Infant Incubator Project
In many rural hospitals across Africa, premature babies struggle to survive. Though incubators have been donated from abroad, some sit broken and unused. Replacement parts are expensive, hard to import, and require technicians who are unavailable. For these small babies, the lack of working equipment often means the difference between life and death.
One local doctor in east Africa refused to be discouraged. Using plexiglass, simple wooden frames made of 2x4s, and basic electronics, he built his own incubator. It wasn’t fancy, but it worked! When he reached out to ITEC and asked for help to make the design stronger and easier to share, our engineering team stepped up. Together, we’ve been refining it so the incubator can be carried flat in a suitcase, assembled on-site, and repaired with locally available parts—or even 3D printed parts, if needed.
Right now, the incubator is preparing to go through safety testing here before being sent to the field. Once it arrives in select hospitals, local doctors and nurses will give feedback on how it works in real-life conditions, as well as what needs to be improved and how it can best serve them. ITEC is leading in the design of the incubator and another ministry will be handling the manufacturing. Lord willing, after these adjustments, the design will be ready to share with many more hospitals across Africa, giving more premature babies the care they need.
This project reflects the mission and vision of ITEC—coming alongside indigenous Christ followers around the world to meet real needs and open doors for the Gospel. When local believers are equipped with tools that are effective for their context, it provides a natural opportunity to offer physical assistance and opens the door to share the Gospel. To learn more about our Develop team, visit itecusa.org.