Where We Work | Program
Drones for Health in Malawi
VillageReach has partnered with stakeholders at local, regional and global levels since 2015 to explore the use of drones to improve the availability of health products compared to ground transportation.
Swoop Aero awarded USD$1.5m USAID DIV funding to scale Malawi operations
Swoop Aero has successfully secured USD$1.5 million in funding from USAID Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) to scale existing drone operations in Malawi nationally. The USAID DIV funding will allow for the first randomized control trial of drones transport to be jointly managed by VillageReach...
Pharma.Aero Shares The Results Of The UAV Project
Pharma.Aero has published the White Paper of the latest UAV Project phase that explored the use of drones (UAVs) and its potential as part of the Life Science and Medtech logistic chain, thus interconnecting the traditional and modern airfreight worlds.
VillageReach to Extend Its Operations in Southern Region
A global health innovator, VillageReach which aims at a strengthening medical supply chain seeks to scale up its operations in other three districts of the southern region namely Chiradzulu, Mwanza and Neno.
Vaccines’ drone delivery significantly shortens transit time in remote areas in Malawi, Africa
The use of drones has the potential to shorten vaccination transit times in difficult-to-reach places from six hours to 20 minutes.
UPS, VillageReach, Swoop Aero collaborate to deliver vaccines in Africa
UPS, VillageReach, and Swoop Aero are working together to distribute vaccines further and quicker than ever before.
Drones for Health Deliver: Fundraising Campaign with Focusing Philanthropy Takes Flight
Today, VillageReach and Focusing Philanthropy launched a campaign to raise $2 million. The Drones for Health Deliver campaign aims to increase equitable access to health products and diagnostics for 700,000 people in hard-to-reach areas in Malawi and Mozambique via drone technology.
Drones for Health — Exchanging ideas to advance this frontier technology
Originally posted on Medium.com Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an emerging technology that hold a lot of promise to improve access to health care for the most underserved populations in hard-to-reach areas. Additionally, it can provide time savings in critical situations in...
Innovation According to Plan: Using Drones to Deliver Health Products to the Last Mile
I’ve been fortunate to work with pioneering government leaders across sub-Saharan Africa, people who are leading their countries to identify and introduce solutions for pressing health challenges. There are many reasons that some new ideas take off while others fizzle. But when it comes...
The Malawi Ministry of Health notifies the public of humanitarian drone flights beginning on April 18, 2018
(14th April 2018) – NOTICE OF HUMANITARIAN DRONE FLIGHTS IN DOWA AND LILONGWE BEGINNING 18TH APRIL 2018 The general public is hereby notified that a humanitarian drone (also called a Remote Pilot Aircraft) will be flown in Lilongwe and Dowa Districts over the period...Background
Since 2016, VillageReach has been supporting the Ministry of Health of Malawi and its local partners such as UNICEF to test the feasibility and cost implications of using drones to transport lab samples, blood, vaccines and medicines to address maternal health emergencies and other diseases. In May 2021, VillageReach began working with Swoop Aero to integrate drones into the national health supply chain.
(Photo Credit: Henry Sempangi Sanyulye)
How It Works
- Our plan is to to expand drone flights in 105 + hard-to-reach health facilities in 20 health districts, covering the entire Southern and Northern regions of Malawi.
- Each drone can travel up to 130 km carrying 3 kg (6.6 lb) /5212 cm3, averaging more than 100 km/hour.
- In addition to routine monthly vaccine deliveries, drones are being used for on-demand deliveries and vaccination campaigns as well pick-ups of laboratory samples of many infectious diseases and health facility reports.
Resources
Lessons learned in the transportation of healthcare products by drones
UAV Project: The Use of Drones in Transporting Vaccines From the Factory to the Patient
Leveraging the Integrated Medical Drone Delivery System for COVID-19 Response in Malawi
Drones for Health: Boosting Access to Lifesaving Products
Insights Before Flights: How Community Perceptions Can Make or Break Medical Drone Deliveries
Costing commodity delivery for obstetric emergencies in Malawi
Malawi Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Toolkit
Bi-directional drones to strengthen healthcare provision: experiences and lessons from Madagascar, Malawi and Senegal
Stakeholder Awareness and Perception Assessment as a Prerequisite in Drone Flight Tests
Costs Associated with the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Transportation of Laboratory Samples in Malawi
Program Impact
Phase 2 Drone Program Results*
Malawi Drones for Health Program
6,067 flights in 383 days
1,828 flight hours
174,747 km flown
51,031 vaccine doses delivered
1,583+ kg of health products delivered
5,357 lab samples collected
55 health facilities served in 5 districts
136,281+ people served
*from 30 Dec 2020 – 30 April 2023
Partners
Government
- Malawi Ministry of Health
- National & District Health Offices , and Health Facilities
- Department of Civil Aviation – leads the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)
- Technical Working Group (TWG)
Technical Partners
- Swoop Aero
- Community and traditional leaders
- Community members
Donors
- Crown Family Philanthropies
- Focusing Philanthropy
- UPS Foundation, UPS Healthcare
Related Global Impact
See the latest updates from our work to improve access to quality healthcare in the world’s most underserved communities.