IMPACT™ is an impact assessment process carried out during the distribution phase of KOKONO™, helping to understand outcomes and impacts of KOKONO™ in the communities, villages and families where it will be used. This will allow De-LAB to monitor the trends of mitigation rates related to the main health and safety risks at local level.