October 2020

World Economic Forum Sourcing Innovations for COVID-19

World Economic Forum’s UpLink- a digital platform used to crowdsource innovations to address the world’s most pressing problems- in collaboration with Impact Partners, recently launched a series of challenges to source innovative solutions and policy perspectives to respond, recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic. From 300+ candidates, the effort has surfaced a diverse cohort of 15 innovators representing different regions and addressing various thematic areas, including access to healthcare. CII’s Director, Amy Lin, served on the Expert Review Committee along with leadership from the UN World Food Programme, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and Novartis.

Project Last Mile Supports Ubuntu Cloth Masks for South Africa

USAID/Southern Africa, the British High Commission, and Project Last Mile (PLM)- a USAID flagship partner managed by CII and USAID/Office of HIV and AIDS- is working in South Africa to support local manufacturing of essential supplies and equipment required for the COVID-19 response. One of the first manufacturers selected is Ubuntu Cloth Mask, a public-private partnership between the Western Cape Government, local textile manufacturers and NGOs. PLM’s support will allow Ubuntu to produce a target of over 100,000 three-layer cloth face masks, which will be produced by community seamstresses. Moreover, every mask sold translates into a free mask to a vulnerable community through a one-to-one sales model.

SL@B Innovator Simprints Wins Transformational Business Award

Saving Lives at Birth (SL@B) Grand Challenge innovator Simprints was honored as the health category winner in the Financial Times/Innovative Financing Conference Transformational Business Awards. On October 8th, the Financial Times and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) gathered senior investors, innovators, social entrepreneurs, and other thought leaders for an online event to honor the winners with cutting-edge dialogue on the challenges facing the developing world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

USAID Perspective for UHC Pavilion Series by Devex and MSD for Mothers

As part of a United Nations General Assembly side event, CII’s innovative finance advisor, Monisha Ashok, spoke about the USAID Global Health Bureau’s commitments to use private sector engagement and innovative financing to advance our collective reproductive, maternal, and child health goals. She sent a short pre-recorded message and questioned high-level panelists convened by Devex and MSD for Mothers as part of the UHC Pavilion series about strengthening innovative financing to improve maternal-child health and nutrition. See here for her comments and the panel discussion will be available here.