Negative space,
positive impact.
Kit Yamoyo, ColaLife
The challenge
In developing countries like Zambia, 1 in 7 children die before their 5th birthday from preventable causes such as dehydration due to diarrhoea. This is almost 14 times higher than high income countries.
Our approach
The primary issue is not the cost of these medicines but their lack of availability. Coca-Cola’s strength lies in its supply chain, which can reach even the most remote areas. Simon Berry, co-founder of ColaLife, posed the question, "Can we use this as a springboard to saving lives?".
Structural branded packaging
Innovation and consumer experience
Sustainability and engineering
"[At a charity event] I stood up and said "We had an idea but we've no idea how to implement [it]". Half an hour later Chris Griffin [of PI] came up to me and said, "I think we can help" and the rest is history."
Simon Berry, OBE
ColaLife, co-founder
In just 4 steps, Kit Yamoyo's innovative solution treats the deadly effects of dehydration.
The original design relied on a robust, patented, wedge-shaped, vacuum formed, recycled PET container that was small enough to fit within the unused space of Coca-Cola crates whilst holding everything you need to treat dehydration.
Award winning,
simple, smart design.
Kit Yamoyo has received many awards since its inception culminating in 2024 when the Young V&A introduced Kit Yamoyo into its 'Design Responds To Our Needs' exhibition. Kit Yamoyo is now part of the V&A's permanent collection.
Make it locally, improve penetration, save more lives.
Internal reviews revealed that only a small percentage of retailers (4%) used the crate space to transport the kit, highlighting that this aspect of the innovative packaging was a feature rather than a benefit. In response, we developed the screw-top variant, which is 40% cheaper than the original packaging and can now be produced in Zambia. The flexi-pack offers an even more affordable solution, maintaining nearly all of its functionality while enhancing sales penetration.
Original concept
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
The key to reducing child mortality is increasing the number of children who get the right treatment. In Zambia, this rose from less than 1% when our work started to 34% in 2018.
Since then, in an effort to globalise this impact, ColaLife led a successful effort to get co-packaged ORS and Zinc added to the WHO's Essential Medicines List.
