TIST: Rising carbon price enables more rapid growth of TIST tree growing in Africa and India
Growth of TIST’s pro-poor tree growing activities in sub-Saharan Africa and India has been held back in the past by the low price paid in the informal carbon market for its “high quality” carbon credits. The greater recent awareness of the need to act to address climate change has led to a large increase in 2020 in the price paid to purchase TIST’s carbon credits. The resulting increase in resources has enabled TIST to adopt a more ambitious expansion plan aimed at substantial further increases in the currently 90,000 farmer beneficiaries and the currently 18 million trees grown.
Jacaranda receive $1.5m USAID award to launch an independent impact evaluation
Jacaranda are excited to share that they have recently received funding from USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) fund to launch a large-scale impact evaluation of their programs. This is an important step for Jacaranda as they continue to build the evidence base for their core programs, and rigorously evaluate their impact on health outcomes. Jacaranda will be working with an independent evaluation team, and partnering with Margaret McConnell and Jessica Cohen from the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University.
Jacaranda develops a way to improve emergency obstetric blood supplies in Kenya
Jacaranda in their most recent blog post share how they are saving time and lives by creating a new blood tracker mapping tool to identify sources, and provide access, to real-time blood supply information for healthcare providers in Kenya using the power of free, open-source tools and simple coding. They are sharing a blue print guide for other health management teams to replicate the tool, improve distribution across facilities and reduce preventable loss of life.
Penda Health: rolling out National Health Insurance Fund
Following a successful National Health Insurance Fund pilot in 2019, Penda enrolled 1477 patients both in-person and over social media, and as a result patient visits and revenue increased by a significant 33%. NHIF currently reimburses 100 KSH per person per month for limited primary care services, and for each 100 people signed up with Penda they see about 30 patient visits per month. Because Penda’s model is built on trustworthy and ultra-low-cost care, they earn a profit margin that is similar to that earned with uninsured cash-paying patients. The scheme has been so successful, Penda anticipate over 3000 patients to enrol in 2020.
Apollo Agriculture uses automated technology to finance farmers during COVID
Apollo has been able to deliver essential agricultural inputs on credit to over 25000 farmers so far in 2020 despite the covid disruption. This is made possible by Apollo's technology-led approach to providing finance to rural small-scale farmers. Their automated operations allowed Apollo to continue providing these services to farmers at a time when they otherwise would face significant challenges accessing timely inputs. This highly scalable and commercially viable approach has helped farmers sustain improved yields and incomes even during these difficult times.
Jacaranda launches response to COVID-19
As COVID-19 cases increase across Kenya, Jacaranda has joined with government and foundation partners to mitigate the impact on maternal health across 7 counties, encompassing nearly 30% of the population. By rapidly expanding PROMPTS their digital health platform connecting mothers to care, and by deploying their new tele-triaging and emergency referral tracking tools, Jacaranda has ensured that despite increased delays visiting health facilities, mothers continue to receive life-saving care. In addition, Jacaranda’s Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care nurse mentors are now using digital tools to carry out training modules and socially distanced simulation drills to fast track obstetric skills.