the cardboard beds ease burden on ngos for disaster relief

 

Accelerated by the UNICEF Lab program, start-up Humanitaria has introduced a time-efficient and economic cardboard bed designed to provide relief for humanitarian emergencies. Boasting a five second assembly time without the need for any tools and costing only a fraction of traditional alternatives, the bed is 100% recyclable and biodegradable, and ensures immediate aid within the first 24 hours of an emergency — the threshold that makes the difference between the success or failure of an operation.

 

With it, Humanitaria applies for the first time the concepts of specialization and super-efficiency to humanitarian equipment, the daily tool of social sector organizations, and one of the biggest expenses that every NGO faces annually, exceeding 40% of their annual budget. The initial deployment of the beds will be tested in upcoming rescue operations organized by Catalunya’s Red Cross this autumn, as the team continues to produce up to 24,000 units per day.

humanitaria’s biodegradable cardboard beds assemble in five seconds for emergency relief
all images courtesy of Humanitaria

 

 

humanitaria reduces response time & cost for emergency aid

 

Humanitaria provides two solutions to the frequent challenges that NGOs face in a humanitarian emergency: the time it takes to react to an emergency and the financial cost. Traditional humanitarian beds, each often priced between €100 and €200, can take up to 20 minutes to assemble and face challenges in large-scale transportation. In contrast, as Juan Sanz, CEO and co-founder of the project explains, Humanitaria’s cardboard bed costs approximately €16,000 for 1,000 units, which can be shipped folded by plane, and set up in a mere 20 minutes. Safe and resistant, the beds additionally support up to 350 kilograms of weight, well above the 150 kilograms that support the usual models used by NGOs.

‘By reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of the equipment, we make it accessible to as many organizations as possible, who will be able to help more people. We are just one part of a whole,’ notes Sanz.

humanitaria’s biodegradable cardboard beds assemble in five seconds for emergency relief
Humanitaria reduces reaction time emergencies alongside costs

humanitaria’s biodegradable cardboard beds assemble in five seconds for emergency relief
the cardboard beds can be assembled within five seconds without the need for any tools

humanitaria’s biodegradable cardboard beds assemble in five seconds for emergency relief
the initial deployment will be tested in upcoming rescue operations organized by Catalunya’s Red Cross this autumn

a cardboard bed for humanitarian emergencies that can be assembled in five seconds and only costs a tenth of the price 6
fafe and resistant, the beds support up to 350 kilograms of weight

a cardboard bed for humanitarian emergencies that can be assembled in five seconds and only costs a tenth of the price 6
the units can be shipped folded by plane in large quantities

 

 

project info:

 

name: Cardboard bed for humanitarian emergencies
designer: Humanitaria

 

 

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom