Country of Residence
South Africa
Age
19
Project title
Pulop
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Pulop is a social enterprise that makes access to chronic medication easier for underserved communities through affordable medication delivery, SMS reminders, and locally employed delivery agents.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
www.pulop.co.za
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Pilot-Stage (We’ve tried an activity or two)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
The spark behind Pulop came from realizing how much time, money, and energy people in underserved communities spend travelling to clinics and waiting in long queues to collect their chronic medication. My “Aha!” moment came after speaking to 20 clinic patients and discovering that 15 were willing to try a medication delivery service. That showed me there was a real need for a solution that could bring medication closer to people while creating employment opportunities for local delivery agents. I realized that by combining affordable deliveries with simple USSD ordering and SMS updates, Pulop could make medication access more convenient, reliable, and accessible to the communities that need it most.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Pulop addresses the challenge of accessing chronic medication, particularly in underserved communities where patients often spend hours in clinic queues and money on transport just to collect their medication. This can cause people to miss work, school, or other important responsibilities, while making consistent access to treatment more difficult. This problem matters to me because access to essential medication should not depend on where someone lives or how much money they have. Through Pulop, I want to make medication delivery more affordable and accessible while creating employment opportunities for people in local communities.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Pulop aims to make chronic medication more accessible by delivering medication directly to patients in underserved communities, reducing the time and transport costs associated with collecting it from clinics. We plan to use USSD for ordering and SMS notifications to keep patients informed, making the service accessible even to those without smartphones or internet access. By working with local delivery agents, Pulop also aims to create employment opportunities while building a convenient, affordable, and community-centred medication delivery service.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Pulop is still in its early stages, but our initial research has helped us validate the need for a more accessible medication delivery service. We spoke to 20 clinic patients, of whom 15 expressed willingness to try the service, giving us encouraging feedback on the problem we aim to solve. As we move towards piloting Pulop, our intended impact is to reduce the time and money patients spend collecting chronic medication, improve convenience and continuity of access to treatment, and create income-generating opportunities for local delivery agents. Ultimately, we want to help build healthier, more empowered communities where accessing essential medication is easier and more affordable.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Pulop stands out by combining affordable, community-based medication delivery with simple technology that does not require a smartphone or internet access. Unlike solutions that rely heavily on apps or established delivery infrastructure, Pulop aims to use USSD ordering and SMS updates to reach patients in underserved communities, including areas that may be difficult to navigate using conventional mapping services. Our model also prioritizes employing local delivery agents who understand their communities. By combining accessibility, affordability, and local job creation, Pulop aims to bring essential medication closer to the people who need it most.
How many people are on your team?
2
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Pulop is led by a founding team that works together to turn our vision into a practical and sustainable solution. I lead the overall vision, strategy, research, and development of the business, while my co-founder contributes to building and advancing the project. We share leadership by discussing key decisions, contributing ideas, and working towards common goals, with responsibilities divided according to our strengths. As we grow, we aim to build a collaborative team that values accountabilit
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Our next step is to launch a small pilot in Diepsloot to test Pulop’s medication delivery model, understand patients’ needs, and gather feedback. We plan to secure the necessary permissions, establish partnerships with relevant pharmacies and healthcare stakeholders, and test our USSD ordering and SMS notification systems. Using the pilot results, we will refine our pricing, operations, and delivery processes before expanding to more patients and communities. In the long term, we aim to build a sustainable, scalable social enterprise that improves access to chronic medication while creating employment opportunities for local delivery agents.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I’m building Pulop to make access to chronic medication easier and more affordable for underserved communities while creating employment opportunities for local people. We’re still in the early stages, but we’ve identified a real problem and are working towards testing a solution that could make a meaningful difference. I’m looking for passionate, committed people who believe in this mission and want to contribute their skills, ideas, and energy to building something that matters. If you’re interested in using your talents to create social impact, I’d love to connect and explore how we could work together.
