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Enabling Fridays Community Nepal
We believe that now is the time to examine where more localized product and service innovation could unlock more sustainable and resilient AT ecosystem infrastructure in Nepal. We believe there is an opportunity to create better connections between the AT community and local manufacturers, with both newer digital and traditional fabrication expertise to enable sustainable technology transfer and promote innovation. The Enabling Fridays Community Nepal want to bring together local and global expertise working in the AT sector to identify routes that would unlock local innovation, and improve current gaps in service. We have convened our initial stakeholder group over 3 sessions to collectively define problem indicators and set an agenda for what the next steps should be. The overarching challenge for AT provision in Nepal is that there is currently no visible pathway to appropriately meet people's needs throughout their lifetime.
Situational Analysis of Manual Wheelchair Provision: Nepal
The Enabling Friday Community (EFC) Nepal has proposed a vision for change based on 4 working sessions over the past few months - Enabling Fridays Vision. While we want to focus on building sustainable assistive technology innovation and systems, we as a group recognised the obvious need for specific data to inform the work. Collaboratively we have agreed that a situational analysis and action plan for sustainable manual wheelchair provision should be prioritised to develop a working methodology and service system template. An initial concept note for the work can be found at the below link on which official consultation is being sought within Nepal before proceeding.
Rising from an earthquake to fight the pandemic in Nepal
In 2015, Nepal, a landlocked country in South Asia bordering China and India, was rocked by an earthquake that destroyed property, historical monuments, claimed thousands of lives, and left scores more injured. Landslides and avalanches ensued, causing severe damage to the capital and nearby towns. The emergency was also the trigger that shifted Zener Technologies’ work, a domestic 3D design and additive manufacturing company co-founded by Ram Chandra Thapa, to solve citizens’ essential needs with technology. Ram Chandra Thapa was a fresh university graduate the year of this ecological disaster. Working as a design and production engineer for Field Ready, an organisation focused on the rapi
Enabling Access Locally: A Systems Approach to Wheelchair Provisioning in Low-Resource Contexts (Nepal)
Considering that 2.2% of Nepal's population faces disabilities, improving access to assistive technology is both a moral obligation and a priority for sustainable development. At the governmental level, efforts are underway to integrate essential assistive devices into the healthcare system aligning with WHO guidelines. However, there remain significant challenges in implementing these policies, despite constitutional guarantees of free and equitable access to assistive technology. This thesis proposes a collaborative approach to establish sustainable wheelchair provision in Nepal.
NEPCON Conference 2024
A presentation made at the 2nd NEPOCON (Nepal Prosthetics and Orthotics) conference in May 2024 by five members of the project team led by Ram Chandra Thapa from Zener Technologies in Nepal, and Ben Oldfrey from UCL, on A Global-Local Innovation Approach for Appropriate Technology in LMICs: A Case Study in Nepal.
Unlocking Sustainable and Resilient Assistive Technology Innovation and Delivery Ecosystems: Personalised Co-creation of Locally Produced Prosthetics
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports significant disparities in access to assistive products, with 64% access in high-income countries compared to 33% in medium-income and 11% in low-income countries. The AT2030 Programme, led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub in Nepal, aims to enhance local innovation in assistive technology (AT). In Nepal, the estimated disability rate is only 2.2%, likely underestimated, as organisations work to provide tailored AT and rehabilitation services. This paper outlines our experiences in the AT2030 project, focusing on developing a global-local community, interdisciplinary innovation teams in Kathmandu, and preliminary findings from bespoke product development cases.
Harmonising Assistive Technology Assessment Data: A Case Study in Nepal
This study by GDI Hub harmonises data from three surveys in Nepal to improve insights into assistive technology (AT) needs, revealing limited access and unmet demand, especially for hearing aids. By creating a unified dataset, it supports evidence-based policy, enhances AT access, and guides innovators on market opportunities. This approach offers a model for strengthening AT data globally.
Unlocking Sustainable and Resilient Assistive Technology Innovation and Delivery Ecosystems: Personalised Cocreation of Locally Produced Prosthetics: Research Summary
Access to assistive products like prosthetics and wheelchairs is unequal globally, with only 11% access in low-income countries. The AT2030 Programme promotes local AT innovation, focusing on needs in countries like Nepal, where disability rates are likely underestimated. By fostering global-local collaboration, the project aims to improve AT access and reduce dependency on monopolistic production, supporting sustainable, accessible solutions.