Sometimes we send expensive and complicated equipment to poor countries and then find them broken or unused after a while. A solution is not real solution unless it's suitable for the recipients. Case in point: baby incubators that cost over $100,000 each but require careful maintenance and adjustments.
Design that Matters is developing a baby incubator made from car parts that can be found in all countries: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/neonurtures-car-parts-baby-incubator/?_r=0 The story goes that the doctor who was frustrated at the broken expensive baby incubator noticed that even in the poorest countries, locals have figured out how to fix cars and keep their cars running. So he built a baby incubator using Toyota parts he found at the local car shop. That has lead to an effort to create a system so non-standard car parts can be turned into baby incubators.
