Books of Hope fills a unique niche in complementing vital global health interventions.
The Challenge
- One of the key gaps in many global health programs is effective consumer education.
- Low literacy is a major problem that seriously reduces the effectiveness of health care literature and educational material.
- In-person trainers are both expensive and difficult to come by as health personnel are increasingly scarce in developing countries.
The Innovation
- Books of Hope produces an interactive speaking book that can be seen, read and heard.
- A speaking book has culturally appropriate illustrations, supported by easy-to-understand text in the local language, and a corresponding push button that triggers a recorded sound track of the text.
- A speaking book can be developed on many different health topics and is generally used in combination with other health interventions or programs.
- Examples of current books include: Living with HIV and AIDS, Living Free of TB and Moving against Malaria.
- Speaking Books are more effective than traditional health education pamphlets, more cost-effective and scaleable than in-person health trainers, and more accessible than TV and Internet in communities without regular access to electricity or telecommunications.
The Impact
- Books of Hope has been gaining major sales traction among large players in the global health community
- As new initiatives in malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS are rolled out, speaking books are an attractive complement to existing global health programs.
- Speaking books have potential synergies with many of Acumen Fund's current and future health and water investments that can be complemented by cost-effective customer education.