In the aftermath of natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis, the paramount importance of sanitation becomes undeniably clear. Past events, notably the Great East Japan earthquake and the Kumamoto earthquake, illuminated the necessity for uninterrupted access to basic amenities like toilets. These pivotal experiences emphasised the dire need for a sanitation solution that is versatile, sustainable, and reliable, even amidst the unpredictabilities of crises.
Innovation
Innovation for the people
When you think of the word ‘innovation’, what, or who comes to mind? Is it Edison and the lightbulb, or Marie Curie and her discovery of radioactive elements to help treat cancer, or Dr Gladys West and her pioneering invention of GPS. Maybe even Bill Gates’ and Microsoft Word? For me, it’s Professor John I.Q. Nerdelbaum Frink Jr., scientist, inventor and Simpsons character.
This is Your Award!
Spanish Red Cross have opened their Tech Awards to all Red Cross & Red Crescent volunteers and staff around the world who have been creating and deploying innovative technology solutions for their communities and National Societies. This is Your Award!
Limitless wins 2022 Global Good Award – Monash Action Lab + IFRC Solferino Academy
Participants of Limitless were invited to create short-form videos outlining the challenges they faced in their communities, their proposed solutions and resources required. Through Action Translate, these videos were able to be translated into 17 languages – enabling worldwide distribution.
IFRC Limitless, Learnings and Insights
The following report highlights some of our key insights and learning in the program and then outlines the process we used to deliver it. We hope this is helpful for others considering similar efforts.
“We came up with a handmade, reusable solution that reduces the cost of menstrual pads by 75% to 90% annually.”
Hello! Esther is my name, and I am a Uganda Red Cross youth volunteer. I’m excited to tell you about how our innovation project helped female teenagers in our community while also protecting the environment. Here’s our innovation journey.
Tech for good — what does it actually look like?
New and emerging technologies have the potential to cause both great benefit and harm — yet the processes designed to develop and use these technologies rarely consider the humanitarian and social costs. How can technology be used for good? What does this look like? Who gets a say? These are some of the questions we are exploring at Humanitech, an initiative of Australian Red Cross, dedicated to harnessing the transformational power of technology for good.
Are we doing enough to prepare for the Future?
The global picture is quite grim – pandemic, protracted conflicts, impacts of climate crisis, growing inequalities and polarisation, increases in gender-based violence and drastic worsening of mental health. In addition, the crisis in Ukraine has brought another layer of uncertainty, complexity and heart-breaking human suffering with global implications.
2022 could be a year of great opportunities, what needs to happen?
Being fit for the future. As we are entering the new year, we are excited to present some of their thinking on the areas that we need to focus on in 2022 if we are going to be able to handle the high levels of uncertainty.
Shamuk, reducing electronic waste by giving it a second life
Shamuk, leaving no one behind, is a project that seeks to reduce electronic waste by giving it a second life. Through repowering devices and delivering them to children in rural areas in Ecuador, it also reduces the digital gap and supports school reintegration. The initiative was designed and is led by volunteers from the Ecuadorian Red Cross, with funding and support from the IFRC Solferino Academy.
Planet:Red Summit showcased the power of many
On October 12-14, 2021, we came together as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and organised a global, virtual summit Planet:Red. The focus of this summit was on two of the greatest threats in contemporary times, the climate crisis and pandemics, and also on stepping up the Movement’s local action to drive global impact on the humanitarian dimensions of both.
The Solferino Academy appears in Design for Social Innovation, Case Studies from Around the World
‘The Future Is Now’ is an exhibition that comprises of multiple artefacts and scenarios that speculated on what humanitarian operations could look like in 2030. The IFRC Solferino Academy and Open Lab at Newcastle University collaborated with an array of design agencies and curators to bring this exhibition to life.