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SUTWELL: A Metamorphosis of SOS Infant Nursing Packs!
Sutwell is a remedy to the notorious feeding bottle related diseases, such as cholera other microbial or chemical contamination of home prepared infant formula which is responsible for yearly death of 1,500,000 infants worldwide, especially in the developing nations of Africa, Asia, and South America. This small device combines a suckling nipple with a screw-like end which is hard and sharp. The device is designed to bore its way into any aseptic pack of ready-to-drink breast milk substitutes, water etc and thus convert the pack into a disposable feeding bottle.
It is also a way of eliminating the ritual-like process of washing, sterilizing and measuring accurately of powder formula, which can only be likened to preparation for a surgical operation or preparing an injection-which should be done only by qualified experts. With the use of SUTWELL, it will be possible to prevent use of impure water and wrong measurement in the case of formula preparation. This concept is inspired by the realization of the facts surrounding the use of infant formula. Our fieldworks revealed that three months is the highest permitted maternity leave of absence from work in the regions where feeding bottle related ailment is most rampant. The fact that these regions all have outside temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius all-year-round, which favors bacterial growth and thus a big challenge to the use of the conventional feeding bottles. Sterilized bottles are quickly contaminated again. Another important factor is that of poor environmental sanitation and waste management in the mostly affected regions, which leads to chemical pollution of drinking water coming from privately dug wells and bore-holes.
Our research also revealed that infants are the most hit group in any instance of either man-made or natural disaster resulting in deaths or serious injuries of nursing mothers. While infant formula in powder form cannot be rejected as only means for saving these infants from dying from starvation, the hygienic state of such situation always invite bacterial contamination of the formula leading to high number of infant casualties.
On the other hand, SUTWELL will be most helpful also in the developed nations of the world, especially for family on long train, sea or air journeys. The need for washing and sterilizing of feeding bottles is completely removed, since ready-to-drink formula is already available in this part of the world.
Sutwell is based on simple design of a plastic device almost as simple as a drinking straw, but more sophisticated in that one plastic extrusion without assembled parts will serve more than one function of: piercing, boring and suckling.
I believe this device deserves recognition because it offers a solution to a problem that have claimed lives of more than 30 million infants in the past twenty-five years and the statistics have not changed today.
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Sutwell is an offshoot of an earlier concept which was a Top Nominee in INDEX 2005 , but it was difficult to get this concept produced without the cooperation of infant formula producers and aseptic packaging producers. Hitherto use of contaminated water for mixing infant formula, improper dosage and unhygienic handling of feeding bottles lead to death of at least 1,500,000 infant every year. To alleviate the problem, Sutwell is designed to convert aseptic packaging containing ready-to-drink infant formula or water into hygienically sound disposable feeding bottle; eliminating the tiresome process of washing and sterilizing of feeding bottles. SUTWELL is a stand-alone product which can bore its way into any flexible aseptic packaging in the market today. The first prototype was tested in Nigeria which was then refined in Denmark to obtain the prototype of what will be mass-produced soon.
One of the first prototypes for testing the concept
Every feature on the artefact is informed by the desired functionality of the product, the reality of its purpose and concern for the ultimate end user- infants. For example, then cork screw tip is for acupuncture-like piercing without spillage of any aseptic packaging containing ready-to-drink infant formula while one of the two, one-way valves prevents sucked out formula from returning into the pack, the other one-way valve prevents air from outside from bubbling through the formula which can cause colic for the fed baby.
Video images from test of early prototype of SUTWELL in Lagos-Nigeria.
Refined prototypes for SOS Infant Nursing Packs and SUTWELL
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Sutwell turns aseptic packaging into disposable feeding bottle
Sutwell is a remedy to the notorious feeding bottle related diseases that is responsible for yearly death of 1,500,000 infants worldwide, especially in the developing nations of Africa, Asia, and South America. This small device combines a suckling nipple with two one-way valves that prevents colic and assures hygienic nursing of a baby. The device is designed to be inserted into any aseptic pack of ready-to-drink breast milk substitutes, water etc and thus convert the pack into a disposable feeding bottle.
Sutwell is an offshoot of an earlier concept which was a Top Nominee in INDEX 2005, but it was difficult to get this concept produced without the cooperation of infant formula producers and aseptic packaging producers. The challenge then became how to find a simpler solution to the problem, which can be produced and marketed with a capital of $100,000 or lower. The resulting concept was prototyped and tested in Nigeria.
Research and development to find a lasting solution to the notorious feeding bottle ailments have been Hakeem’s preoccupation for over five years. Field studies had been done in West Africa, while workshops and brainstorming done in Denmark (University of Southern Denmark, LOF Sprogskole) models and prototyping was done which ended in the SOS Infant Nursing Packs concept
| SOS Nursing Packs (Simple Open Solution) to Bottle Feeding Shortcomings |
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The SOS Nursing Packs concept is our own suggested remedy to the notorious feeding bottle related diseases that is responsible for yearly death of 1,500,000 infants worldwide, especially in the developing nations of Africa, Asia, and South America. This concept proposes that breast milk substitutes (e.g. Infant formula) or water must be fed to infants within the age range of 0 to 6 months aseptically through a one-time use disposable pack. This is to prevent use of impure water and wrong measurement in the case of formula preparation. This concept is a direct approach based on the discoveries of the facts surrounding the use of breast milk substitutes against the World Health Organisations' prescription of exclusive breast feeding for the first six months of a baby's nursing. Our fieldworks revealed that 3 months is the highest permitted maternity leave of absence from work in the regions where feeding bottle related sickness is most rampant. The fact that these regions all have outside temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius all-year-round, which favours bacterial growth and thus a big challenge to the use of the conventional feeding bottles. Sterilised bottles are quickly contaminated again. Another important factor is that of poor environmental sanitation and waste management in the mostly affected regions, which leads to chemical pollution of drinking water coming from privately dug wells and bore-holes. Chemical pollutants cannot be removed by only boiling and filtering the water, or through chlorination of such water; de-ionisation will be the appropriate technique but it is too expensive and cumbersome for individuals living in these poor regions. It will be easier if this type of water is purified industrially as suggested by the SOS Nursing Packs concept. The concept also suggest the involvement of every relevant stakeholders, such as W.H.O , UNICEF , F.D.A, Paediatric researchers, government regulatory bodies, parents, etc in the formulation and regulation of the packs and the contents. This point is also hinted in the stament below:
"Believing that, in the light of the foregoing considerations, and in view of the vulnerability of infants in the early months of life and the risks involved in inappropriate feeding practices, including the unnecessary and improper use of breast-milk substitutes,the marketing of breast-milk substitutes requires special treatment, which makes usual marketing practices unsuitable for these products." - W.H.O.
Think back to the number of infants that were lost as a result of inavailabilty of food (formula) and portable water, in the most recent Tsunami and Huricane Katrina disasters, whereas with the SOS Nursing Packs concept, hygenic infant formula and drinking water could have been flown in to this area from anywhere in the world.
The SOS Nursing Packs concept takes a rather cheerful manner to present a very crucial and serious matter. the situation is ugly enough without the need for disturbing pictures, we believe-over 30,000,000 infants have died from feeding bottle related ailments from the 1980s until now and to think that the statistics remain same is appalling.
How can you help? Add your voice to make it happen! Support the SOS Nursing Packs concept or come up with a practical and effective suggestions to the problem.
| SOS SHINES IN COPENHAGEN |
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From the 23rd of september until the 10th of November, SOS Infants Nursing Packs will be on display in one of the exhibition cubes at Højbro Plads, Copenhagen.
INDEX 2005 Director (Kigge Hvid), His Royal Highness, Crown Prince of Denmark and other dignitaries at INDEX AWARD 2005.
Also from the 3rd of October, SOS posters and prototypes were featured in another design exhibition in Copenhagen, organised by Copenhagen Business School , Solbjerg Plads 3, 2000 Frederiksberg from 3 October to 14 October 2005. Below is picture of crowds at the exhibition viewing the SOS Infants Nursing Packs.
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(http://www.ddc.dk/DESIGNVIDEN/artikler/DN_07_05_index_danske_topnomineringer), but the proposed remedy can only be achieved if Infant formula producers are willing to adopt the concept. Sutwell concept eliminates the need for cooperation with either infant formula producers or aseptic packaging producers. It is a stand-alone product which can bore its way into any flexible aseptic packaging in the market today. The first prototype was tested in Nigeria which was then refined in Denmark to obtain the prototype of what will be mass-produced soon.
Functionallity and use of design:
Sutwell will be employed for hygienic, stress-free nursing of bottle-fed infants, because it will convert disposable aseptic pack of ready-to-drink infant formula into disposable feeding bottle. One only need to warm the ready-to-drink formula, insert Sutwell and feed it to a baby.
| The Future is here now! |
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The concept of disposable infant nursing packs may seem somehow futuristic, but we believe that the future starts today. we will continue to strive to push the limits of design possibilities in this area until the problem is solved to arrest death of millions of babies every year.
| The Parts and the Whole are inseperable |
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Bringing together three major fronts:
- Humanitarian gestures
- Academic, Research Methodologies and Theories
- The Industry (Commercial values)
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