SAM PHOTO app by Action Against Hunger, a finalist in Fast Company's 2023 Ideas That Change the World awards
Action Against Hunger has been awarded for its app that can save lives, as it provides healthcare workers and parents with a faster and more effective way of detecting child malnutrition.
With a simple photo, the app compares the silhouette of a healthy child with that of the child being examined, which avoids human error and provides a more accurate and detailed view of the child's nutritional status. It eliminates the need for health workers to carry cumbersome scales and heavy height charts from one community to another, comparing weight, height and arm circumference with complex data tables, a time-consuming and error-prone process.
Named SAM PHOTO, it has been designed to meet the urgent need to detect severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Almost 75% of malnourished children do not receive the help they need, with delayed diagnosis being one of the most significant obstacles.
This new tool, designed for poor rural areas with no internet connection, low literacy levels and the most basic Android phones, promises to screen more children more quickly, opening the door to affordable, life-saving treatments with a cure rate of over 90%.
“Our long-term vision is that all parents will be able to check the nutritional status of their children at home as easily as parents in richer countries can check a child's temperature,” said Laura Medialdea Marcos, Principal Investigator of the SAM PHOTO Project in the R&D department of Action Against Hunger. “This tool could also be very valuable for community health workers, people who provide itinerant health support in countries that have less structured or less well-resourced health systems. Ultimately, it could change the paradigm of how the world examines and diagnoses malnutrition.”
ABOUT THE AWARDS IDEAS THAT CHANGE THE WORLD
The Ideas That Change the World Awards, granted by Fast Company, recognize sustainable designs, innovative products, bold social initiatives and other creative projects that are changing the way we work, live and interact with the world.
A jury made up of Fast Company editors and journalists selected the winners and finalists from more than 2,200 entries in the fields of urban design, education, nature, politics, technology, corporate social responsibility and other areas. The seventh annual awards also include entries from around the world, from Italy to Singapore to New Zealand, recognizing creative solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. The winners will be featured in the spring 2023 issue of Fast Company, on newsstands May 9, 2023.
“It's exciting to see the creativity and innovation that abound among this year's winners,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. ”While it's easy to feel discouraged by the state of the world, the entrepreneurs, companies, and nonprofits featured in this category show the limitless potential for addressing society's most pressing problems. Our journalists have highlighted some of the most interesting and impactful work being done today—from housing to equity to sustainability—and we look forward to seeing not only how these projects evolve, but also how they inspire others to develop their own solutions.”
Action Against Hunger has launched large-scale pilot projects for SAM PHOTO in Senegal, and is actively working to expand the program to other countries, initially focusing on high-need areas in South Asia and Central America.
SAM PHOTO has been chosen as one of the five finalist ideas in the Technology for the Developing World category and previously won Gold at the Anthem 2023 Awards.
