WASHINGTON and INGELHEIM, Germany, December 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Three winners whose solutions are tackling today's most pressing health problems have emerged from Making More Health: Achieving Individual, Family and Community Well-being, a competition hosted by Ashoka Changemakers and Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies.

The winners' innovations describe new health care delivery models for extremely impoverished communities, the novel use of local human resources to expand the capacity of medical clinics, and holistic approaches to sustainable health. The public voted to select the three winners from a field of finalists chosen by a panel of expert judges. The judges included Aman Bhandari of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Carol A. Dahl, executive director of The Lemelson Foundation, and Prof. Andreas Barner, chairman of the board of managing directors for Boehringer Ingelheim. More than 470 entries were received from 82 countries.

"Creating more health for individuals, families and communities requires new strategies and fresh ways of thinking," said Prof. Andreas Barner, chairman of the Board of Managing Directors for Boehringer Ingelheim. "I'm impressed by the quality of the innovations participating in this competition. Being able to identify initiatives of this caliber is an important asset for the health field."

The online competition is part of a three-year global initiative led by Ashoka Changemakers and Boehringer Ingelheim to identify and support innovations from around the world that transform the field of health to sustainably increase individual, family, and community well-being.

"The Making More Health competition is a first step toward achieving greater impact in health and health care globally," added Diana Wells, president of Ashoka. "We are delighted that Boehringer Ingelheim has chosen to engage in a three-year partnership to continue its support of social entrepreneurs with the unique creativity and drive to take on such an imperative global issue."

Each winner will receive a prize of US $10,000. The winners are:

• ColaLife: Piggybacking Simple Medicines on Cola Supply Chains, to Save Lives in Underserved Rural Areas in Africa, Zambia
• Saude Crianca: Holistic Health Solutions for Families in Favelas, Brazil
• Unite For Sight, Ghana

About Boehringer Ingelheim

The Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 145 affiliates and more than 42,000 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

As a central element of its culture, Boehringer Ingelheim pledges to act socially responsible. Involvement in social projects, caring for employees and their families, and providing equal opportunities for all employees form the foundation of the global operations. Mutual cooperation and respect, as well as environmental protection and sustainability are intrinsic factors in all of Boehringer Ingelheim's endeavors.

In 2010, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 12.6 billion euro while spending almost 24% of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development.

http://boehringer-ingelheim.com

About Ashoka Changemakers®

Ashoka Changemakers is a community of action that connects social entrepreneurs around the globe to share ideas, inspire, and mentor each other. Through its online collaborative competitions and open-source process, Changemakers.com is one of the world's most robust spaces for launching, discussing, and funding ideas to solve the world's most pressing social problems. Changemakers builds on Ashoka's three-decade history and belief that we all have the ability to be a Changemaker.

http://www.Changemakers.com

For more information contact: Victoria Emanuelli
Community Manager
Ashoka's Changemakers
vemanuelli@ashoka.org
Tel: +54-11-43220567

SOURCE Ashoka Changemakers