News: A suitcase that’s saving lives

Image via We Care Solar

When you envision a life-saving invention, a suitcase is probably the last thing that comes to mind.

But for a non-profit called ‘We Care Solar,’ a suitcase is exactly that.

It all started when Dr. Laura Stathel took a research trip to Nigeria and saw that mothers and babies’ lives were at risk because there was no electricity to treat them safely.

She decided to do something about it’the ‘We Care Solar Suitcase’ was born.

The suitcase ‘brings lights, power and hope to health facilities in regions without reliable electricity,’ according to the We Care Solar website.

So far, the non-profit has provided almost 250 suitcases to medical facilities in developing countries, reports CNN.

The kits, which the We Care Solar website describes as  ‘an economical, easy-to-use portable power unit that provides health workers with highly efficient medical lighting and power for mobile communication, computers and medical devices,’ have even come in handy in emergency situations not involving childbirth.

According to the CNN, a doctor in the Congo was able to treat everyone that came to his clinic during a cholera outbreak.

"For the first time in the history of (the doctor’s) island, no one died of cholera," Stachel told CNN. “He told us that in the past, 50% of patients would die, and 80% of those deaths would happen at night.”

Thanks to the solar suitcase, he was able to treat them when he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.

To find out how you can help support the We Care Solar initiative, check out their website.

-Katharine Watts, associate web editor

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