Design Outreach Inc

DESIGN OUTREACH IS A CHRISTIAN HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION THAT SEEKS TO ALLEVIATE GLOBAL POVERTY BY CREATING LIFE-SUSTAINING TECHNOLOGY.

DESIGN OUTREACH (DO) IS A CHRISTIAN HUMANITARIAN ENGINEERING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO CREATING LIFE-SUSTAINING TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLEVIATES GLOBAL POVERTY. DO FOCUSES ON INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS THAT IMPROVE THE LIVES OF THE MOST MARGINALIZED AND VULNERABLE PEOPLE LIVING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. DO'S FLAGSHIP TECHNOLOGY, LIFEPUMPTM, HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN 10 COUNTRIES, BRINGING SAFE AND RELIABLE WATER TO OVER 200,000 PEOPLE GLOBALLY. THE FIRST PERMANENT LIFEPUMP WAS INSTALLED IN 2013 AND HAS BEEN OPERATING SINCE THEN WITH ZERO DAYS OF DOWNTIME. LIFEPUMP IS DESIGNED TO OPERATE DEEPER IN THE GROUND AND LAST LONGER THAN TRADITIONAL HAND PUMPS, PROVIDING SAFE AND RELIABLE WATER ACCESS IN COMMUNITIES WHERE OTHER TECHNOLOGIES HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO MEET THEIR NEEDS. WHILE DO IS WORKING TO DEVELOP AND DEPLOY OTHER APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN SECTORS SUCH AS WASH, MEDICAL DEVICES, AND AGRICULTURE, LIFEPUMP HAS REMAINED THE ORGANIZATION'S CORE FOCUS AS NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE BEGUN TO RECOGNIZE ITS POTENTIAL TO HELP ADDRESS WATER POVERTY IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.

ANOTHER KEY PROGRAM DO FOCUSED ON IN 2022 WAS THE FURTHER ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MALAWI FIELD OFFICE (MFO). THE MFO ALLOWS DO TO BE MORE AVAILABLE TO MEET WITH MISSIONARIES, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS), COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO WORK TOWARD POLICY CHANGE, GOSPEL OUTREACH, AND APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION THAT WILL HAVE GENERATIONAL IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE WE WORK. THIS FACILITY ALSO ACTS AS AN ADVOCACY HUB AND FIELD INNOVATION CENTER WHILE PROVIDING WAREHOUSE SPACE FOR LIFEPUMPS AND SPARE PARTS AND SUPPORTING RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS TO KEEP LIFEPUMPS UP AND RUNNING FOR DECADES TO COME. THE NUMBER OF LIFEPUMP INSTALLATIONS IS EXPANDING EACH YEAR-GROWTH THAT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT AND AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL FIELD STAFF WHO CAN LEAD INSTALLATIONS, ORGANIZE GOSPEL OUTREACH EVENTS, DISTRIBUTE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE, PROVIDE TRAINING FOR COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS, AND RESPOND QUICKLY TO TECHNOLOGY MAINTENANCE NEEDS. AS GOVERNMENTS CONTINUE TO RECOGNIZE LIFEPUMP AS A GAME-CHANGER IN THE WATER SECTOR, THE MALAWI FIELD OFFICE ENABLES DO TO CONTINUE BUILDING ITS SUPPLY CHAIN AND PROVIDE MORE LIFEPUMPS THAN EVER BEFORE IN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF SAFE WATER. THROUGH THIS FACILITY, DO ANTICIPATES THAT IT WILL BE ABLE TO HELP PROVIDE 3,000 LIFEPUMPS IN SOUTHEAST AFRICA BY 2030 TO SERVE AN ESTIMATED 1,500,000 PEOPLE.

BEHIND THE SCENES, DO ENGINEERS CONTINUE TO DESIGN AND DEVELOP BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATIONS THAT PROVIDE THE RESOURCES COMMUNITIES NEED TO THRIVE. AS WE WORK TOWARD OUR GOAL OF INSTALLING 1,000 LIFEPUMPS IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS TO IMPACT 500,000 PEOPLE WITH SAFE WATER AND THE GOSPEL, OUR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT TEAM CONTINUES TO DEVELOP NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO GIVE THOSE LIVING IN POVERTY HOPE, DIGNITY, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A BETTER LIFE. LIFEPUMPTM. IN 2022, SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS AND HIGH RATES OF INFLATION RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN MATERIAL COSTS-IN SOME CASES, BY MORE THAN 50%. TO KEEP LIFEPUMP AFFORDABLE, OUR ENGINEERS GOT TO WORK ON OUR LIFEPUMP COST REDUCTION PROJECT. THE TEAM IS EXPLORING REPLACING STAINLESS-STEEL RISER PIPES IN SHALLOWER WELLS WITH HEAVY-WALL PVC, WHICH COULD REDUCE LIFEPUMP MATERIAL COSTS WITHOUT SACRIFICING THE TECHNOLOGY'S DURABILITY AND LONGEVITY. THE TEAM IS ANALYZING AND LAB TESTING THESE NEW COMPONENTS WHILE FIELD TESTING WITH PARTNERS WHO HAVE OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE USING PVC PIPES. IN THE MEANTIME, LIFEPUMPLINK CONTINUES TO DEMONSTRATE 99% FUNCTIONALITY-PROOF THAT LIFEPUMP TRULY IS CHANGING THE STATUS QUO. LIFEPUMPLINKTM. OUR REMOTE MONITORING TECHNOLOGY HELPS ENSURE THAT LIFEPUMP COMMUNITIES NEVER EXPERIENCE A DAY WITHOUT WATER. IN 2022, WE EXPANDED THE CAPABILITIES OF OUR LIFEPUMPLINK ONLINE DASHBOARD AND MOBILE APP, WHICH PROVIDES STAFF AND PARTNERS WITH REAL-TIME PUMP USAGE DATA AND ACTIONABLE ALERTS RIGHT ON THEIR MOBILE DEVICES. WE DEVELOPED A COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT MODULE THAT ALLOWS FIELD STAFF TO GATHER KEY DATA, PHOTOS, AND TESTIMONIALS FROM A COMMUNITY TO DETERMINE IF LIFEPUMP IS THE BEST FIT FOR THEIR WATER NEEDS. THIS NEW CAPABILITY ALSO ENSURES THAT ASSESSMENTS ARE AVAILABLE TO OUR GLOBAL TEAM IN REAL TIME-A TOOL THAT HELPS US GET SAFE WATER TO COMMUNITIES QUICKER THAN EVER. LIFETAPTM. IN 2022, SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO ACCESS THE BRONZE NEEDED TO PRODUCE THE HANDLES FOR LIFETAP, DO'S SELF-CLOSING VALVE DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND HEAVY WEAR AND PREVENT WATER WASTE AND LEAKAGE AT COMMUNITY TAP STANDS. BUT OUR TEAM DID NOT GIVE UP. DEMONSTRATING DO'S COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION AND TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES DESPITE IMPOSSIBLE ODDS, THEY REDESIGNED LIFETAP'S HANDLE SO THEY COULD CONTINUE PRODUCTION WITHOUT USING BRONZE. LIFELATRINETM. RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE, AFFORDABLE LATRINES AS A VITAL STEP IN ALLEVIATING POVERTY, DESIGN OUTREACH HAS BEEN WORKING TO DEVELOP A SAFE, RELIABLE, REUSABLE, AND AFFORDABLE LATRINE TECHNOLOGY. IN 2022, OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS MADE SIGNIFICANT DESIGN BREAKTHROUGHS FOR LIFELATRINE AND DEVELOPED NEW PROTOTYPES, WHICH INCLUDE A DESIGN THAT ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR A FLOOR SLAB, ONE THE MOST EXPENSIVE ITEMS OF A LATRINE. THE PROTOTYPES CONTINUE TO EVOLVE, AND THE TEAM IS CURRENTLY TESTING NEWER IDEAS AT DO'S FACILITY IN SUNBURY, OHIO. AUTOLIFEPUMPTM. THIS LIFEPUMP UPGRADE ALLOWS A SOLAR-POWERED ELECTRIC MOTOR TO BE ADDED TO LIFEPUMP TO PROVIDE A HIGHER FLOW RATE TO MEET INCREASED DEMANDS IN GROWING COMMUNITIES. IN 2022, THE AUTOLIFEPUMP TEAM CONTINUED TO CONDUCT ENDURANCE TESTING TO DOCUMENT THE TECHNOLOGY'S RELIABILITY AND LONGEVITY WHILE RESEARCHING THE EVER-CHANGING SOLAR PUMPING MARKET TO ENSURE WE ARE MEETING COMMUNITY NEEDS IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE. THESE AUTOLIFEPUMP TEST UNITS ALSO ALLOW US TO COMPLETE LIFECYCLE TESTING ON OTHER PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS SUCH AS THE NEW PVC RISER PIPES, PROVIDING CRITICAL FEEDBACK BEFORE WE INSTALL NEW COMPONENTS IN THE FIELD. AFRIDEV/INDIA MARK II UPGRADES. WHILE OUR TOP PRIORITY IS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO LIFEPUMP AROUND THE WORLD, IT WILL TAKE YEARS TO REACH THE ESTIMATED 2 BILLION PEOPLE WHO STILL RELY ON TRADITIONAL HAND PUMPS FOR THEIR DAILY WATER NEEDS. FOR COMMUNITIES THAT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RECEIVE A LIFEPUMP RIGHT AWAY, DESIGN OUTREACH KICKED OFF A NEW PROJECT IN 2022 TO DEVELOP AND DEPLOY UPGRADES FOR AFRIDEV AND INDIA MARK II (IMII) HAND PUMPS, THE MOST COMMONLY USED PUBLIC DOMAIN TECHNOLOGIES. THE UPGRADES WILL IMPROVE THE RELIABILITY OF THESE PUMPS, INCREASING THE MAINTENANCE INTERVAL FROM 6 MONTHS TO ABOUT 2 YEARS. THIS WILL PROVIDE A COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO MINIMIZE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF CONTINUAL MAINTENANCE AND REDUCE THE FREQUENCY OF BREAKDOWNS SO EVEN MORE PEOPLE CAN HAVE ACCESS TO SAFE WATER.