Start Network has today launched a new charity, which is aiming to catalyse a new era of humanitarian aid because its members believe that the global humanitarian system needs urgent reform to meet the challenges posed by today’s crises.
The Philippines is at high risk from cyclones, earthquakes, floods, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires with 74 per cent of the population vulnerable to their impact. The Disaster Preparedness Simulator uses augmented reality as a novel tool for communities to experience and learn from authentic disaster scenarios and improve preparedness. Read more about the innovation.
SolveX38 is an intelligent flood warning and monitoring system providing real-time information to communities at risk from flooding. The system monitors water level rises in rivers and when it reaches a critical level, computes the time before floodwaters reach the community, allowing them to take action.
A coastal environment in trouble, increasingly prone to flooding and littered with plastic debris. A community with limited resources to protect themselves in times of disaster. Not a healthy combination. Yet, within this sorry scenario, a group of innovators saw an opportunity: affordable personal flotation devices. Read more.
In Jordan, illiteracy affects 80 per cent of deaf children, many of whom don’t attend school. This impacts massively their lives, including their ability to access medical services and eventually, work. Martha was developed as a home-based interactive educational tool using visual cards to teach children to read and write in formal sign language and Arabic. Read more.
When Mohammad Arifur Rahaman’s uncle died after being mis-prescribed medicine for his joint pain, it was a trigger for the entrepreneur to do something to prevent other needless tragedies. Read his innovation story.
Twig is a job market platform that connects refugees with employment opportunities. Eighty-four per cent of Syrian refugees in Jordan live below the poverty line. Although there are labour market opportunities in the agricultural sector, there is limited access to information about available work and no established network for Syrians. Read more about Twig.
Half of the 671,000 Syrian refugees living in Jordan have a family member with a chronic illness, such as diabetes or hypertension. And many are unable to access the medicine they need, because it is too expensive. Read how the Medicine Bank redirects close to end of shelf life medicines to pharmacies offering low-cost drugs to refugees in Jordan.
Mathenge Maisha is a unique start-up, which turns a common drought-resilient weed into nutritious low-cost flour. Currently, nearly one million Kenyans are at risk from starvation as a result of prolonged drought. The Garissa-based project plans to employ local people, particularly from vulnerable groups, to collect the pods produced by the weed to be ground down into flour.
Over the past few years, hundreds of people have perished in building fires in Dhaka, the most densely populated city in the world. Read how an architecture student sought to use her skills to improve the living conditions of people in the slum areas.
