Solar Suitcases

The joy of giving birth is shadowed by panic in many developing nations. Each year, half a million mothers die from complications during childbirth. The majority of those deaths take place in poor nations.

While researching maternal care in rural Nigeria, obstetrician Laura Stachel discovered that a lack of electricity contributed to the high number of fatalities. Power shortages leave delivery rooms dark, doctors unreachable, and blood banks without refrigeration. On her return to California, Dr. Stachel knew she couldn’t turn her back on the problem.

As part of our Next Green Thing series, Dr. Stachel joined us to talk about the “solar suitcases” she developed to help power health clinics in Nigeria.

Nick Kristof of The New York Times: Childbirth by Flashlight

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