From 12th May to 19th May 2024, National Innovation Centre with financial support of Jyoti Bikash Bank Ltd. installed 5 units of “Nyano Nani” in the rural Karnali region of Nepal. Jyoti Bikash Bank Limited (JBBL) stands out among Nepalese banks for its active engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives aimed at fostering positive societal changes which align with National Innovation Centre’s aim to address resource gaps in rural areas of Nepal through locally designed and developed innovations.

National Innovation Centre conducted a thorough need assessment and identified five needy health institutions at four different districts in Nepal including Dailekh, Kalikot, Jumla, and Mugu and donated infant radiant warmers (Nyano Nani) made by a team of innovators at the National Innovation Centre.

Our team of four from NIC and JBBL installed five Nyano Nani units and delivered engaging awareness and training programs on the operation and preventive maintenance of the warmers, aimed at enhancing neonatal care in the regions. We identified the following birthing centers across Karnali for this phase of installation.

1. Lankuri Health Post, Dungeshwor Rural Municipality, Dailekh
2. Baunnechaur Basic Health Service Centre, Dungeshwor Rural Municipality, Dailekh
3. Chilkhaya Health Post, Tilagufa Municipality, Kalikot
4. Birat Health Post, Kanaka Sundari Rural Municipality, Jumla
5. Gum Health Post, Chhayanath Rural Municipality, Mugu

Altogether, the five donated baby warmers are expected to benefit approximately 2,000 households of the region. With Nyano Nani, we were able to reach out to those unseen areas and people who are mostly affected by healthcare inequities. During our journey to Karnali we encountered many of these hard to reach areas and people who needed these resources. While it felt great being of help to these 2000 families, the void of not being able to help everyone came across remains there and the urge to do more and reach more people elevates each time.

National Innovation Centre is extremely grateful to Jyoti Bikash Bank Limited for including Nyano Nani in its CSR project and helping us bridge the healthcare gaps in these difficult to reach areas of Nepal. Together, we have already disseminated 43 Nyano Nani devices to health institutions in need. The journey of bridging healthcare gaps with the warmth of Nyano Nani continues.