IRC Announces New Crowdsolving Challenge to Improve Access to Contraception for Displaced Women and Girls

New York, NY , August 14, 2024 - The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is launching a new crowdsolving challenge in partnership with Wazokuand Seafreight Labs. This challenge is called "Autonomous Contraception Dispensing Stations" and is aimed at improving access to contraception for displaced women and girls specifically beyond facility-based care or other health provider settings.

This latest challenge has an award pool of $15,000 for proposed solutions that create autonomous contraception dispensing stations in convenient physical locations along migratory routes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 135 million migrant women and children were on the move globally in 2020, many fleeing crises and facing significant barriers to clinical care. Access to contraception is a critical issue, as multiple barriers often prevent these women and girls and others from obtaining the proven, safe products to avoid unintended pregnancies.

This crowdsolving challenge is explicitly seeking solutions that address the following barriers to sustainable, dependable contraception availability along migratory routes:

• Technological:Solutions that allow women to know what contraceptive methods they are eligible for based on an autonomous medical screening, supports various payment methods, and includes internal stock tracking and alerting for product management.
• Practical/Mechanical:Solutions that keep contraceptive products at recommended temperatures, can function in remote locations, prevent theft, and can be operated by women and girls on the move without help.
• Behavioral:Solutions that take into consideration the user's need for discretion and privacy, take into account that users are on the move, and provide a description of how a typical woman on the move would engage with the machine.

Solutions for this challenge will be accepted until 23:59 ET on October 20, 2024.