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In northern Mozambique, there is little motorised transport for medical emergencies. This can be a life-threatening risk for mother and child in the event of pregnancy complications. The social enterprise 'Okalihera' rents TukTuks to selected entrepreneurs/taxi drivers from the communities and guarantees the maintenance of the vehicles. These entrepreneurs run their own taxi business to make a living and pay for the rent of the TukTuk. By renting a TukTuk from Okalihera, the driver agrees to transport all pregnancy-related maternal emergencies from their community to the nearest health facility - immediately and free of charge.
Credits Main Image: Sashidhar Jonnalagedda, EssentialTech Centre
Sashidhar Jonnalagedda is an electrical engineer and Forbes30 Under 30 Europe entrepreneur. He co-founded a MIT/Harvard multimillion medical device company called SurgiBox and brought innovation from the university laboratory to the market. SurgiBox has also received awards and accolades from MIT Museum and Time Magazine. He has also worked with WHO, ICRC,EPFL, and UNHCR across countries like Switzerland, Nigeria, Mozambique, India,and Cameroon. At EssentialTech Sashi has worked multiple subjects such as coldchain technologies, e-waste, micro-grids, and energy audits. Currently he is developing the Development Engineering Course. Sashidhar first joined EssentialTech Centre as Project Manager for the successfully transferred technology Oka Taxi, and collaborated on several other projects of the Centre.
Nathalie holds an M.A. in Social Sciences. She has a rich background in humanitarian work and social impact projects, working with NGOs and international organizations. She has led diverse teams across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Balkans, Central America, and Switzerland, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and building cross-cultural partnerships to develop impactful solutions that advance societal progress. Her core areas of expertise include post-crisis recovery, gender-based violence, and forced migration.In her previous roles, Nathalie worked with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva on anti-human trafficking interventions and served as an independent consultant specialising in strategic planning for humanitarian initiatives. She also contributed to socio-economic integration programs for refugees in Switzerland. Nathalie joined EssentialTech in 2021 as Head of Stakeholder relations and Fundraising before taking the Head of the Sustainable Development Division in 2023, Nathalie leads interdisciplinary innovation projects that strategically leverage technology to develop sustainable solutions for vulnerable communities. Her work focuses notably on improving access to essential health services, including neonatal care, oxygen therapy,and assistive devices, while empowering healthcare professionals and institutions in low-resource settings.
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