Watsan matters

Engineer & Volunteer WASH-International Disaster Response Unit-Austrian RedCross

Did you know that solar water pumping in a refugee camp is 40-90% cheaper than a diesel generator, and will pay for itself in less than 4 years? Find out more on this video about the 2016-2018 ECHO funded solar project, created to build evidence for mainstreaming the use of solar energy for water supply in humanitarian settings. https://www.oxfam.org.uk/inside-oxfam/innovation

Technology Innovation for Development and Humanitarian Action

EssentialTech Centre is attached to the Vice Presidency for Research of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Its goal is to develop essential technologies that have the potential to reduce poverty and vulnerability. Its approach combines technology development with the elaboration of innovative business models for a sustainable and large-scale impact.

Enroll now: https://www.edx.org/course/technology-innovation-sustainable-epflx-innov4devx Learn how to use technology innovation as a tool to fight poverty and enable sustainable development. About this course Technology innovation can be a great enabler for development in low and middle-income countries. This course presents a methodology and an approach to develop impactful innovations that have the power to foster sustainable development. Whether you are from an industrialized or a developing country, whether you are employed in a company, an NGO, an international organization or a government. Whether you are an academic, an independent entrepreneur, or simply a passionate individual, this course is for you. You will learn how, as an innovator, you can help solve important issues that burden those living in poverty. Through practical examples, we will demonstrate how you can take your initiative from a blank sheet of paper through to large-scale deployment of your technology innovation. This course is not just about coming up with a nice idea, or designing a nice prototype, but more importantly, about sustainably deploying it at large scale. It fosters an entrepreneurial approach, as you will learn how to design business models that are relevant to address development-related challenges. It encourages co-creating the solution with the key stakeholders involved, including the affected populations. Coming-up with solutions that are more affordable and more durable, that require less use of consumables and electricity while still being economically viable, concerns all of us, and not just the people living in poverty. There is no previous knowledge required. What you'll learn Determine how contextual factors influence technology development and deployment. Create innovative technologies that sustainably impact poverty. Lead a technology innovation process -from initial concept to product scale-up- maximizing impact and minimizing risk. Evaluate alternative business models for technologies intended to impact poverty.

Sustainable Development in Humanitarian Action is a free, online course from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Throughout the course, you'll learn how to incorporate sustainability into humanitarian action. If you're interested in volunteering abroad this course is for you. **What topics will you cover?** * What is sustainable development in a humanitarian context? * Sustainability in the supply chain: a life-cycle perspective * Sustainability in field operations * Setting up a sustainability programme Sign up for the course here: http://ow.ly/gsk750yfq1z Follow us on Facebook: http://ow.ly/S5hs50xnEXt Talk to us on Twitter (@FutureLearn): http://ow.ly/k8Hh50xnEZD Follow us on Instagram: http://ow.ly/NxX350xnF3W Follow us on Linkedin: http://ow.ly/8Rds50xnF82