#HackEbolaNYU: Finding Solutions to There Is No Limit Foundation’s Ebola Response

11.04.2014 Patricia Mars

On Saturday, November 1st and Sunday, November 2nd, 2014, There Is No Limit Foundation partnered with the Greenhouse and Design Tinkering Club at the New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering (NYU Poly) to gather technologists, makers, hackers, designers, activists, coders and medical experts to work on implementable solutions to address the Ebola outbreak currently in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and threatening the rest of the world.

The event was hosted at the Regna Lounge at NYU Poly.  Participants were asked to focus on two key Ebola response challenges: (1) boosting tracking and communication for faster resource mobilization and outbreak tracking and  (2) promoting care-seeking by ensuring that communities accurate and actionable information about Ebola prevention and treatment.

On Saturday, Aissata M.B. Camara (Co-founder and Executive President, There Is No Limit Foundation), started the event by sharing the work There Is No Limit Foundation has done in response to the Ebola virus Disease outbreak. She said, “the number of cases are more than just numbers, they are people. They are our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends. These people were loved. Try to visualize 10 dead people, now simply imagine 100 dead people. It is important that we end the Ebola outbreak. A few decades from now we will all look back and we will be judged by what we did or did not do”.  She also shared information about the challenges faced in the field.

Participants worked in groups all day Sunday to design solutions in consultation with Aissata.  Ideas created included SMS tracking, informational t-shirts, visual pamphlets and redesigned care and prevention kits. The Greene House announced it generous donation of  $1,500 to prototype the ideas; the funds will be shared equally between three groups.