Humanitarian

Eco-Humanitarian

Our Eco-Humanitarian approach starts with safe water, local context and responsible hydration access. A product only helps when the system around it works.

Children gathering around a communal clean-water tap in Tanzania
Safe water comes firstAny powdered hydration product depends on safe preparation water and hygienic handling.
Use the right oral rehydration solutionDiarrhoeal dehydration requires an appropriately formulated oral rehydration solution and clinical escalation when severe.
Design for the systemCost, packaging, climate, supply chain, local training and waste all affect whether an intervention works at scale.

Oral rehydration salts for a brighter tomorrow

Use the right solution for the problem

World Health Organization reduced-osmolarity oral rehydration salts (ORS) are a defined therapeutic formulation for diarrhoeal dehydration. The current Best Hydrate consumer product is not represented as equivalent to therapeutic ORS.

Field pilot · Botswana · May 2026

A small first step from humanitarian intent to field delivery

In May 2026, Best Hydrate completed a small community distribution pilot in Botswana, coordinated locally by Oratile in Gaborone and the Goodhope area. A limited amount of Best Hydrate hydration product, together with printed preparation and use guidance, was delivered to community recipients.

With consent from the local coordinator and photographed recipients, the pilot was documented through field photos and video. The experience provided practical learning around local coordination, transport, clear preparation instructions, respectful documentation and last-mile delivery.

This was not a clinical study and no treatment or health outcomes were measured. It was a real-world first step toward learning how future Best Hydrate community and humanitarian hydration initiatives can be delivered responsibly.

Thank you to Oratile for helping coordinate Best Hydrate's first Botswana field-learning effort.

Field photos · Botswana · May 2026

Botswana field photos

Community delivery, preparation guidance and field context.

Community participants with Best Hydrate product and preparation guidance during the Botswana field pilot
Community participants with product and printed guidance.
Community participants with printed preparation guidance during the Botswana field pilot
Preparation guidance shared during the pilot.
Printed preparation guidance and Best Hydrate product during the Botswana field pilot
Printed preparation guidance used during field distribution.
Best Hydrate field pilot near Goodhope, Botswana
Goodhope area, Botswana.
Best Hydrate field pilot in Pitsane, Botswana
Pitsane, Botswana.

Design for deployment

Five questions before a humanitarian product leaves the warehouse

Is the water safe?

Preparation instructions are only meaningful if safe water is reliably available.

Is the formulation appropriate?

Therapeutic ORS requires the correct composition, authorization and evidence for the intended clinical use.

Can people prepare it correctly?

Serving size, language, literacy, measuring tools and package design affect real-world accuracy.

Can supply be sustained?

Procurement, storage, transport, shelf stability, local partners and replenishment all shape impact.

Eco-humanitarian design

Reduce waste without compromising safe use

Packaging weight and waste matter at scale, but reductions cannot compromise moisture protection, stability, dosing accuracy or clear instructions.

Partnership model

Build with communities and technical partners

Local implementation

Partners understand language, distribution, community trust and operating constraints that cannot be designed from a distant office.

Research and evaluation

Pilots should predefine safety, preparation accuracy, acceptability, access, waste and relevant health or implementation outcomes.

Research & Impact →

Humanitarian partnerships

Use partnerships to connect formulation, procurement, safe water, sanitation and hygiene, training and delivery rather than simply donating product.

Community & Humanitarian Partnerships →

Next

Choose the next step.

Best Hydrate’s Eco-Humanitarian work is small and developing. Partnership and research conversations should stay grounded in safe water, local implementation and transparent evidence.

Partnership Inquiry Research & Impact

Selected references

  1. WHO. Oral Rehydration Salts: Production of the New ORS.
  2. WHO. Cholera fact sheet.
  3. WHO. Infection prevention and control, water, sanitation and hygiene in health emergencies.
  4. UNICEF. Water, sanitation and hygiene in emergencies.

Therapeutic diarrhoeal dehydration management should follow appropriate public-health and clinical guidance. The current Best Hydrate consumer product is not represented here as WHO therapeutic ORS.