Remote Cellular Stations generate power that they convert to radio waves to provide coverage to their consumers.  Such stations are well distributed throughout countries, and growth projections worldwide are excellent.  Cellular Service providers are actively replacing old diesel generators with renewable energy solutions to improve on service reliability, reduce operating costs, and meet Corporate Social Responsibility objectives.  Meanwhile, cold chain storage points are often in proximity to Cellular stations, and have insufficient power to adequately conserve vaccines.  Are there scenarios in which the cold chain could tap into power from Cellular stations?

US Embassy Humanitarian Assistance Teams support EPI

I met the Director of the US Embassy Humanitarian Assistance Team in Mali socially in Bamako, and he explained the mission of the US Embassy Humanitarian Assistance Team (HAT) as essentially being a technology transfer of Humanitarian Assistance capacity to the country's army in which teams are based. He also explained that other than conducting "Medcaps", events at which they have stands to perform free services ranging from AIDS testing to medical consultations, that they had an avid interest in strengthening immunization and working with the MoH and NGO's, particularly national ones, to reinforce their programs.

An effective cold chain is fundamental to the success of vaccination programmes. Millions of dollars' worth of vaccines are stored throughout developing countries in the cold chain at any one time; this amount will increase year on year as countries incorporate newer often more expensive, vaccines into their immunization programmes. Vaccines stored outside 2-8 ^o C lose efficacy and may fail to protect their target population.The result is wasted vaccine and lost lives.^