Norah Magero (born c. 1988) is a Kenyan engineer who developed a solar powered fridge for vaccines. She was the first person from Kenya and the second woman to win the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.[1]
Norah Magero | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1988 |
| Nationality | Kenya |
| Employer | Drop Access |
| Known for | developing solar fridge for vaccines |
Life
editMagero was born in Kenya in about 1988. She moved out of Nairobi and she had her daughter in about 2018 in a rural area.[2][3] She realised that the reason she could not get her daughter immunised was because she lived in a small village that had no reliable electricity supply and she lived 10 km from the nearest health centre.[3] This aligned with another problem she knew about as local farmers complained that they could not deliver milk without refrigeration.[4]
Without constant electricity then there could be no reliable fridge, and without a fridge vaccines would quickly become useless. She realised that she could make a solar powered small fridge. She and a medic created a prototype and a company called Drop Access.[3] They believed they had the solution for many rural medical centres across Kenya. Their 50-litre "VacciBoxes"[4] could be carried on the back of bicycles, boats or motor bikes.[5] Magero knew how to quickly manufacture additional fridges but they lacked the organisation and funding to get them distributed.[3]
Their small start-up company was assisted by a German outfit named Startup Energy and the RES4Africa Foundation.[4] With their help the VacciBoxes were installed in four medical centres. They could keep items cold for up to ten hours and they could be tracked so that delivery could be monitored.[4]
In 2022 she was one of the 16 African engineers chosen to be compete in the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation which is organised by the Royal Engineering Society.[2] All the competitors received support over about seven months and at the end grants were awarded. Three of the competitors received £10,000 and Magero, as the winner, received £25,000. The judge, Alessandra Buonanno, was impressed by her invention's potential help it could deliver to Kenya's medical facilities. The award ceremony was virtual. The £25,000 was to assist in achieving that goal.[5]
The first trial was at Merrueshi Village which is south east of Nairobi. It is the only health centre for 400,000 people. Maasai women had to bring their children on Wednesdays to find vaccine available. The health centre reported a 150% increase in vaccinations and they were able to take the vaccine to patients.[2]
In April 2024 and in recognition of her work she was made a TED Fellow. She will have access to the TED community, training and communication opportunities.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Ms. Norah Magero". IVECF. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ a b c Griffin, Jo (2021-12-27). "Engineering the future: meet the Africa prize shortlist innovators". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ a b c d "How a Kenyan startup is saving lives with a solar-powered vaccination box - Sun Connect News". sun-connect.org. 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ a b c d Mustaqeem, Syraat Al (2022-01-21). "Meet Norah Magero, the inventor helping to vaccinate Kenyans". The Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ a b "Kenyan Female Engineer Wins Ksh 3.6 Million in UK With Unique Innovation - Kenyans.co.ke". www.kenyans.co.ke. 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ "Norah Magero". TechWomen. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
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