Global Health
Technologies
Design Challenge
Project Sites

• MEXICO
• HONDURAS
• GUATEMALA
• NICARAGUA
• HAITI
• BOTSWANA 
• LESOTHO 
• MALAWI 
• SIERRA LEONE
• SWAZILAND
• TANZANIA
• ECUADOR

CALL for Global Health Technology Design Challenge PROJECT IDEAS

Lesotho

Lesotho, a landlocked country completely enclosed by South Africa, has a population of 2 million people, nearly a quarter of whom are infected with HIV/AIDS.  Due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, nearly 100,000 children have been orphaned; many end up caring for younger siblings and consequently drop out of school to earn an income.  A lack of education puts the youth at higher risk for contracting HIV, in part due to a lack of knowledge regarding HIV. 

HIV/AIDS Education

In the summer of 2008, BTB interns Mina Fitzpatrick and Kim Hartson taught a Health and Technology course to students at Masianokeng High School and Machabeng High School in Maseru, Lesotho.  The course utilized lectures, activities, group discussion, and field trips to educate students about HIV/AIDS and the associated stigma and how biotechnologies can be used to address public health issues. 

          Read more about Kim and Mina's experience in Lesotho...

The previous year, BTB interns Sophie Kim and Christina Lagos worked with at-risk youth at an SOS Orphange, an organization that helps build families to care for orphaned children.  They taught an HIV/AIDS educational class focused on immunology, prevention and the importance of drug compliance.  In addition, Sophie and Christina organized a Reach out a Read program, where orphans from the SOS Village would read with children waiting for care at the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative Center of Excellence (BIPAI COE).

          Read more about Sophie and Christina's experience in Lesotho...

Christina Lagos reads with children as they wait for medical care at the BIPAI Clinic.

Microenterprise Training Camp

In the summer of 2008, Neha Kamat and Josh Ozer developed a Microenterprise Training Camp for students at Masianokeng High School in Maseru, Lesotho.  The objective was to teach students basic business, management, and accouting skills to enable them to run their own small businesses.  Many students are forced to drop out of school due to high tuition costs and could benefit from a source of income that would still allow them to attend school.  The students were able to establish a school cooperative and have been keeping their savings at a local bank.

          Read more about Josh and Neha's experience in Lesotho...

Neha and Josh taught students basic business skills so they could establish and manage a school cooperative.

Biotechnologies

Christine Bohne and Jenna Hook also traveled to Lesotho in July of 2008 to implement an Adherence Monitoring System (AMS) to measure a patient's adherence to anti-retroviral medication (ARVs), the common treatment for HIV/AIDS.  The AMS uses a scale and pocket PC to caculate adherence based on weight.   

         Read more about Christine and Jenna's experience in Lesotho...

Patients on ARVs need to maintain 95% adherence for the medication to be effective.  The AMS allows for pharmacists to quickly and reliably measure a patient's adherence.

BTB Partners In Lesotho

BIPAI

The Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) was established to provide quality, ethical, and high impact pediatric and family HIV/AIDS care and treatment, health professional training, and promising clinical research in the nations of southern Africa and other parts of the world devasted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Website: http://bayloraids.org/