GMK Birch - production complete, vendors now shipping!

With the success of GMK Birch, I've wanted to use my platform to give back to people for some time. I have a few updates on this effort.

We live in a time where folks all across the world are racing to distribute and administer vaccines to protect our most vulnerable people from COVID-19. This terrible disease has shaken our families, friends, workplaces, economies and governments. Insofar as keysets, keyboards, and artisans can bring together a diverse collection of people to power through these trying times, keebs are awesome.

I'd like to ask you all to join me in leveraging that community for a more fundamental issue in vaccine distribution. Most countries agree on the power of vaccines, but this is not necessarily true across the world. Vaccines are only effective if broadly adopted, but in countries like Nigeria they are not yet fully accepted by the population. A full 40% of under-five deaths in Nigeria could have been prevented by the vaccines my one-year old child easily receives in the United States: PENTA, OPV for polio, Hepatitis B, MCV for measles, etc.

The effort focuses on improving the availability of commonly-administered vaccines by fundraising on behalf of New Incentives. New Incentives provides conditional cash payments to families in northwest Nigeria who vaccinate their children. GiveWell rates New Incentives with very high marks, as a non-profit which uses its funds effectively to dramatically improve the lives of people. In this case, $11 can ensure a single child receives a series of vaccines which will significantly increase their odds of surviving past the age of five.