The heavy duty Q Drum can roll water to far away villages Image courtesy of Changents
DCL
Every day we see amazing ideas for projects and products that help people. However, all the brilliant humanitarian design and solutions-based products on the globe doesn't amount to much if it can't get into the hands of the people who need them and for which they were created. That's where Kopernik comes in, an online technology store that funnels life-changing products into the hands of people in developing nations.
Kopernik was created by former UN workers who wanted a better way to get aid to the people who needed it most, yet had the least ability to access it. Kopernik allows local organizations worldwide to submit proposals for how technologies will be implemented. Companies creating solutions can feature their products or projects and deliver them. And individuals support the proposals by collecting and donating much needed funds. The solutions are then delivered, and a progress report is given to the people who helped make the distribution of technology possible. Launched just a few weeks ago, Kopernik is already seeing results.
Check out this wonderful success story about the delivery of adjustable vision glasses to a poor area of community in Manado Indonesia.
Kopernik distributes self-adjustable lenses from Ewa Wojkowska on Vimeo.
Other examples of technologies working to be distributed through Kopernik include the LifeStraw (a water purifier), NComputing (inexpensive and low power networked computers), the Q-Drum (water transportation), and the Firefly (LED lighting with solar power options).
Most of us take clean water for granted, that we can just walk up to our faucet, turn it on, and drink whatever comes out. But according to UNICEF, almost 50% of the developing world's population - 2.5 billion people - lack improved sanitation facilities, and over 884 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources. With an improved ability to get products like LifeStraw or the Q-Drum into the hands of these very people, we could make a big dent in getting clean, safe water to every person. Getting individuals, companies, and villages connected to one another means thousands of lives saved every day. The problem, of course, is getting that connection made.
It might seem counter-intuitive, but one of the hardest aspects of humanitarian projects is linking up the people who are generating solutions with the people who need the solutions. Getting enough funding, overcoming cultural and geographical blocks in distribution and implementation, and matching the right projects to the right problems is tough. But Kopernik is already changing that. While the products themselves are important, equally so is just such helpful work that Kopernik is doing so that the solutions have a chance to make a difference in peoples' lives.
Kopernik also is in need of backers to the project off the ground and running smoothly. You can check out their story on Changents, and lend a helping hand.
