Approvisionnement pour l'enfance

Innovez pour les enfants

© UNICEF/SD/Diana Velasco

Chaque jour, on estime que 26 000 enfants de moins de cinq enfants meurent principalement de causes évitables. Depuis plus de 60 ans, l'UNICEF travaille d'arrache pied pour permettre la survie et le développement des plus vulnérables dans le monde.  

La clé de notre engagement est de trouver des solutions créatives qui répondent aux problèmes qui impactent négativement la vie des jeunes. En de nombreuses occasions l'UNICEF engage sa crédibilité et son positionnement de marché dans la création et la promotion de produits innovateurs, de technologies et d'approches en faveur des enfants.

En 2008, la division des approvisionnements de l'UNICEF a lancé une stratégie pour l'innovation, comprenant un modèle d'affaires et générateur d'innovation, créateur d'un processus efficace pour l'identification, la définition et la réponse aux besoins et aux problèmes afin de développer de nouveaux produits, services et processus. Le modèle générateur d'innovation rationalise la méthodologie pour s'assurer que l'innovation est basée sur les besoins réels des utilisateurs.

Huit projets pilotes ont déjà été identifiés grâce à l'aide du personnel des  Programmes et de l'approvisionnement sur le terrain. Ceux-ci comprennent une trousse pour la mère et l'enfant destinée à la prévention de la transmission de la mère à l'enfant du VIH/SIDA et plusieurs produits liés à l'eau et l'assainissement, dont un réservoir à eau léger, compact et solide, mais suffisamment rigide pour être porté sur la tête. Un autre centre d'intérêt concerne les solutions à base de technologie SMS qui peuvent être utilisées pour renforcer la livraison de fournitures, et initialement explorées dans la distribution d'aliments thérapeutiques prêts-à-l'emploi pour le traitement de la malnutrition sévère et des moustiquaires pour la prévention du paludisme.

« Jamais auparavant dans l'histoire l'innovation  n'a fait  la promesse de tant de choses à tant de monde dans un temps si court. » Bill Gates

Vue d'ensemble de la Stratégie Innovez pour les enfants (pdf en anglais)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

• « Innovez pour les enfants » : le message de l'UNICEF au plus grand forum international de Design

Des solutions Innovantes

• Seringues auto-bloquantes
• Fridge Tags
• Peanut-based Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)
• Rapid SMS Technology

Des initiatives à venir

• Strengthening the supply chain by using SMS
• Improving water facilities
• Prevention of mother to child HIV transmission
• Improving Education facilities

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Des solutions Innovantes

Seringues auto-bloquantes

L'UNICEF, l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé et d'autres partenaires de santé sont toujours à la recherche de nouveaux équipement et de solutions innovantes pour améliorer la sécurité de la vaccination. La seringue auto-bloquante (AB) possède une valve interne à usage unique A qui met hors service le dispositif, empêchant la réutilisation et réduisant significativement l'incidence de la transmission par voie sanguine de maladies comme l'Hépatite B et le VIH. Les programmes de vaccination de l'UNICEF utilisent seulement des seringues AB. En 2008, l'UNICEF a fourni plus de 2.6 milliards de doses de vaccin, et plus de 480 millions de seringues AB.

Fridge Tags

Vaccines are alive and if they're to remain effective, they need to be kept at constant temperatures. This sounds easier than it is, particularly when you consider that UNICEF programmes vaccinate children living in some of the most remote and difficult to reach areas of the world. The fridge-tag enhances vaccine safety by providing a quick and easy way to monitor the temperature at which vaccines are stored or transported. A digital display indicates whether a vaccine has been exposed to either freezing conditions or excessive heat at any time during the previous 30 days. If the fridge-tag is exposed to an out-of-range temperature, a sign appears on the display to warn health workers that the vaccine may be ineffective or unsafe.

Peanut-based Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)

The humble peanut is helping transform the treatment of severe malnutrition in children - the cause of more than half of all childhood deaths globally. The ingenious peanut-based formula doesn't need to be mixed with water or refrigerated, and on average, a child with no other underlying health problems will gain one kilogram a week during treatment. In just two years, UNICEF's procurement of the peanut paste increased by 450 cent, to 11,000 tonnes.

Rapid SMS Technology

In Africa alone there are an estimated 280 million mobile phone subscribers. With this technology so readily available the question UNICEF asked was how could it be utilised to improve child health and reduce under-5 mortality.
In 2008, RapidSMS technology was trialled in Ethiopia to monitor the distribution of RUTF, compiling mobile text message data into real-time correlated reports. Gaps and stock-outs at local health posts were reported to a central warehouse and responded to immediately, instead of weeks later.
The RapidSMS framework is practical, simple and compatible with even the most basic mobile phones, leveraging already existing infrastructure to increase the possibility of replication.

Retour en haut

Des initiatives à venir

Strengthening the supply chain by using SMS

Bringing light to the last mile - UNICEF is testing technology for supplies monitoring, in order to trace supplies that are beyond our direct control, having been handed over to partners.
After a number of light technology testing pilots we are looking at a deeper implementation in Ethiopia to track nutrition supplies (combined with malnutrition rate monitoring) in 2,500 distribution points, using SMS/Mobile phone technology.

This will also be combined with education assessments in 20,000 schools. We are preparing an initial scope document in September in order to start this project in 2010.

This will require mobilising a coalition of partners from the technology sector, academia in Ethiopia and offshore, and the private sector in order to work with the Ethiopian Government in implementation.
Still in an early phase, we are looking to engage interested technology and supply chain students within this project, potentially within an institutional framework that might be established around this, and similar, initiatives.

Improving water facilities

.to fetch a pail of water

In many developing countries, it is children (usually girls) and women who are responsible for fetching water. For the average family of six people this can represent between 50 and 90 litres per day. Add to this the fact that in Africa the average distance walked to get water is 5.5 kilometres, and it becomes simple to see how a household's need for water can prevent girls from attending school, not to mention increase the risk of their coming into contact with contaminated water and disease.

Finding innovative solutions to the chore of fetching water is just one area where UNICEF is focusing its efforts.
 

Prevention of mother to child HIV transmission

In developing countries, especially in Africa, pregnant women who are HIV positive continue to pass on the virus to their children due to limited availability and low uptake of medicines required to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus. The disease progresses very quickly in infants, with around 50 per cent dying before the age of two if they do not receive treatment. But with prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) interventions, infection in infants can be virtually eliminated.

UNICEF's efforts are focused on getting a package of supplies to HIV infected mothers so they can be in charge of protecting their child from the disease throughout the pregnancy and delivery. The pack is designed be user-friendly, manageable and compact, containing everything needed for PMTCT for both mother and baby. It could be used both within and outside the clinical setting.

Improving Education facilities

Child Friendly Spaces can be defined as enabling spaces for children to reach their full potential. They can be created within a Child Friendly School, or within a community or a park, and in the emergency context they can be created within temporary structures. Focusing on improving education facilities raises questions around and puts emphasis on several issues, including technology, gender, health, environment, furniture and new products and services.

Back to top