The best and most successful research and development (R&D) projects are grounded in solving real-world problems and field testing for functionality and user feedback. Prior to the opening of the Malawi Field Office (MFO), Design Outreach (DO) received feedback mostly from our implementing partners. Now, DO receives regular input and feedback on technologies from the MFO team, U.S. teams who travel to the communities we serve, and the beneficiaries who use our technologies every day.
DO Diaries: Stories from the Field; Guatemala Trip, February 2022
Written by Abe Wright, DO co-founder and chief technology officer Editor’s note: The DO team recently visited four communities in Guatemala with field partner Water for Life. Here is a digest of DO Diaries: Stories from the Field compiled by DO Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Abe Wright. He was joined on the trip by Ray Ehrig, manufacturing engineer, and … Read More
8 Years of Continuous, Safe Water and a New Generation of Hope
Zolomondo, Malawi: Life is hard if you are a child growing up in rural Malawi. According to the CDC, “an estimated 446,000 children younger than 5 years old die each year from diarrhea, mostly in developing countries1.” Infant mortality is so high, that it is common for parents to wait to name their children until they are a year old. … Read More
How LifePump Serves a Remote and At-Risk Community with Water and the Gospel
Imagine driving three and half hours to see a relative or loved one. When we, in the United States, make a trip like that, we probably drive on a well-paved and maintained highway or perhaps a county road. Now imagine doing the same thing, but the roads are rough or non-existent, and the last 10 miles is essentially an animal path.
Out to Malawi
With a deep gratitude to DO’s financial partners, the Malawi Field Office is fully funded! Part of our mission of being in Malawi is to work closely with our Malawi Team.
Innovation That Puts “Eyes in the Field” for Real-Time Feedback
We were scheduled to depart in just four days for Africa in July 2021. Delta, the newest variant of the COVID virus, had emerged, and for the first time since the pandemic gripped the world, Zimbabwe enacted a national lockdown, to try to curtail the virus and save lives.
Design Outreach Expert Volunteers Help Propel DO’s Work
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Design Outreach (DO). With their help, we accomplished so much together in 2021! In 2021, DO received over 6,000 hours of volunteer support from experts who worked on Research & Development projects. With their help, we made significant progress towards fulfilling our mission of alleviating global poverty.
A Powerful Story of Hope
Cecilia’s story is touching hearts across the globe. This sweet young girl allowed us to get a small glimpse of what it was like to be a child in her community prior to LifePump being installed. She shared with us the dangers and the heartbreaks she lived with just to get water.
Greetings from Malawi
Greetings from Malawi, the warm heart of Africa—living up to its nickname with the people and temperature! We’ve had the privilege to travel with like-minded ministry partners who helped make possible much of the COVID outreach in Malawi. There’s been so much impact and thankfulness from the communities.
Design Outreach Virtual Coffee: Kenya
DO Manufacturing Director and two staff members from DO’s partner SonSet Solutions share their experience in Kenya of upgrading seven of DO’s early LifePumps with updated hardware and LifePumpLinks, while also sharing how DO is preparing for larger impact in Kenya and surrounding countries.