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Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Dubai
DIHAD
13 – 15 March 2023

Dubai World Trade Centre

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13 – 15 March 2023

Dubai World Trade Centre

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Innovation Workshops

Home Innovation Workshops

Day 1
14 Mar 2021
Day 2
15 Mar 2021
Day 3
16 Mar 2021

DAY 1
Enhancing Food Security efforts in Sustainable Development Plan 2030 in cooperation with Partners (Muslim World League Experience 2020-2021)

Mr. Abdulrahman Al Subhi | Manager Urgent Relief

Abdulrahman
Mr. Abdulrahman Al Subhi
Manager Urgent Relief | Saudi Arabia

Muslim World League

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Enhancing Food Security efforts in Sustainable Development Plan 2030 in cooperation with Partners (Muslim World League Experience 2020-2021)

  12:00 - 13:00

Mrs. Eman H Falemban | General Manager of the Relief, Welfare and Development, Muslim World League

Eman H
Mrs. Eman H Falemban
General Manager of the Relief, Welfare and Development, Muslim World League | Saudi Arabia

Muslim World League

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Enhancing Food Security efforts in Sustainable Development Plan 2030 in cooperation with Partners (Muslim World League Experience 2020-2021)

  12:00 - 13:00

Eng. Abedulaziz Aljerboa | Director of the Department of Sustainable Development

Abedulaziz
Eng. Abedulaziz Aljerboa
Director of the Department of Sustainable Development | Saudi Arabia

Muslim World League

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Enhancing Food Security efforts in Sustainable Development Plan 2030 in cooperation with Partners (Muslim World League Experience 2020-2021)

  12:00 - 13:00

  12:00 - 13:00

Oxygen supply for humanitarian support in the time of Covid-19: Between challenges and solutions

Dr. Khalid El Sheikh | Deputy Operational Cell manager, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) France

Khalid
Dr. Khalid El Sheikh
Deputy Operational Cell manager, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) France | Germany

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) France

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Oxygen supply for humanitarian support in the time of Covid-19: Between challenges and solutions

  13:15 - 14:15

  13:15 - 14:15

Changing Lives; Education & Women Empowerment

Mr. Rushikesh Pandya | Chief Development & Operating Officer, Life Global

Rushikesh
Mr. Rushikesh Pandya
Chief Development & Operating Officer, Life Global | United Arab Emirates

Life Global

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Changing Lives; Education & Women Empowerment

  14:30 - 15:30

  14:30 - 15:30

Climate & Environmental Change and its impact on migration and displacement in MENA region

Ms. Rania Ahmed Shafi | Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), IFRC

Rania Ahmed
Ms. Rania Ahmed Shafi
Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), IFRC | United Arab Emirates

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Climate & Environmental Change and its impact on migration and displacement in MENA region

  15:45 - 16:45

  15:45 - 16:45

Private Sector Innovations for the WASH and Health Sector

Mr. Dennis Kronborg Alexandersen | General Manager & International Business Development, Bauer Resources Middle East

Dennis Kronborg
Mr. Dennis Kronborg Alexandersen
General Manager & International Business Development, Bauer Resources Middle East | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Private Sector Innovations for the WASH and Health Sector

  17:00 - 18:00

Mr. Hamed Beheshti | CEO, Member of the Board, Boreal Light GmbH

Hamed
Mr. Hamed Beheshti
CEO, Member of the Board, Boreal Light GmbH | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Private Sector Innovations for the WASH and Health Sector

  17:00 - 18:00

Mr. Philipp Staehelin | CEO & Founder, DOT Glasses

Philipp
Mr. Philipp Staehelin
CEO & Founder, DOT Glasses | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Private Sector Innovations for the WASH and Health Sector

  17:00 - 18:00

Mr. Thorsten Hanl | CEO, GCS mobile solutions GmbH

Thorsten
Mr. Thorsten Hanl
CEO, GCS mobile solutions GmbH | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Private Sector Innovations for the WASH and Health Sector

  17:00 - 18:00

Mr. Michael Walleter | Head of Sales, KTI-Plersch Kältetechnik GmbH

Michael
Mr. Michael Walleter
Head of Sales, KTI-Plersch Kältetechnik GmbH | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Private Sector Innovations for the WASH and Health Sector

  17:00 - 18:00

Mr. Adrian Letzner | Founder, LetzTest

Adrian
Mr. Adrian Letzner
Founder, LetzTest | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Private Sector Innovations for the WASH and Health Sector

  17:00 - 18:00

Mr. Zdzislaw Iwanejko | CEO, WaSH Innovation

Zdzislaw
Mr. Zdzislaw Iwanejko
CEO, WaSH Innovation | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Private Sector Innovations for the WASH and Health Sector

  17:00 - 18:00

Mr. Johann Wille | Senior Business Development Manager at Katadyn Group

Johann
Mr. Johann Wille
Senior Business Development Manager at Katadyn Group | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Monday, 2022-03-14
Private Sector Innovations for the WASH and Health Sector

  17:00 - 18:00

  17:00 - 18:00


DAY 2
Triangular Cooperation from German Perspective; New Approaches, Mechanisms and New Partners in MENA

Mr. Safa El Naser | Project Manager, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit

Safa
Mr. Safa El Naser
Project Manager, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit | United Arab Emirates

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit

Lectures by this speaker
Tuesday, 2022-03-15
Triangular Cooperation from German Perspective; New Approaches, Mechanisms and New Partners in MENA

  10:00 - 11:00

  10:00 - 11:00

Saving Lives; Thalassemia Prevention & Voluntary Blood Donation

Ms. Meetal Koticha Shah | Joint Executive Trustee, Life Global

Meetal Koticha
Ms. Meetal Koticha Shah
Joint Executive Trustee, Life Global | Pakistan

Life Global

Lectures by this speaker
Tuesday, 2022-03-15
Saving Lives; Thalassemia Prevention & Voluntary Blood Donation

  11:30 - 12:30

  11:30 - 12:30

Staff Safety in the Field: How can smartphone technology benefit humanitarian implementers?

Mr. Joseph Motley | Director EMEA,Trygg

Joseph
Mr. Joseph Motley
Director EMEA,Trygg | Norway

Innovation Norway

Lectures by this speaker
Tuesday, 2022-03-15
Staff Safety in the Field: How can smartphone technology benefit humanitarian implementers?

  12:45 - 13:05

  12:45 - 13:05

Innovative Solutions for E-waste in Humanitarian Settings

Ms. Madeleine Kjellevand | Head of Humanitarian Partnerships, BRIGHT Products AS

Madeleine
Ms. Madeleine Kjellevand
Head of Humanitarian Partnerships, BRIGHT Products AS | Norway

Innovation Norway

Lectures by this speaker
Tuesday, 2022-03-15
Innovative Solutions for E-waste in Humanitarian Settings

  13:05 - 13:25

  13:05 - 13:25

Bleve Free Composite Cylinders for Safer Cooking Solutions

Mr. Ahsif Ahamed | Sales Director, Hexagon Ragasco

Ahsif
Mr. Ahsif Ahamed
Sales Director, Hexagon Ragasco | Norway

Innovation Norway

Lectures by this speaker
Tuesday, 2022-03-15
Bleve Free Composite Cylinders for Safer Cooking Solutions

  13:25 - 13:45

  13:25 - 13:45

Learn on the Go

Mr. Eric Githinji | Academic Coordinator, Humanitarian Global

Eric
Mr. Eric Githinji
Academic Coordinator, Humanitarian Global | Kenya

Humanitarian Global - Making SDGs a Reality Through Bespoke Training Programmes

Lectures by this speaker
Tuesday, 2022-03-15
Learn on the Go

  14:00 - 15:00

  14:00 - 15:00

What personal actions we can do towards achieving SDGs

Dr. Fawzi Abdulla Amin | Head of Delegation, Country Cluster Delegation for the GCC, IFRC

Fawzi Abdulla
Dr. Fawzi Abdulla Amin
Head of Delegation, Country Cluster Delegation for the GCC, IFRC | United Arab Emirates

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Lectures by this speaker
Tuesday, 2022-03-15
What personal actions we can do towards achieving SDGs

  15:15 - 16:15

  15:15 - 16:15

Environmental Impact Minimisation in Core Relief Items

Mr. Nicholas McLean | Business Development Manager, AlPinter

Nicholas
Mr. Nicholas McLean
Business Development Manager, AlPinter | United Arab Emirates

AlPinter

Lectures by this speaker
Tuesday, 2022-03-15
Environmental Impact Minimisation in Core Relief Items

  16:30 - 17:30

  16:30 - 17:30


DAY 3
Blockchain for a transparent and reliable humanitarian response: The GeniusChain

Mr. Samer Haffar | Digitalization and Innovation Manager & Ahmad Al Borghli, Managing Partner

Samer
Mr. Samer Haffar
Digitalization and Innovation Manager & Ahmad Al Borghli, Managing Partner | Turkiye

Genius Tags

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Blockchain for a transparent and reliable humanitarian response: The GeniusChain

  10:00 - 11:00

  10:00 - 11:00

Transformation beyond the Humanitarian Narrative- Challenges of the 21st Century

Mr. Kilian Kleinschmidt | Founder and CEO, IPA – Switxboard Global Networking and Consulting

Kilian
Mr. Kilian Kleinschmidt
Founder and CEO, IPA – Switxboard Global Networking and Consulting | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Transformation beyond the Humanitarian Narrative- Challenges of the 21st Century

  11:15 - 11:35

  11:15 - 11:35

Off-Grid Energy and Circular Economy Approaches for the Humanitarian Context

Mr. Rainer Hönig | Founder & Managing Director, Betteries

Rainer
Mr. Rainer Hönig
Founder & Managing Director, Betteries | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Off-Grid Energy and Circular Economy Approaches for the Humanitarian Context

  11:35 - 12:30

Mr. Sören Lex | Co-Founder & CEO, Plasticpreneur

Sören
Mr. Sören Lex
Co-Founder & CEO, Plasticpreneur | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Off-Grid Energy and Circular Economy Approaches for the Humanitarian Context

  11:35 - 12:30

Ms. Isabel Faller | Business Development Manager, Polycare

Isabel
Ms. Isabel Faller
Business Development Manager, Polycare | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Off-Grid Energy and Circular Economy Approaches for the Humanitarian Context

  11:35 - 12:30

Mr. Alessandro Medici | CTO, PowerBlox

Alessandro
Mr. Alessandro Medici
CTO, PowerBlox | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Off-Grid Energy and Circular Economy Approaches for the Humanitarian Context

  11:35 - 12:30

Mr. Tobias Hobbach | CEO, SustainSolar

Tobias
Mr. Tobias Hobbach
CEO, SustainSolar | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Off-Grid Energy and Circular Economy Approaches for the Humanitarian Context

  11:35 - 12:30

Ms. Gracia Munganga | COO, SustainSolar

Gracia
Ms. Gracia Munganga
COO, SustainSolar | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Off-Grid Energy and Circular Economy Approaches for the Humanitarian Context

  11:35 - 12:30

Mr. David Lecoque | CEO, Alliance for Rural Electrification

David
Mr. David Lecoque
CEO, Alliance for Rural Electrification | Germany

UNIDO ITPO Germany

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Off-Grid Energy and Circular Economy Approaches for the Humanitarian Context

  11:35 - 12:30

  11:35 - 12:30

Reconstructing lives Victims of war in the Middle East: MSF's findings

Mr. Marc Schakal | Operations Cell Manager for Iraq, Jordan and Yemen, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

Marc
Mr. Marc Schakal
Operations Cell Manager for Iraq, Jordan and Yemen, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) | Iraq

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Reconstructing lives Victims of war in the Middle East: MSF's findings

  12:45 - 13:45

  12:45 - 13:45

United Nations

Dr. Raidan Al Saqqaf | Development Coordination Officer, United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Raidan
Dr. Raidan Al Saqqaf
Development Coordination Officer, United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, Abu Dhabi, UAE | United Arab Emirates

United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
United Nations

  14:00 - 15:00

  14:00 - 15:00

How to do business with the ICRC?

Ms. Maria Landenius | Head of Purchasing at the ICRC Regional Logistics Base in Amman

Maria
Ms. Maria Landenius
Head of Purchasing at the ICRC Regional Logistics Base in Amman | Germany

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
How to do business with the ICRC?

  15:15 - 16:15

  15:15 - 16:15

Safe Water for Crisis-Management: Making Lifesaving Sustainable

Dr. Gerhard Konrad Seeberger | Immediate Past-president Academy of Dentistry International

Gerhard Konrad
Dr. Gerhard Konrad Seeberger
Immediate Past-president Academy of Dentistry International | USA

Academy of Dentistry International

Lectures by this speaker
Wednesday, 2022-03-16
Safe Water for Crisis-Management: Making Lifesaving Sustainable

  16:30 - 17:30

  16:30 - 17:30


Conference Delegates and Trade Visitors will have access to the Innovation Workshops. The Innovation Workshop area is located inside the DIHAD Exhibition, Sheikh Rashid Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre

Click here to register for the Trade Exhibition and access the Workshops for FREE

Organised By :
INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Org. Est.
INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Org. Est.

COPYRIGHT © 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Shortage of ‘Human Resources for Health’ in Developing Countries

Supported by Noor Dubai

Subtitle:

The shortage of health workers in developing countries may undermine the attainment of the Sustainable development goals, universal health coverage and undermine control of epidemics/pandemics. So how do we improve the number and quality of health workers in developing countries?

Context:

The World Health Organization in its 2006 World Health Report reported that over 4 million more health workers are needed globally to prevent crisis in the health sector. Out of which Africa alone needs 1.5 million workers. Thus 36 of the 57 countries in the continent have critical shortages of human resources for health.

Globally all countries are challenged by worker shortage, skill mix imbalance, maldistribution, negative work environment, and weak knowledge base. However, it is worse in the poorest countries mostly of Africa and Asia where the workforce is under assault by HIV/AIDS, epidemics, out-migration, poor working environment, demotivation, undertraining and inadequate investment.

The critical shortage of health workers in developing world especially Africa is a major impediment to achievement of health/developmental goals, and could hinder the ability to control epidemics and pandemic outbreaks. In many developing countries this shortage not only affects provision of life saving interventions like childhood immunization, maternal services and prevention/treatment of the major infectious diseases –HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis; but also hampers response to serious epidemics and pandemics like Ebola, Hemorrhagic fevers, Yellow fever and Covid-19. In addition to this the increasing aging population and change of life style in these developing countries results in rising burden of chronic diseases and non-communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cancers etc needing more well trained health personnel’s and facilities.

This shortage is made worse within these countries by a vicious cycle of outbreaks of epidemics that further deplete the workforce and emigration of health workers to other parts of the world. The gross mal-distribution of the workers where by majority of health workers are in the urban areas but most of the population lives in rural areas in these countries, aggravates the situation. Furthermore the opportunities for continuous medical education and self-development is generally limited.

Thus, this human resource for health crisis in the developing countries especially Africa is not only about the quantity of the health workers and their distribution but also their quality. Due to weak educational systems and training facilities, occasioned by poor investment, health workers in many of these countries are not only inadequately trained but also lack the continuous medical education to handle emerging life threatening emergencies and chronic health conditions.

The crisis is partly caused by underfunding from governments due to competing developmental demands with very weak economies. This results in fewer ill-equipped training institutions, undertraining, under-recruitment, lack of facilities, demotivation, brain drain etc. The pull of higher salaries in industrialized countries and the push of poor working conditions at home along with political and social strife drive thousands of health workers to jobs abroad each year. This ever increasing brain drain from these poor weak countries to richer nations of the West and Middle East compound an already bad situation.

Challenge statement:

The SDG goal 3 (Ensuring health living and promoting wellbeing for all for all ages), the universal health coverage and ability to withstand epidemics and pandemics like Covid-19 cannot be achieved in many countries if the human resources for health crisis in these countries is not tackled.

So how can we address this gross shortage of health workers in developing countries especially Africa in terms of not only the number of the health workers, but their distribution and their expertise (knowledge and skills?). What innovative and technological approach can be applied to address this big challenge?

The digital literacy divide between e-learners: how to narrow the gaps?

Supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Title: The digital literacy divide between e-learners: how to narrow the gaps?

Concept: In a world that everyone is using the digital sphere to communicate and learn, there is still a gap between the e-learners as some have high digital literacy while many still have more limited literacy.

MSF’s e-Learning team (TEMO) aims at reaching 95% of the organization’s staff and not only 25% with high digital literacy, access to computers, access to internet, etc.

Challenge: In this scenario and in order for all staff to have access to distance learning and eLearning Solutions like Tembo can offer, what are proposals and ideas to promote digital literacy for the e-learners to narrow the gaps?

Overcoming Challenges to the Inclusion of Beneficiaries with Disabilities in Emergencies

Supported by International Humanitarian City

Keywords: Emergency Preparedness & Response; Disabilities

Introduction:
IHC for the 2020 Humanitarian Hackathon decided to focus the attention on a group of vulnerable populations affected by Disabilities. The purpose of this challenge is to stimulate people to think outside the box and come up with possible innovative tools that the humanitarian community can offer to people exposed to emergencies and having different kinds of disabilities. In particular, mobility and communication/ability to attract attention are two crucial factors when it comes to the immediate aftermath of a disaster as well as the short and long-term living situation the affected disabled population may find themselves in. The purpose is to integrate and enrich the humanitarian prepositioned stocks with appropriated equipment and aid and therefore strengthen the emergency preparedness and have tools ready for their use in the response phase. The aim is to involve the Humanitarian Hackathon 2020 participants and transform their ideas in humanitarian aid for the benefit of the disabled. Looking at the list of the humanitarian relief items stocked within various humanitarian hubs it appears that no specific items are kept in stock specifically to support the differently-abled living in areas affected by disasters.

Scenarios:
The most frequent emergency scenarios are due to natural disasters such as floods, Tsunamis, Earthquake, cyclones, volcano eruptions, fire-forest etc…in addition to conflict areas. Hackathon participants are invited to think about the disabled population in those scenarios, and particularly, how the disabled can attract rescue teams or humanitarian workers providing assistance. Options for innovative solutions may focus on preventive measures, especially for the populations most exposed to risks and living in prone and hazard areas and subject to frequent natural disasters. Other innovative solutions may focus more on the immediate response following disasters when the affected population is forced to vacate their accommodation, which is appropriately equipped for their disability and moved into newer and less familiar areas. How can we help them?

Below are some tips for the various potential disabilities.

Suggestions:

  • Overall, items that could be useful to most disability categories could be:
  • A Tools to attract attention (which can be distributed to all vulnerable people affected)
  • A disability-friendly app
  • Stool bags compatible with a foldable wheelchair toilet seat
  • Clear masks for lip-reading for the rescue teams
Improving Small Farmers Access to Knowledge About Crop Production Techniques through E-Agriculture

Supported by International Humanitarian City

In several humanitarian response areas, are blessed with diverse climatic conditions for almost all crops (cereal, fruit and vegetable crops), besides ample opportunity to grow high value vegetables as off season in certain zones and pristine climatic niches as well production of certain fruits and vegetables seedling in low, high and walk in tunnels.

Moreover, there is also immense scope of growing short duration vegetable in three successive seasons i.e. summer, winter and autumn such as tomato, broccoli and potato. The small farmers in general are neither aware of the opportunities of effective utilization of their physical , financial and human resources nor know the ways and means to utilize their available resources. Thus they follow the hit and trial rules to grow crops which often incur heavy losses to them.

DISTANCE LEARNING CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN A POST COVID-19 WORLD

Supported by Dubai Cares

COVID-19 exacerbated pre-existing gaps in Developing Countries, which were already strained, underserved and faced significant tech capacity limitations, causing serious learning disruptions.

Context

The world has been brought to a standstill by the impact of COVID-19. Airports, restaurants, movie theaters and other elements of the social environment have been disrupted by this virus’ contagion. While watching movies and dining in public are not essential to our lives, work and education are.

Education systems and learning have been heavily disrupted by COVID-19. At its apex, school closures reached over 180 countries. Currently, according to the UNESCO Education Impact Tracker, there are still 34 country wide school closures and over half a billion affected child learners. “The medium and long-term implications of the learning crisis [has] forced 1.6 billion learners worldwide out of the classroom” (UNESCO). This is especially true for education in developing countries, which were already facing poor economic conditions while also coping with low literacy, numeracy, enrollment and proficiency.

In July, UNESCO estimated “that about 24 million learners, from pre-primary to university level, are at risk of not returning to school in 2020 following the education disruption due to COVID-19. Almost half of them are found in South and West Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. University students are affected the most, due to the costs related to their studies. Pre-primary education is the second most affected while at primary and secondary level 10.9 million students are at risk, 5.2 million of whom are girls.”

As closures forced students and parents home, the need for connectivity and hardware arose. “Today half of the world’s population (3.6 billion people) still lack an internet connection.” Many countries with low economic development and lack of connectivity, adapted via national broadcasts over TV and Radio, “yet the benefits of internet-based solutions vis-à-vis radio and TV solutions are considerable: connected digital technologies allow for the possibility of two-way communication, real-time interaction, gamified learning, and much more. Investments poured into efforts to make digital tools the principal hubs of learning, rather than brick-and-mortar school sand classrooms” (UNESCO).

“According to UN estimates, nearly 500 million students from pre-primary to upper secondary school did not have any access to any remote learning. Three quarters of these students lived in the poorest households or rural areas. More nuanced data showed finer disparities that traced and functioned to accentuate existing social, economic, gender and geographic fault lines. Analysis from Brookings shows that at the height of school closures, around 90 percent of high-income countries were providing some form of online remote learning, but only 25 per cent of low-income countries were doing the same” (UNESCO).

 

One of the flagship innovations responding to this at a global level is GIGA, an initiative launched by UNICEF and ITU in September 2019 to connect every school to the Internet and every young person to information, opportunity and choice. GIGA is supporting the immediate response to COVID-19, as well as looking at how connectivity can create stronger infrastructures of hope and opportunity in the “time after COVID.” The main objective of GIGA is to connect 2 million schools and 500 million children by 2025 and 5 million schools and 1 billion children by 2030, via funding of local infrastructure entrepreneurs and open source digital public goods.

Lastly, the long term effects of diminished education is worth considering, as “the World Bank has projected the financial cost of this learning loss to be as high as USD $10 trillion or 10% of global gross domestic product” (UNESCO). The human and economic impact of stunted education will ripple through the next decade as less educated students, workers and citizens will enter a world that is simultaneously regressing (climate change) and rapidly evolving (technology). Those that are already economically disadvantaged are at greater risk of getting left behind even more.

Challenge Statement:

As discussed above, distance learning is not always feasible due to low prevalence of connectivity and hardware in developing nations and economies, where the population is less able to purchase cell phones and laptops, while the public and private sectors are less likely to build connectivity infrastructure such as cell towers and Wi-Fi access points.

  • How can distance learning solutions be delivered to low income / remote / rural areas with low hardware saturation and lack of internet access so as not to exclude them from education services and systems they were already underserved by?
  • Think of innovative*, feasible and scalable solutions for learning disruption in developing countries

Things to keep in mind for solution design and review criteria:

  • Developing contexts often have limited access to transportation, clean water and sanitation
  • *Innovation does not necessarily mean very high tech and revolutionary. Sometimes the most innovative thing is using or reformulating something basic and abundant in a new and low cost way
  • Reflect on the sustainability of the design, as many solutions end up collecting dust after initial investment and intervention
  • Think through the replicability and scalability of the solution for global reach in similar environments
  • Contemplate potential cross-sectorial collaboration (telecom, government, and academia)
  • Consider the operational part of it: how is it going to work, under what umbrella, with what organizational or collaborative structure
  • Deliberate on the Who and How of funding your solution
Water Scarcity and Accessibility to Clean Water

Supported by UAE Water Aid

The UAE Water Aid Foundation, Suqia, under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, works diligently to provide clean and safe drinking water to communities in dire need and that lack basic access to water. Thus, Suqia contributes directly to Goal 6, Clean Water & Sanitation, of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It also has important contributions to goals 1 (no poverty), 3 (good health and well-being), 4 (quality education), 5 (gender equality) and 17 (partnerships for the goals).

Access to clean and safe water remains one of the most critical challenges faced by many around the world. While governments and societies work together to provide solutions to communities in need, the number of those who lack access to basic drinking water services continues to increase till date. According to recent statistics, the figure has reached a staggering 785 million in 2019. In many communities, people spend up to 6 hours each day collecting water. Not only does walking long distances while carrying 20 liters of water cause severe health issues, but it also keeps children out of school and wastes time that families could be using to earn an income.

Utilizing various solutions including artesian wells, water purification stations, water filters, water distribution networks and others, we were able to provide clean drinking water for more than 13 million people in 36 countries around the world.

The main challenge is in providing communities that need it the most. Often these communities are in remote locations difficult to get to and may be overseen in search of the places that require access to clean drinking water.

Although, the water infrastructure is not available, tele-communication networks are often available.

How can we utilize the tele-communication networks or mobile applications to support our goal of reaching out to communities in need? We are looking for a solution that would be easy to use where individuals can pin-point locations globally that face water shortage and lack easy access to clean drinking water. The solution would ideally identify the type of need in the area, the water quality, the approximate number of people living in the area, etc ..