Dear colleagues -
As many of you are already aware, New Horizons will be concluding our operations by end of this year. To minimize disruption to countries and partners, we have worked diligently over the past months to identify and transition a variety of critical tools and workstreams to other partners, who can carry these efforts in the future. Today, I’m pleased to share an update on the future stewardship of Varo and Pogo LT.
Background
New Horizons developed Varo and Pogo LT to address gaps in cold chain equipment (CCE) monitoring in low-resource settings. Varo is an Android mobile application that enables users to download data from temperature loggers, generate CCE status reports, and share these reports with other users via email. Pogo LT is a web application that generates aggregate CCE performance reports from Varo-collected data.
These tools have been developed continuously since 2018, in alignment with the Varo ethos statement. Varo was originally created to unlock the value of temperature and alarm data being collected by widely deployed 30DTR loggers. Over the years, Varo and Pogo LT have been extended to support temperature monitoring devices from multiple suppliers and, more recently, to support next-generation EMS loggers. These tools were not developed as an alternative to commercial RTMD offerings, but in recognition that many devices are not connected but the right toolset can enable users to collect and share this critical CCE performance data. When used together, Varo and Pogo LT provide a foundation to enable effective cold chain monitoring using only freely available tools. As we see it, Varo and Pogo LT will provide increasing impact in coming years, especially considering the continued ubiquity of 30DTR loggers and the upcoming introduction of next-generation EMS CCE.
Looking to the future
At the beginning of Q3 2025, New Horizons contacted a number of highly qualified organizations in the global health ecosystem to solicit interest in taking ownership of Varo and Pogo LT. In response, we received a number of excellent proposals. After careful consideration of all submissions, it is my pleasure to announce that New Horizons has transferred ownership of Varo and PogoLT to a newly established 501(c)(3) organization, operating under the name The Varo Foundation. The team behind The Varo Foundationincludes the longtime Varo technical product lead and a senior global health leader with 25 years of global health leadership experience. This team combines deep technical expertise, including existing fluency with the tools, with decades of programmatic leadership in global health. They are ideally positioned to sustain these tools for today – and enhance them for tomorrow.
It has been a great pleasure for me to contribute to the development of Varo and Pogo LT over many years. On behalf of New Horizons, I want to extend our sincere thanks to all partners who have contributed to Varo and Pogo LT. We owe special thanks to Ernest Some (National Cold Chain Officer, DVI / MOPH&S, Kenya); Hendrik Jan Harbers (Berlinger & Co. AG); Tahir Buhari and Mohammed Sani Lawal (eHealth Africa, Nigeria); and Janetrix Maindi and Wilberforce Kongo (Pemmado Limited, Kenya) for their inspiration, feedback, ideas, and steady partnership since the earliest days of these tools.
I have notified the The Varo Foundation team about this message. I expect that they will follow up with more details, especially to clarify impacts to current or future users and to outline their vision for the products going forward.
Warmest regards,
Benson Miller
Thank you, Benson, for the introduction and thank you to all the partners he named who have shaped Varo and Pogo LT from their very earliest days. My name is Bentley Cook, and I am writing on behalf of The Varo Foundation. It is a privilege for our team to take on the stewardship of these tools and to build on the strong foundation created by New Horizons and the global community.
For the past six years, I have served as a technical product lead for Varo and Pogo LT. During that time, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with New Horizons and to hear first-hand from users across the world who rely on these tools every day. Those stories, from county technicians to national cold chain officers, are what inspire us to continue strengthening the Varo ecosystem.
Looking ahead: Varo 2.0
Over the past several months, we have been focused on a major update to the Varo mobile app. Varo began as a proof-of-concept that grew quickly as new features were added. As a result, some parts of the app became difficult to update or improve. To set Varo up for long-term sustainability, we rebuilt the app with a modern, more reliable foundation.
Today, we are opening Varo 2.0 for beta testing. The core workflow remains exactly the same: connect a logger, enter key details, generate and email a Varo report.
What’s new is under the hood; Varo 2.0 is designed to be faster, more stable, and easier to maintain in the years ahead. If you would like to participate in the beta, you may sign up here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1R3tJPksWm2XFzaUqPK6ap-3qb_cdHBQSnXS_2cPBmQc/edit
Strengthening governance and community guidance
In the coming year, we will establish a steering committee to help guide the strategic direction of Varo and Pogo LT. There is a long list of potential improvements we could pursue, and we want to ensure we are prioritizing the features and capabilities that matter most to countries and partners. We intend for this committee to include:
- long-standing Varo champions
- partners implementing Varo within MoH-led programs
- cold chain device manufacturers engaged in expanding compatibility
Improving documentation, training, and support
We are also developing a new suite of documentation and training materials to better support implementation. Our goal is to make it easier for partners to introduce Varo and Pogo LT to new country settings, accelerate onboarding, and strengthen routine cold chain monitoring using these free, widely-accessible tools.
Our commitment
The Varo Foundation is committed to keeping Varo and Pogo LT free, open, and easy to use, in alignment with the Varo ethos that has guided development since the beginning. Our mission is to sustain these tools for the long term and ensure they continue to provide meaningful value as next-generation of cold chain equipment becomes more widely deployed.
Most importantly: we are here, and we want to hear from you.
If you have questions, feedback, or ideas for collaboration, please reach out anytime at [email protected]
Warm regards,
Bentley Cook
The Varo Foundation
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