At the height of Covid-19, one word was on everyone’s mind – vaccines. These medical interventions became vital for regaining a sense of normalcy from the ravages of a global pandemic. For Norah Magero, the unique need for an effective method of vaccine storage in Kenya led to an unlikely innovation. Dubbed the VacciBox, this fridge aims to prolong the life of vaccines and ensure that they arrive at the people who need them most.
The Beginnings of an Inventor
So how does one end up innovating a life-saving device? When it comes to Norah Magero, sparks of ingenuity were obvious even in childhood. She had an innate curiosity for machinery and became acquainted with the inner workings of devices like clocks. Norah furthered her interest in working with her hands by studying Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Nairobi between 2009 and 2014. Here, she gained a basic understanding of how machines work and how they are developed. But more than that, Norah was challenged to think of engineering as a tool for problem-solving and innovation.
With a solid education under her belt, Norah embarked on a career in Kenya’s energy sector. As she performed energy audits in schools and factories, the glaring problem of energy inefficient machines stood out to her. Kenya was a hub of imported second-hand equipment such as laptops and cars. Although needed, this equipment was often inefficient and therefore unsustainable. She felt the need to contribute advanced, homegrown energy solutions. This way, she could benefit a wide range of Africans and work towards sustainable development.
In 2018, Norah and her sister began an organisation in Makueni called Drop Access with the intention of reaching grassroots communities with green solutions. Norah set out to provide tech solutions in agriculture. What eventually became the VacciBox began as a fridge intended to store and transport milk for rural farmers.
A Turning Point
Then Covid hit. Health concerns became pressing in 2020. So, when the proposal came from a Drop Access partner to make the milk fridge into a vaccine fridge, Norah accepted the opportunity with both hands.
But the change was not without its challenges. Although they had the basics of a fridge, Norah and her team had to start from scratch to understand vaccines and healthcare needs. She found that vaccines were more sensitive than milk especially because they were stored at different temperatures. With a lack of proper storage, expensive vaccines were being wasted especially because some health facilities did not have continuous electricity. The solar-powered VacciBox allowed for accessibility even in these areas. It was also built to fit easily onto bicycles and boda bodas.
Another issue was data traceability. Norah noticed that many could not determine what vaccines they had taken because physical records of these details would often get lost. She, therefore, made sure that the VacciBox could provide electronic capturing of vaccines for years to come. It was fitted with an AI solution that collected data in real-time on key information like what types of vaccines were disseminated when they were used and even the temperature at which they were stored.
Norah had a solid plan but building an innovation during the height of Covid was not for the faint of heart. Logistics had broken down and what would typically take 3 weeks would take 3 months. Although a majority of the materials were locally sourced like sheet metal to make the body of the fridge, some items like the compressor that kept the fridge cold had to be shipped in. The fridge also underwent a series of challenges including freezing on the outside instead of inside at one point!
Onwards and Upwards
In all this, Norah and her team remained resilient with the assurance that their work would bring better vaccine experiences to people around Kenya. And indeed, the project only went up from there. She became the first Kenyan and second woman to win the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. The box is a solution for more than just Covid vaccines. It provides hope for data collection and storage for a wide range of vaccines and even medicine.
As of August 2022, Norah is advancing the VacciBox through research and development to make sure that it can be distributed to rural areas around Kenya.
Norah’s innovation is one that is locally produced with local people and circumstances in mind. For this, she is one Kenyan innovator to watch.
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