Week 7 (10/8) Ukweli Test Strips Partnerships

Describe at least 10 partnerships that were formed (before or) during the GSIF fieldwork experience that impacted the success or failure of your venture.

Please identify partnerships at the individual, team, and Lehigh / GSIF level.

1. What constituted the partnership?
2. How did the partner help you? How did you help them?
3. Was this a symbiotic relationship? Why or why not?
4. What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?

Partnerships

  1. Hassan
    1. Acts as a translator while we are on the ground. He currently is our community outreach employee and later he will be the distribution manager once we obtain product registration.
    2. Hassan helped us with translation and country relations. We gave him money.
    3. Not a symbiotic relationship yet because we have not properly compensated him, he’s being paid federal minimum wage and is our most important employee. He should be compensated at a surplus rate, not the other way around. Could be considered symbiotic because we are providing some sort of livelihood. We benefit in that he gets our test strips into the market and publicized.
    1. Transitioning to the Distribution contract will make our partnership stronger.
  1. Carrie Jo
    1. World Hope Consultant on healthcare issues
    2. helped us meet the DMO in 2018 and find data on Koinadugu, Tonkolili, and Bombali districts. Helped Jordan with radio programs.
    3. CHAMPs project lead, useful to our venture because we can model our venture off of some of the things CHAMPs employs (ex: messaging strategy)
    4. Symbiotic relationship: Carrie Jo wants to improve maternal health in Sierra Leone, was even willing to give up some of World Hopes talk segments to promote our venture. We ask her for advice on how to establish relationships on the ground.
  2. Lori Herz
    1. Laboratory/ Technology advice for the project.
    2. Not a symbiotic relationship. (She does get acknowledgments on the papers) We basically go and ask her for advice for chemistry stuff.
    3. She gives us lab space.
  3. Allieu
    1. The Ukweli team relied on Allieu, as the health director of WHI, to assist operations in Sierra Leone, providing logistical support for Hassan and to champion our product at the Pharmacy Control Board.
    2. Allieu pushed our product at the PCB and helps Hassan manage his job of distributing test strips to clinics. He also helps out with getting the test strips from the Freetown port to the WHI Makeni office.
    3. Symbiotic because Allieu took this project on as part of his paid job responsibilities, and Ukweli benefits from his expertise and knowledge in-country
    4. This partnership could be strengthened by Allieu internalizing our venture’s mission more and pushing the PCB and MOHS to procure our test strip nationwide. Ukweli could also strengthen the partnership by providing earmarked funds for his responsibilities with the venture, instead of allowing Ukweli to fall as a side gig to his larger role with WHI.
  4. Sue Baggott
    1. She served as an outside partner to Ukweli in regards to funding acquisition.
    2. Sue provided us with insights regarding how to go about crowdfunding prior to fieldwork and checked in on us while on Mountaintop
    3. Not a symbiotic relationship, we gave her a gift from SL (I think?) but other than that we didn’t really do anything to help her out. She seems to enjoy advising and helping people with venture creation
    4. Continue to utilize her for help on potential funding sources to strengthen the partnership
  5. Saidu Kanu
    1. Mr. Country Director
    2. John Lyon and Khanjan connected us with Saidu
    3. He makes big funding decisions, facilitates decision-making forums
    4. Yes it is a symbiotic relationship because he wants World Hope to have as many successful projects as possible. Also his livelihood. We benefit because he makes progress happen with people on the ground.
    5. Hasson and Allieu report to him, he holds them accountable which helps us
  6. Bockarie Tamu
    1. Works in the finances office and keeps track of the test strip inventory. He also gives Hassan support on the ground. He sends updates every week.
    2. He helps us by keeping us updated with what is happening on the ground. We help him in the way we help Allieu. It is his job.
    3. This is a symbiotic relationship he gets paid.
  7. Sylvester Coker
    1. Finance administrator and Makeni office lead (unofficially)
    2. Oversight on Hassan, he helps us with storage of test strips
    3. We provide him an impactful project and more capital in the office
    4. Symbiotic because he benefits from being a good manager

Friends of Ukweli Coalition

    • Our Vision:
      • 0 maternal mortality rate
      • Government of SL (Ministry of Health) Takes over the operations and distributes throughout the country
      • Expansion into Liberia and surrounding countries in West Africa
      • Focused on repairing damaged healthcare systems in developing contexts
      • Want more hospital partners to get the screen-diagnose-treat continuum
    • Would invite:
  • WHO
      • We Care Solar
      • Malnutrition team
      • Documentary team
  • Government of Sierra Leone: MOHS, Pharmacy Board
      • Funders in US and international markets
        • Grand Challenges Canada
        • Venture Well
        • USAID
        • Gates Foundation
        • NORAD
        • DFID

 

  • Nurse society (from Freetown)
  • World Hope International

 

 

  • IEEE representatives

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