In the Kingdom of Eswatini in southern Africa, Project Last Mile is leveraging Coca-Cola system best practices in route-to-market, cold chain, and strategic marketing to strengthen supply and demand for COVID-19 vaccines, strategically collaborating with partners across workstreams to improve uptake and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines down to the last mile.
Project Last Mile supports disaster recovery to ensure ongoing chronic medication access in South Africa
Throughout COVID-19, Project Last Mile supported the CCMDD program in identifying ways to enable more patients to access chronic medication to reduce the strain on overburdened health facilities. When the riots began in KwaZulu-Natal, the NDoH, supported by Project Last Mile, designed and executed a recovery plan built on its existing disaster recovery planning.
Findings on the operational feasibility of maintaining ultra-cold temperatures to distribute COVID-19 vaccines – the availability of dry ice within the Coca-Cola value chain in 70 countries
Project Last Mile leveraged its networks within the Coca-Cola system in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific Islands to identify potential sources of dry ice and liquid carbon dioxide to evaluate availability of existing carbon dioxide. Fifteen bottler and 35 liquid carbon dioxide and dry ice suppliers from the Coca-Cola system were consulted for this assessment. The quantities of dry ice and liquid carbon dioxide available by country were mapped against demand determined by the COVAX Delivery Model and shortfalls in capacity were identified.
The development of the Girl Champ brand in eSwatini: engaging the private sector to promote uptake of health services among adolescent girls and young women
This paper, published in SAHARA-J, describes the development of the GirlGhamp brand in eSwatini. This team wove together two very different qualitative research methods – the market research from Olson-Zaltman and the evaluation from Yale – to describe how private sector strategic marketing approaches can be translated for public health behavior change.
The evolution of trust within a global health partnership with the private sector: an inductive framework
This paper, published in IJHPM, uses longitudinal qualitative data from Mozambique, South Africa, and eSwatini to show how trust in multi-sector partnerships evolves over time. The resulting framework can be used by others seeking to embark on or strengthen partnerships, consistent with PLM’s aim of inspiring broader private sector engagement.
Rebuilding healthcare supply chains in Liberia and Sierra Leone after Ebola
Following the Ebola epidemics in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the capacity of their national healthcare supply chain agencies was devastated.
Mapping a way in Mozambique
Over 70% of Mozambique’s population lives in rural and remote areas. Many of the roads to these areas are difficult
How we approach Last Mile delivery in public health in Africa
The challenge A well-functioning Last Mile delivery system is one that reaches the patient and point-of-care. Such a system is essential
How Project Last Mile is working with the Medical Stores Department in Tanzania to optimize last mile delivery routes
After six years of relationship building in Tanzania following the initial Project Last Mile pilot, we officially launched Phase II