100 Day Challenge Week 13

We are already in week 13! It is clear that the fight against the coronavirus is a marathon, not a sprint. We continue to see companies thinking about how to reopen the economy in a safe manner, people that are donating to families in need and institutions in search of a remedy.

I am glad to share with you some stories from around the globe. I publish daily on my blog ‘100 day challenge’ and I’m sending you a weekly summary. By clicking on the underlined text, you can read the full story.

Juunoo from Kortrijk, Belgium is developing reusable wall systems, which makes it possible to organize and divide spaces in a flexible way. As schools in Belgium are open again there is a great demand for flexible walls and dividers. Schools that invest now in a Juunoo wall can sell it back to Juunoo once the pandemic is under control and the walls are no longer needed.

Zorabots from Oostende, Belgium is lending its James robot free of charge to retirement homes and healthcare professionals. Unlike tablets and smartphones, the James robot is mobile and voice activated so it can go from room to room and enable patients to make video calls without requiring any contact. Zorabots also launched the Cruzr robot, which can be used for mass temperature screening, monitoring patient status, and keeping medical records of Covid-19 patients.

Friends of Soccer Dreamers Brazil, a Silicon Valley based non-profit organization, commits to the education of underserved children in Brazil. FSD strives to reduce public school dropouts in Brazil through soccer after school programs. With schools closed due to pandemic, children in Brazil are undernourished and falling behind in school, which directly impacts their growth and strength to overcome poverty. FSD and their sponsors are assisting 450 families in Brazil with food supply and masks.

The Worlds’ 50 Best Restaurants organization has launched the online auction “Bid for Recovery”. It is one of the largest international fundraising initiatives of its kind. The auction will take place from 3-12 July and offers food and travel enthusiasts the opportunity to bid for out-of-this-world gastronomic experiences donated by the restaurants, bars, chefs, bartenders, and partner brands linked to 50 Best. An e-cookbook entitled “Home Comforts: simple lockdown recipes from the world’s best chefs and bartenders” will be offered to the public for download on 1st July in exchange for a $10 donation to the Recovery Fund.

Lopos from Ghent, Belgium launched the Lopos Safe Distance Wearable. The wearable device automatically measures and reports distance between employees and gives a warning through an audible or haptic alarm, when they are violating the social distancing guidelines while approaching each other. Employees can easily carry the wearable via a clip on the hip or a lanyard. The solution guarantees absolute privacy of the user.

Iqvia, a life sciences analytics company from Connecticut, USA has created an online clinical trial matching system. The Covid-19 Trial Matching Tool is designed to help match individual patients with specific clinical trials of treatments and vaccines for Covid19. The solution will accelerate phase I-IV clinical research trials by connecting users to the researchers.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is committing to help fight the pandemic. Since its creation in 2000, the foundation has spent over $40 billion on global development and public health programs such as the fight against diseases like malaria and polio. The Foundation announced that it will now give its total attention to the Covid 19 pandemic.