Designing the world’s first affordable breast-milk pasteurizer
Textile workers in Bangladesh, who are mostly women, are entitled to four months’ maternity leave. Once this is over, they often end up parking their children with relatives when they are at work. Those with refrigerators at home can use breast pumps to express milk before they go on shift, and leave it behind to chill. But fridges are expensive, and many do not own one. Unchilled milk goes off within a couple of hours so the inevitable outcome for fridgeless mothers and their babies is the use of infant formula.
INDUSTRY
Digital Health
IMPACT
Patented invention shared through Bangladeshi garment industry
In a nutshell
Developed a low-cost breast milk pasteurization device to improve infant nutrition and support working mothers in the textile industry.
What we did
Deep Dive into User Needs: Through in-depth interviews, we developed a rich understanding of the challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers in settings with limited refrigeration.
Iterative Prototyping and Design: We designed and prototyped a pasteurization device, exploring both physical and digital solutions to ensure ease of use, robustness, and sanitation.
Protecting Innovation: We secured a patent for our innovative pasteurization device, safeguarding its unique design and functionality.
Empowering Working Mothers: Our low-cost, easy-to-use device enables breastfeeding women to express, pasteurize, and safely store breastmilk, even without refrigeration, supporting their ability to provide for their children while working.
Real-World Impact: In collaboration with ICDDR,B, and with the support of a $100,000 grant from Grand Challenges Canada, our device is currently being field-tested in Bangladesh, bringing our solution closer to the families who need it most.
