ColaLife and Amcor Flexibles have developed a pouch which effectively delivers diarrhoea medicine to children in remote parts of Zambia.
The lightweight Flexi-pack offers a measure for the water required to make up each of the four 200ml sachets of Oral Reyhdration Salts (ORS) packed within it, which is vital in rural Africa due to the dearth of measuring utensils in the home.
The 2.4ml pack is a 60-micron adhesive laminate of OPP/PE that Amcor Flexibles flexo-printed in three colours and made into a pouch.
Named Kit Yamoyo, the pack’s design benefits won over the Zambian Ministry of Health, which placed the first major public sector order for 452,000 kits, to distribute in some of the remotest, highest risk areas of the country.
Distribution of the first 30,000 kits is now underway, manufactured locally in Zambia in an adaptation which conforms to the government’s branding and requirements.
ColaLife’s partners Keepers Zambia Foundation (KZF) and Medical Stores Ltd (MSL) signed an agreement for distribution of the product, which contains the established global recommendation for treating diarrhoea with ORS and zinc.
The new Flexi-pack version reduces costs and materials compared to the original Kit Yamoyo, whose AidPod kit included a measuring jug. Measuring is now done with the Flexi-pack.
The Flexi-pack is see-through, so the printed leaflet inside, which sits squarely against the front of the pack, can be amended to carry any brand or instructions – adapted to local customs, language or regulations. Another benefit is that the filled pack lays flat, improving supply chain efficiency from packer to wholesaler, and it is easier for retailers to transport by bike.
ColaLife has encouraged small shopkeepers in remote areas to stock the kit and trained them accordingly.
