From a car clinic to a virtual air quality detector: Innovations that made the news this week at SocialStory

This week, SocialStory spoke to Dr Manju Vasudevan, Founder of Forest Post, on her initiative to create a sustainable livelihood programme for women from indigenous communities in Chalakudy, Kerala.

RCM Reddy, MD and CEO, Schoolnet, shared how the organisation links in-school learning with after-school learning through digital solutions. 

Meet Dr Sunil Kumar Hebbi, the messiah of healthcare in Bengaluru

For over a decade now, Dr Sunil Kumar Hebbi, a resident of Malleswaram in Bengaluru, has been running a mobile clinic through an NGO called Matru Siri Foundation to treat the poor for free.

Dr Sunil converted his car into a clinic and drives across the town treating patients, including COVID-19 cases, who WhatsApp him for help. Besides, he also works at a COVID care centre at night.

Forest Post provides livelihood opportunities to Kerala’s indigenous communities

For Dr Manju Vasudevan, an ecological researcher who constantly interacted with members of the community, there was an ongoing question of how to create livelihood opportunities based on the knowledge and wisdom of these indigenous communities.

Engaging with the Kadar, Malayar, and Muthuvar tribes, Manju and her team established Forest Post — the work for which began in 2017. Forest Post is a network of minor forest produce harvesters and makers of handmade goods, including beeswax, oils, bamboo baskets, and cloth bags. 

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Enhancing the quality of education in rural India 

Noida-based Schoolnet has created an integrated digital solution, linking in-school teaching-learning with after-school services through personalisation of content and a hybrid model of delivery of quality education.

RCM Reddy, MD and CEO, Schoolnet, and a former IAS officer, says, “Back in 1997 when Schoolnet was incubated, the question was — how do we remove barriers to accessing quality education at scale? We needed to empower learners and democratise education. To do that, we needed curriculum-aligned multi-sensory content that students could consume depending on their styles of understanding to internalise concepts.”

An app that determines air quality through images

Currently a senior at American High School in Fremont, California, Vishwa Iyer built Air Variance Authority (AVA), an app that helps determine air quality through images.

Launched earlier this year, it is now available in the browser and through an Android app on the Google Play Store. Through the app, he hopes to be able to help people navigate the growing air pollution issue more safely.