“VacciBox was designed with our local challenges in mind. It’s versatile, reliable and localized.” With those words, Kenyan mechanical engineer Norah Magero captured the essence of an idea that would soon redefine access to healthcare across rural Africa.
Born in Kisumu and trained at the University of Nairobi, Norah watched firsthand the crushing impact of cold chain failure, especially when her newborn daughter’s vaccines risked spoilage due to unreliable electricity. Yet, her journey began even earlier, when a prototype fridge designed for dairy farmers in Makueni sparked her vision. It wasn’t long before the specter of COVID-19 exposed the true scale of the problem: without consistent refrigeration, vaccines became worthless, and lives were threatened.
What she built became known as the VacciBox, a rugged 40 liter solar and battery powered portable fridge that fits on a bicycle, motorbike, boat or simply rolls on wheels. Equipped with a thermostat, digital thermometer, remote monitoring via a smart device, and a cellphone charging USB port, it ensures vaccines, blood, oxytocin, and other temperature sensitive medicines stay safe, even where power cuts are a daily reality.
In 2022, Norah earned the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, becoming the first Kenyan and second woman ever to win it, securing funds to scale her creation. By early 2025, Drop Access, the startup she co-founded, was already supporting over 100 rural clinics, deploying hundreds of VacciBoxes to safely transport more than 700,000 human and animal vaccines, while directly benefiting an estimated 250,000 people.
Real world results affirm its impact. In Kajiado and Merrueshi, clinics tell of vaccine spoilage once a regular occurrence. Now, with VacciBoxes, health workers confidently cross rough terrain, knowing shots will remain potent and data on temperature and stock is just a tap away. In Ipokia, Nigeria, solar vaccine fridges serve as a blueprint for similar transformative effects across Africa.
Norah’s approach was always rooted in community and purpose. She chose local manufacturing to avoid logistical failures and high costs tied to imported equipment, sometimes handed down as inefficient outdated hardware. Instead, VacciBox is Kenya born, resilient, and tailored to harsh realities. “Involving the community you’re targeting is crucial… understanding their needs and preferences helps ensure your product will succeed,” she reflects.
She’s also a champion for women in STEM. As a TED Fellow and YALI alumna, Norah uses her platform to mentor fellow innovators and encourage girls to see themselves at the vanguard of technological and social change.
But Norah refuses to rest on her laurels. Her team aims for WHO prequalification and plans to scale VacciBox across at least 17 African countries, projecting to serve 40 million people annually and reach over six million dollars in revenue within four years. Meanwhile, they’re developing larger models and refining their app into a region wide logistics and stock management system.
In the end, VacciBox represents more than a piece of equipment, it is a vessel of hope. In Norah’s vision, a vaccine is not simply a needle: it is a promise of survival, health, and dignity. By putting that promise within a child’s reach across villages, rivers, and borders, she is literally and symbolically bringing cool hope to the communities that need it most.
