When many people think about how to improve health outcomes in the developing world, many focus on obviously health interventions and/or health systems - immunizations, health workforce capacity, and so. But what about housing improvements, like improved flooring? As highlighted in the Center for Global Development's Millions Saved case studies on cost-effective health interventions, rigorous evidence from Mexico about concrete flooring suggests that such improvements can dramatically improve child health and even make mothers happier. Inspired by this evidence, American social entrepreneur, Gayatri Datar, launched EarthEnable to produce and sell custom-developed earthen floors to the 80% of Rwandans living with dirt floors. The floors - a cheaper alternative to concrete - eliminate unsanitary dirt floors and provide affordable, sanitary flooring that can be washed, cleaned, and used to create a healthy home environment for millions of people. Join Gaya to hear about EarthEnable's business model, how she looked to evidence to inform the venture, and how she is collaborating with Paul Gertler (Berkeley) and other leading researchers to deepen the evidence base on the improved flooring and test different approaches to the business model.
For more information on EarthEnable, visit: www.earthenable.org
For more information on the Center for Global Development's Millions Lived case study on the Mexico program (Piso Firme), visit: http://millionssaved.cgdev.org/case-studies/mexicos-piso-firme-program. You can also attend the talk by Amanda Glassman, COO & Senior Fellow at CGD and co-author of Millions Saved, later today to hear more about cost-effective interventions in global health.
