I M P R O V I N G M AT E R N A L H E A LT H C A R E U T I L I Z I N G

S OL A R - P O W E R E D T E C H N O L O G I E S

WE CARE Solar - GSBI™ Class of 2010

Headquarters: Berkeley, CA,
United States
Established: 2008
Impact Areas: Sub-Saharan
Africa, Haiti, Southeast Asia
Type: Non-Profit/NGO
Sectors: Health, Clean Tech &
Energy
Staff Size: 1.5 and 7 volunteers
2010 Budget: $160,000
Major Funders:
Blum Center for Developing Economies, UCB
Bixby and Big Ideas Programs, Segal Family
Foundation, Joel Forte Foundation
Problem Statement:
Maternal mortality worldwide accounts for more than 530,000
deaths a year; 99% of these occur in Africa and Asia, where over
300,000 health care facilities lack reliable electricity. Doctors and
midwives struggle to provide obstetric care– often relying on
candles or kerosene lanterns. Patients fail to obtain timely care,
obstetric surgeries are delayed or conducted under grossly sub-
optimal conditions, and the consequences are often tragic. When
birth complications occur, mothers and babies can be saved if
health facilities have reliable lighting, mobile communication, and
electricity to power medical devices.

Awards:
2010 CBS-5 Jefferson Public Service Award
2010 Global Social Venture Competition,
Social Impact Assessment Winner
2010 UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Award for Civic
Engagement
2010 Ashoka Changemakers’ “Healthy
Mothers, Strong World” Competition Winner
2009 NY Times “Half the Sky” Competition
2010 CITRIS Big Ideas, second place

Theory of Change:
When maternal health facilities in
settings without reliable electricity
obtain solar-powered lighting and Solution:
emergency communication, clini- WE CARE Solar provides solar electric kits for medical lighting
cians can promptly respond to and communication that are reliable, robust, and low-cost,
obstetric emergencies, decreas- enabling timely and appropriate emergency care in maternal
health facilities and settings without reliable electricity. Use of
ing the incidence of maternal and
our solar electric systems have dramatically lowered maternal
infant morbidity and mortality.
mortality in field tests.

“Our award-winning Solar Suitcase addresses a problem that has been largely overlooked—
that unreliable electricity impairs the ability of skilled clinicians to provide life-saving obstetric
care.” - Laura Stachel, MD MPH, Co-Founder and Director

| www.wecaresolar.org | laura@wecaresolar.org | +1 510 219 7044 |

 I M P R O V I N G M AT E R N A L H E A LT H C A R E U T I L I Z I N G
S OL A R - P O W E R E D T E C H N O L O G I E S

Milestones Achieved: Impact to Date:

2008: WE CARE formed to spearhead • 30+ solar suitcases have been introduced to health facilities
a solar electric installation in large in ten countries to date. Each facility provides care for up
Nigerian state hospital to 800 mothers a year.

2008: First portable solar electric kit • After pilot solar installation in Nigerian hospital, maternal
utilized for six months by Nigerian deaths decreased and obstetric admissions increased.
hospital staff
Earned Income vs. Expenses:
2009: Suitcase size systems deployed
in several African health clinics and
hospitals, including Millennial Village
clinic in Nigeria
2010: Solar Suitcases to Haiti for
post-earthquake medical relief efforts;
additional deployments to Tiabet,
Burma, Tanzania, and Rwanda

Growth Plan:
Optimize suitcase design based on
rigorous field testing
Conduct clinical impact research in
two regions
Establish distribution and training
partnerships with large NGOs and
national governments
Create manufacturing partnership to
gain economies of scale Investment Required:
Establish revenue base that makes our $2,000,000 in grants over two years to support our core devel-
core activities sustainable and enables opment activities and build capacity. We aim to prepare our
us to reach target markets in 3 conti- organization for scaling to meet our 10-year goal of reaching
nents (by 2015) 10,000 health facilities.

“I am not afraid to work at night “With the solar suitcase, our staff is more motivated and confident
anymore.” at night… lives are being saved.”
- Hospital midwife, Nigeria - Dr. Solomon Marcus, Limi State Hospital, Kaduna, Nigeria

This profile was developed during the 2010 Global Social Benefit Incubator™, the signature program of
Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology and Society.
Updated 8/26/2010. www.scu.edu/sts/gsbi

| www.wecaresolar.org | laura@wecaresolar.org | +1 510 219 7044 |