The Okoa Ambulance

The Okoa Ambulance is an affordable, easily manufacturable trailer that turns any motorcycle in rural communities into a lifesaving device.

More than one billion people worldwide lack access to healthcare because the journey to the hospitals is challenging. Due to narrow, poor road conditions, people are forced to choose between traveling by motorcycle, bicycle or foot. These methods are slow, painful, and sometimes life-threatening for patients in a medical emergency, where many choose not to go. This leads to preventable deaths, many of which are from dangerous roadside births with no midwife, or stillborn births from shaken baby syndrome. 

The Okoa Project works to increase access to healthcare through affordable motorcycle ambulance trailers that turn any motorcycle into a life saving device. The Okoa ambulance is designed for rough, narrow terrain to provide a more comfortable, safer ride for a patient and another person in rural areas. It is made from locally sourced materials such as steel and motorcycle parts, allowing for easy part replacement and lowering future maintenance costs. The Okoa ambulance will connect people in rural communities to health facilities and reduce the number of preventable fatalities associated with not receiving medical care.

The Okoa Ambulance is the safest motorcycle ambulance solution on the market with the capacity to transport up to two people to the hospital. Its removable, easy to use attachment mechanism allows the trailer to attach to the back of any existing motorcycle, therefore utilizing boda bodas in the area and eliminating the need to purchase another vehicle. Its simple modular design primarily uses steel and motorcycle parts, allowing for easy part replacement and lower maintenance costs. And finally, the stretcher and seat for the passengers can be removed to instead transport medical supplies or other cargo. 

The Okoa ambulance's durable and lightweight frame and suspension system is engineered to withstand rough, narrow terrain and transport two passengers more comfortably and safely than current solutions on the market. Its simple, modular design reduces manufacturing costs and facilitates ease of maintenance to ensure product sustainability. Additionally, the trailer's interior is removable and thus can be used to transport other medical supplies.

In next 12 months, the Okoa team will be redesigning, building and testing its fourth ambulance iteration. The team will be launching a small scale pilot test in Mbeya, Tanzania where they will operate ambulances to serve the 4500 people in its partnered communities. Based on these results, the Okoa team will explore partnerships with NGOs in and outside Tanzania and set up its manufacturing and supply chain. 

In the next three to five years, we aim to increase our impact by partnering with organizations to create a reliable, centralized medical transportation system in rural areas with limited access to healthcare. We plan to start off selling the Okoa ambulance to local and international NGOs and then target motorcycle drivers directly through lending schemes.

The Okoa Project will first sell to network and grassroot NGO's who already have built relationships with locals through existing community development programs. Through these built partnerships, we plan to target the motorcycle drivers in the area and sell directly to them. This will increase the overall number of ambulance trailers available in remote communities.

There are currently no active people who are using the Okoa ambulance as we are still in the testing phase. However, over the past two years and three trips to Tanzania, we have conducted 240+ interviews with motorcycle drivers, potential patients, community leaders and medical professionals about their opinions on the need, our product and how they would use it. All participants have given valuable, constructive critiques and want to see this ambulance solution begin to save lives in their communities.

In the next 12 months, we will implement the Okoa ambulance in several communities in the Mbarali district as part of a pilot test, providing transportation to hospitals for the 4500 inhabitants. Upon the completion of the pilot test, we will establish manufacturing and distribution partners that will allow us to partner with at least 10 organizations with close ties to rural communities in and outside of Tanzania. 

We are strong all female team from MIT that brings technical experience in product design, project management, and international development. Our supporting team also includes the head of the NGO that we have been working with the past 2 years, managers from a Tanzanian innovation center that we work out of, and recently - 8 Tanzanian engineering students. Not only do these people have technical experience, but they add a cultural perspective. Having such a diverse team collaborating on the ambulance has ensured that our trajectory and goals always stay close to the communities that we are trying to help.

The Okoa Project will sell products that improve current rural emergency medical systems. The primary revenue stream will be generated through the sale of ambulance trailers to NGOs. Future plans include exploring micro-financing and lending schemes to sell the trailers to individual motorcycle drivers, therefore increasing availability and serving more people in remote areas.

We are applying to Solve because we want to part of a community of problem solvers who are trying to make the world a better place.  We think that Solve will be able to provide us a group of people, through peer groups and mentorship, with similar mission driven endeavors, so we can share the motivation, advice, and expertise for us all to succeed. 

We are currently developing our fourth iteration of the Okoa ambulance and interested in guidance on manufacturing plans and sustainable operational models. We understand that there are many important factors involved in creating a reliable, sustainable rural health transportation system and therefore we would like to gain mentorship on how to tackle these particular challenges.