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Drones for Good: UNICEF is Calling on Drone Operators for Vaccine Delivery

Miriam McNabb

A drone operated by Chief Air Traffic Controller Steve Mkandawire, one of five Civil Aviation certified pilots, takes off during a demonstration for residents in Thipa vllage, Kasungu District, Malawi, Thursday 29 June 2017. Thipa village is 19 kilometres from the nearest health centre in Dwangwa and the only way to get there is either by bicycle or walking for four hours. On 29 June 2017, the Government of Malawi and UNICEF launch an air corridor to test potential humanitarian use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. The corridor is the first of its kind in Africa and one of the first globally with a focus on humanitarian and development use. It is centred on Kasungu Aerodrome, in central Malawi, with a 40 kilometre radius (80 kilometre diameter) and is designed to provide a controlled platform for the private sector, universities and other partners to explore how UAVs can be used to help deliver services that benefit communities. The UAV corridor will run for at least one year, until June 2018. Since the announcement in December 2016, 12 companies, universities and NGOs from around the world have applied to use the corridor. These include drone manufacturers, operators and telecom companies such as GLOBHE (Sweden) in collaboration with HemoCue and UCANDRONE (Greece), and Precision (Malawi), all of which were present at the launch to demonstrate connectivity, transportation and imagery uses respectively. UAV technology is still in the early stages of development. UNICEF is working globally with a number of governments and private sector partners to explore how UAVs can be used in low income countries. All projects adhere to a strict set of innovation principles, with a focus on open source and user-centred design.

Calling all drone operators – here’s your chance to save lives and see the world.  UNICEF Pacific has put out a worldwide request for tender (RTF) to drone companies who could deliver vaccination supplies in the remote Republic of Vanuatu.

This is Vanuatu – a Y-shaped archipelago consisting of 83 volcanic islands, running 1600 km north to south.  65 of the islands are inhabited: only 20 have roads or airfields.  Many are accessible only by boat.

That’s a scenario where drones provide the best – maybe even the only –  solution to a difficult and life threatening logistical problem.

On 28 June 2017, the UNICEF Innovation team tests an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs), also known as a drone, carrying a cargo payload box, which can potentially carry humanitarian supplies at Kasungu Aerodrome in central Malawi.

“UNICEF’s Innovation Unit is constantly striving to use new technology to address very serious problems and reach the most vulnerable and isolated children in all sorts of environments around the world. Drone delivery of life-saving vaccines has the potential to be an absolute game changer, not only for helping people who live in remote and extremely inaccessible locations, but in addressing consequent disparities in access to health services,” said Felicity Wever, Director of Programs, UNICEF Australia.

UNICEF is looking for several drone delivery providers to service these islands, providing life saving vaccines to the children of Vanuatu.  The tender closes on June 20, and to attract as many applicants as possible, UNICEF reached out to DRONELIFE to help get the word out.   After the tender process closes, selected providers will run trials to outlying island locations between September and November.

Interested service providers should see the RFT here – and please spread the word about this important project.  Drones offer a critical delivery solution well beyond retail and convenience items – and this is one of the best examples of a job only drones can do.

 

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