When most people think about humanitarian health work, images of medicine arriving in trucks or airplanes come to mind. But the journey is just as critical, particularly with medicines that require consistent temperatures. Medicines, including specialty treatments and insulin, must arrive in safe, stable, and usable condition . That depends on foundational systems most people take for granted, but which take great effort and investment every step of the way.

If a vaccine falls outside its required temperature range on the way to a patient, it can lose its potency and become unusable. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 50% of vaccines are wasted each year due to cold chain failures, costing billions and leaving millions vulnerable.…