I cofounded inaglobe in 2017 alongside to university friends. We were many things, but most importantly we were incredibly naive. We did not understand how we weren’t building technology in the most inclusive and sustainable way possible, and why we were trying to scale anything of the such. This was most definitely a slightly fatalistic view of the world, there are many people out there working to make the world a better place, but what we saw was lost potential. Students at our university were itching to build things that made an impact, everyone was filled with energy, ambitions, ideas… we were all looking for our path to carve out in this competitive world with often reductive and hypothetical university projects and glorified corporate graduate jobs being showcased right, left and centre. We wanted to harvest that energy into a great incubator of high-risk projects that could be shouldered in an academic setting. We wanted to see a new generation of engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, innovators, young professionals that would design and build collaboratively with communities to solve the most systemic challenges they were facing.

I am going to fast forward. We tried many many many things; most of them with great learnings, others with anecdotal successes. In 2023 I decided to collect the work of what tens of people contributed structurally to inaglobe, and hundreds of students, partners and academics contributed in terms of projects. inaglobe is the collection of all the investment our volunteers, advisors, partners and students have invested. None of this would have not been possible without so many great people sharing and contributing to this vision.

This work can now be found here, in the inaglobe open source resource. You will find a wealth of information, anecdotes, iterations, and much more.

We have decided to publish this because great work was done, and this resource needs to live in the public domain for anyone to replicate, build upon and contribute, criticises and debate. I would like to invite educators, innovators, leaders, and anyone curious about how we bootstrapped for 7 years to achieve all of this.

Today, inaglobe hasn’t died, but inaglobe is evolving. We are leveraging technology and we continue to provide students with experiential learning - albeit not at the same scale, we are catching our breath to reframe and understand how we can make inaglobe a sustainable initiative. Do reach out if you have anything to say, and do share this post if you think it’s worth spreading the word.

Originally published on https://open.substack.com/pub/jaimeaguileragarcia/p/building-the-future-of-collaborative?r=ufojb&showWelcomeOnShare=true&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Substack.

Jaime Aguilera Garcia is a cofounder of inaglobe, he started inaglobe as a student of Biomedical Engineering with the intent of enabling thousands of young innovators to work together with communities on the ground to foster a new paradigm for innovation.

Over this past year, inaglobe has been working to establish a product-market fit, after having achieved product-solution fit and building a track record of enabling social innovation. This is a silent piece of coordinated work between the different arms of inaglobe, including product, strategy, marketing, sales, operations and other departments. We have painstakingly iterated between different business models and different commercial offerings to various potential paying customers. I think that in the last 6 years of work this is probably the part that is most unnatural to me, and for that (and many other reasons) I am extremely grateful for the team that works day in and day out on inaglobe.

We are happy to announce that inaglobe will be launching its model as a fellowship. The students that inaglobe supports are the fellows, and they will receive the action-based learning programme inaglobe has offered for the past 6 years. We believe that the narrative encompasses the depth and the wealth that inaglobe brings to students and educational systems, with a big part of the programme aligning with the official curriculum. It also tunes into an existing sponsorship model that is both global and established.

the inaglobe narrative dilemma

Since 2017, inaglobe has been operationally a project-centred educational experience, where students had the opportunity to pick up social impact innovation projects during their degrees. Yet this isn’t the whole story behind the inaglobe ecosystem.

We know that the inaglobe experience provides value: It enables and empowers students to become social innovators and entrepreneurs; it provides a structural improvement to both the academic education and students’ professional aspirations. Students that go through the inaglobe innovation model have developed strong project management and rapid prototyping skills, human-centred design principles, effective stakeholder communication and a social awareness that gives deep purpose to their effort.

We know that the educators we work with, whether they are supervisors, professors or laboratory technicians, recognize the value [of inaglobe]. Academics are looking to provide their students with the inaglobe experience. As supervisors, they accompany students throughout the academic year that they work on the projects, and sometimes act as advisors in the subsequent spinouts.

Institutions have been opening their doors for us to operate openly in what are usually heavily guarded education environments: we have provided experiences to students across 4 different universities in the UK and US, across over 10 different technical departments. There is a clear pull from the educational space for STEM students to have more exposure to social innovation projects. Yet, boiling down the work that inaglobe does to: simply the provision of projects is reductive of how social innovation is fostered at inaglobe. We are obsessed with the student experience, and thus we have bult the support system and infrastructure, with the vision of providing the most enriching student experience possible. It is time to change that. By moving away from the project as the main vehicle, we can keep students and their experience as inaglobe's main focus. 

now, the inaglobe fellowship

Fellowships can be found within, across and external to institutions. It is a highly adaptive packaging for an effort dedicated to furthering education or knowledge; an adherence to a certain purpose. With this realisation, we found the storyline for the inaglobe model to be far more understandable, and far less fragmented, if explained as a fellowship. It provides stakeholders, sponsors, partners a very clear packaging for what they would be supporting; it gives students a clear sense of identity and achievement; and extremely importantly, it gives us at inaglobe a structure to build and protect the student experience.

In the last 6 years we have built and tested things based on what we noticed the students and the projects needed and wanted; and that is still very much the case today. Having the fellowship framework allows us to better prioritise and introduce an elevated degree of coherence. From a product strategy perspective, it is an inflection point - and not only that: From operational, sales and marketing perspectives, it is also an inflection point. At inaglobe, we are excited to continue building.

We are currently redesigning the fellowship experience with the student at the centre. The inaglobe model is inherently a pedagogical model. We want to provide students the possibility to become more than they could have if they hadn’t enrolled. We want to be very clear about what that delta means, what the values are, what the experiences are. The different touchpoints, support and activities within the fellowship experience individually provide value, but combined in an effectively designed flow and system, the potential is exponentially greater. At inaglobe we are obsessed with making every fellow’s horizon their guiding light as innovators, as professionals and as citizens.

In the coming weeks, we will be announcing more details about the inaglobe fellowship. We want to invite all players that might be interested in supporting the launch to reach out to me at jaime@inaglobe.org.

tldr; If you are a young person, and want to contribute to the discussion regarding the evolution of higher education, fill in the Youth Talks survey, who inaglobe has recently partnered with!

The importance of involving young people in defining the future of higher education cannot be overstated. After all, they are the ones who will be the most affected by any changes or developments that take place. It is therefore essential to listen to their ideas, opinions, and suggestions.

As the world continues to evolve, so does the education system. The future of higher education is a topic that requires careful consideration and planning. While educators, policymakers, and administrators have a crucial role to play in shaping this future, there is one group whose voices must also be heard: young people.

This is where initiatives like Youth Talks, started by Higher Education for Good, come in. Youth Talks is a platform that aims to give young people between the ages of 15 and 29 a voice in the discussion around the future of higher education. Through Youth Talks, young people can share their experiences, ideas, and visions for what they believe the future of higher education should look like.

By involving young people in this conversation, we can ensure that the education system meets the needs and expectations of the next generation. Young people have a unique perspective on what works and what doesn't when it comes to education. They understand the challenges of studying in a rapidly changing world, and they have ideas on how to make the education system more effective, accessible, and equitable.

Inaglobe.org can be of support in this effort by communicating with students and young professionals across their network. Inaglobe.org is committed to an evolution of the educational system that includes everyone, that facilitates collaboration across an evermore globalised world. Through our network, we can reach out to a diverse group of young people and encourage them to participate in the Youth Talks survey.

The survey is an opportunity for young people to share their thoughts on a range of topics related to the future of higher education, including digital learning, student engagement, and social responsibility. By completing the survey, young people can make their voices heard and contribute to the ongoing conversation about the future of higher education.

In conclusion, involving young people in defining the future of higher education is crucial. They have a unique perspective on what works and what doesn't when it comes to education. Initiatives like Youth Talks give young people a voice in the discussion, and platforms like Inaglobe.org can help reach a wider audience of young people. If you are between the ages of 15 and 29, we invite you to share your thoughts and ideas by participating in the Youth Talks survey. Together, we can shape the future of higher education in a way that meets the needs of the next generation.

Author: Written with the help of ChatGPT & Jaime as editor!

Date: April 25 , 2023

Visual impairment comprises conditions that affect 2.2 billion people globally as estimated by the World Health Organisation. Amongst these, approximately 250 million people globally have moderate-to-severe visual impairment (MSVI), plus an additional 45 million who are completely blind and in need of the greatest support in their daily activities. Population growth and an aging population will increase the number of people with an eye condition and vision impairment in the coming decades, and with them the burden these conditions entail. There is a need to equip communities and societies across the globe with the technologies and medical know-how to ensure those with visual impairments are empowered and enabled to thrive in their day-to-day lives.

Impact on soceity

The 2017 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study ranked vision impairment, including blindness, as the third cause among all impairments for years lived with disability. In addition, the societal burden of MSVI and blindness is substantial given its impact on employment (with lower rates of workforce participation and productivity), Quality of Life (QoL) (higher rates of depression and anxiety, social isolation and higher risk of falls and fractures) and the related caretaking requirements. Globally, annual costs of productivity losses associated with vision impairment are estimated to be at least US$ 275 billion. The burden caused by MSVI and blindness on societies is not distributed equally, with the burden on low- and middle-income countries estimated to be four times higher than in higher-income countries. Within these underserved populations, women, migrants, indigenous people, persons with certain kinds of disability, and those in rural communities are bearing the brunt of the burden.

Promising advances in medicine and technology

Advances in medicine, both in clinical and research, have led to breakthrough procedures and methods of treating different types of eye conditions which could eventually lead to blindness. Optical coherence tomography, optogenetics, retinal prosthetics, corneal cross-linking, and gene therapy are only some of the new techniques and procedures to treat different eye conditions. Furthermore, new technologies in healthcare are improving the QoL of the visually impaired, increasing their productivity in day-to-day activities and raising their workforce participation. Accessibility features such as text to speech software, screen reader software, voice recognition and dictation software are increasingly being used to help blind people access and engage with digital information. These accessibility features have been of great help for the blind community, but remain situational (i.e. cannot be used in crowded or noisy places and quiet places), and pose questions around privacy for users.

Braille = Literacy

Despite all these advances in technology, braille remains fundamental in enabling blind people to develop literacy and access education and employment. Braille was invented in 1821 by Louis Braille and consists of a tactile system used by people who are blind or visually impaired for reading and writing. Braille characters are made up of small rectangular cells that contain small bumps, often called braille dots. Each braille cell has 6 dots, and combinations of multiple cells can be arranged to represent letters, words, numbers, and punctuation marks. Braille devices, which allow users to read and/or write using braille characters, are used to take notes, read books, and access electronic files.

Braille remains fundamental for the blind community, and technological advances should concentrate on digitalising and further developing new braille devices. Development of new braille devices have lagged that in other medtech areas, due to:

1. Limited market demand for large-scale production
2. Decreasing braille literacy, as measured by the American Printing House
3. Low innovation in the underlying mechanism, making braille devices inherently expensive to manufacture
4. Limited funding available
5. Few academic-industry and academic-startup collaboration driving innovation

inaglobe’s involvement

At inaglobe we believe in braille as an important tool to include blind people into society by providing access to education and work. Braille will not disappear despite new technologies based on text-to-speech software, but rather it will only become more important. Its advantages are emphasised when used in conjunction with these. Through inaglobe’s continuous efforts in identifying key problems affecting communities in developing countries and translating these into real-life projects for university students to solve, a group of students from Imperial College London have been developing Paige.

Paige is the world’s first low-cost, multiline braille display. To this day, most blind people access digital braille using displays which are extremely expensive (up to $11,000 per device) and are generally limited to a single line of text at a time. Single-line displays remove context and the layout needed for braille users to access science, mathematics, music, tables, and graphs. Paige’s current design can display 10 lines of braille at a cost of approximately $600 and can be used wirelessly alongside any device for reading, writing, and graphing. The development of Paige’s accompanying web app facilitates the collaboration between blind people and their sighted peers (teachers, students, colleagues, parents) - truly democratising access to literacy!

inaglobe supported the Paige team in the early stages of their development, right from sourcing on field the project from the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust (KBT) in Eastern Africa, and we are extremely proud of the success they have had. Most recently, in May 2022, they won the Mayor’s Fund for London in the Social Enterprise Track and have raised over $75,000 in grants over the last 2 years.

Paige is just an example of inaglobe’s work in social enterprise and tackling key problems afflicting communities in developing countries. To find out more about inaglobe’s work, visit our website and do get in touch if you are interested in being a part of inaglobe.

References

1. WHO: World Report on Vision 2020
2.  Lancet: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
3.  WHO: Fact sheets - blindness and visual impairment
4.  Lancet Global health 2020: VISION 2020: the Right to Sight
5.  Tactile Displays - Landscape Review by Project under European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme

Author: Davide Villa (LinkedIn)

Date: August 12 , 2022

We spoke to members across the academic and student bodies to understand if our personal frustration was shared: it was. We spoke to experts in the field of design and innovation for low-resource environments to understand what kind of methodology would drive effective social innovation: co-design, human-centred design and systems thinking approaches. We spoke to administrators at Imperial to understand what was needed for these projects to be included in the curricular offering: years of unofficial operations with champion academics that supported these projects. With all of this in mind, we set out to Mozambique to expose ourselves to the widest range of humanitarian work we could, understand the diversity of contexts across several different regions of the country, and test out some of our hypotheses. Another plan we had in mind was to try to set up similar practices in local universities, so we also visited the most important institutions in the country and presented them to senior faculty members. We found we weren’t ready to take on that challenge specifically, but that we could tackle the original one.

We came back from Mozambique and quickly started building the vision we constructed through this highly analytical and creative journey we had been in. We began documenting our first projects, establishing relationships with student bodies, academics and departments, and refining our original project plan into a version 2 that included all the learnings and conclusions we had reached, and what we needed to learn next. I could summarise these past four years in a really simple way — we were agile, we tested and we iterated:

• 2016–2017: Research and Stakeholder Mapping
• 2017–2018: Document projects, establish the organisational and structural foundations and introduce projects into Year 2
• 2018–2019: Introduce intra- and extra-curricular projects, assess the outcome of massive uptake, start building volunteer base
• 2019–2020: Scale down on projects, document better projects (with stronger stakeholder relationships) and nurture the students during the development (this was going great but COVID hit our projects and plans)
• 2020: Projects are sent back home so try to hack remote innovation, rebuild InAGlobe with a stronger volunteer base to formalise the operational structure and assess replicability. We welcomed over 15 people into the team that summer (people of the likes of Sergi, Anna and Max to mention a few)
• 2020–2021: More projects are introduced into Imperial College, with a stronger focus on Software and Environmental/Civil Engineering; several projects reach a state of maturity; and spinning out of the first InAGlobe-born project: Paige Braille Device
• 2021–2022: Protecting the implementation of other projects, strategic analysis for restructuring of InAGlobe to complete the full cycle and become self-sustaining… and this is where we are now!

And this is the reason why today I am publishing this article: InAGlobe has gone full cycle. Each year, we strategically focused resources on where we would be learning the most: we have been entirely bootstrapped for 5 years, barely spending anything. Now, after these five years, we know we are ready to take the next step and structure a formal organisation.

InAGlobe had two remits to begin with:

1) Providing an educational experience to students in STEM such as to be able to tackle social innovation as part of their formal curricular activities

2) Leveraging and activating resources from the academic space to build a pipeline of humanitarian innovation

These remits are at the core of what we do. During these 5 years, we have built a model that accomplishes the first objective, and we have demonstrated our model could provide this at scale. We are now seeking to finance the project such that we can scale these operations and provide value to as many students as possible. Therefore we have decided to reincorporate the company as a company limited by guarantee (such that we can apply for charitable status once we have sufficient funding). There are several motivations for moving away from a limited company (i.e., by shares) format, the main one being that our stakeholders are not targets we want to currently charge for the service we give. We believe that, at this stage, this would limit the involvement of our most important stakeholders. In contrast, there are plenty of partners that would be willing to fund operations such as this, or partner in grant applications, and having a charitable status is a necessity for this.

The last few months have been heavy with creating business models, profiling our stakeholders, speaking to experts, and dissecting our operations from the core; and finally, we decided that this was the most constructive way forward. InAGlobe Education LTD, a private company limited by shares, will now become inaglobe ltd, initially a private company limited by guarantee and very soon a company of charitable status. This, in practice, is a learning experience: up until now, we had taken an optimal status for agility and testing. Now, we need a status that will cement our work in a formal recognition of value, and build an organisation with all the relevant structures — from financial to legal to ethical. We want to build an organisation that is entirely transparent, that is entirely auditable, and that represents the values that we hold at inaglobe.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone that has been involved in the creation of inaglobe. We have a massive list of volunteers, students, academics, advisors, friends, family, critics, and a long etcétera that have been cornerstone in keeping us motivated and alive for 5 years without barely having spent anything. Without all of you inaglobe would be little more than an idea.

December 25 , 2021

A System for the “brain drain”

One of the main issues in the world, when it comes to design, engineering and innovation is that people tend to migrate and move to those cities that are globally known as technological or innovation hubs. In 2019, a study looking at industry and innovation indicators found that 20 of the world’s top 50 technological hubs were located in North America, with New York City and Silicon Valley ranked 4th and 3rd respectively. A further 18 were located on continental Europe with Paris, France and London, England ranked 2nd and 9th (Leskin, 2019). That is to say, 38 of the 50 most innovative and technologically advanced cities were located in what is commonly referred to as ‘the West’. The rest of the list had cities from Asia and the Middle East with Tokyo, Japan being considered the number 1 city in terms of innovation and technology. Even though lists which rank cities according to certain indicators can only be generalisations and subjective (as the indicators used to make these judgements cover broad spectra based on biased definitions), it is still glaringly clear that the Global South is not represented in this particular ranking. This can be due to a lack of sensitivity of the indicators and an insufficient amount of access given to opportunities or resources. The Global South is redefining the way in which technological innovation happens and is therefore maybe not on this list. For example using a 3D printer to create everyday items or medical equipment on a street corner in Kenya. The 3D printer is more robust and cheaper than the ones in Europe as it has been created by the locals for the locals. Is this not a form of technological innovation? By Western standards maybe not but in Africa, South America or places in Asia technological innovation means technology solutions that are environmentally and economically suited to the constraints faced in these places (Srinivasan, 2019).

A similar omission is evident when considering the world’s representation of technological hubs. Technological hubs are cities which foster and nurture innovation for startup businesses. As shown in the graph below technological hubs are not only leaders in innovation, but are also centres of economic and social growth and opportunity which draw skilled workers to them (Interquest Group 2019). 

The movement of people to these cities may be seen as progressive but it also lends itself to ‘The ‘brain drain’, a problem which affects the Global South in particular.

The brain drain is defined as the migration of highly skilled workers in search of higher standards of living, better access to technology and greater political stability. This phenomenon is most commonly seen in the migration of educated professionals from developing countries to developed countries in search of highly skilled jobs (Dodani and Laporte, 2005). The brain drain is not only subject to work, life and education but is also an issue when it comes to Higher Education where international students from developing countries, such as Africa will migrate to the United Kingdom or the United States of America to continue their studies. This last aspect of the brain drain – moving to a country to receive an education – resonates deeply with me as that is my current situation.

I was adopted as a baby from an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya to Dutch and Kenyan parents. Growing up I have had the privilege to live in Switzerland for most of my life. This has allowed me access to a completely different lifestyle than if I had stayed in Kenya. My elementary and secondary school education was all achieved at an International School, after which I had the fortune of getting accepted into The University of Edinburgh for a four year undergraduate degree. These particular educational experiences have shaped my views on the world and allowed me to see the world from a privileged vantage point which leads me to wonder how people in Kenya view the world. I struggle a lot with this question and in-turn struggle to fully understand my Kenyan identity. This may not be the case for every person who has left their country either in search of a ‘brighter’ future or different opportunities but I find that this is the case for me. This is why I like to help the world through development. 

The few times that I do go back to Kenya and see my mother’s family, I always see a disconnect between what I have learnt growing up and what actually occurs in Nairobi, Kenya. Life in Kenya can be considered more of a real world experience and one that is not subject to the sheltered life of growing up in ‘the West’. There is a disconnect, in this regard, between what I was taught in school and what actually occurs on the ground level in developing countries. The way that today’s society is structured encourages people to move to areas with the most technological advancement and innovation occurring to succeed but at the expense of learning what is occurring in one’s homeland. This knowledge must be found out independently which should not be the norm. Non-western perspectives and ideas should be appreciated and valued in education and in life as the world belongs to all of us, and never have we been as connected as now. I feel as though this mentality of not looking at the whole picture is not only a product of the geographical and socio-economic gaps between countries in the developing world and the developed world, but also touches upon the larger issue of structural racism across the globe which affects the way in which innovation and ethics in design are projected on developing countries from their ‘Western’ counterparts. It is therefore important to acknowledge the structure of development aid if we aim to change the world.

Pitfalls of Developmental Aid

One of the ways technological and design innovation occurs in developing countries comes through external monetary funding . The most common source of external funding in less economically developed countries comes from development aid, a process whereby countries receive financial aid in the hopes of stimulating economic growth and allowing developing countries to invest in better resources, infrastructure and tools (Olanrele and Ibrahim, 2015). A lot of resources are being dedicated to Development Aid or what is more colloquially known as foreign aid. This is a bracket term for the voluntary flow of capital from one country to another as it helps a country develop but, this does not necessarily help the developing countries (Kenton, 2020). Monetary aid and investment into a technological advancement is an important part of the world’s global economy and human needs, but ultimately, who gains from these transactions? It is hard to tell where this money goes as issues of corruption, lobbying and under the table diplomacy can undermine the way that foreign aid is meant to help. The United States alone spends about 50.1 Billion dollars per year in foreign aid to developing countries (Agarwal, 2019) and the European Union also spends over 50 Billion euros on aid per year under the bracket of advancing global development (European Commission, 2020) but if the structure of the system is flawed what does this money actually go to fund? Although a priori, there is nothing wrong with combating poverty and advancing aid through these measures. There may just be alternative ways of furthering technological development aid through a more transparent system whereby different people can contribute to how technological advancements can be made. This can be done through the inclusion of all the stakeholders no matter where they are located in the world. 

At school I got taught about financial foreign aid and its pros and cons. The obvious pros being an injection of money into countries for development and greater technological advancements which on the surface seems like a massive step-forward. The cons being that there are financial and non-financial attachments to this aid that not all less economically developed countries manage to comply with. This means that countries can end up indebted to others or needing more help which raises the question of is aid worth it? The more I thought about it though, and the older I become I started questioning this whole system. Historically, modern colonialism refers to the time when European countries have colonised indigineous lands in Africa, the Americas and parts of Asia. This is also known as the ‘Age of Discovery’ which takes away from the lack of regard towards human rights which colonists showed towards their colonies. Colonists took away valuable resources, degraded the environment, created economic instability and ethnic rivalries but most importantly, killed human lives in the process. They then used these resources to build trading empires and profit from a system based on subjugation and exploitation (Blakemore, 2019). Many countries are guilty of this. The Netherlands with the Dutch East India Trading Company or the East India Trading Company which came out of England. Their empires are built on the work and death of people who were born in the countries they colonised leading to the growth of continental Europe over the centuries.

Noticing the imbalance in the world and human equality, countries started to invest in their former colonies and the developing world. This culminated in reaching a point in the past where development aid became a global phenomenon which people, countries, governments and organisations strive to achieve. Yet the aid which is given out to developing countries, to help with development, comes with strings attached to it. I find it a bit bemusing to consider when the reason developing countries are in the situation they are in is due to the product of colonialism and the loss of their countries resources over the years. It is almost as if the western countries and organisations have grouped together and acknowledged the fact they are the cause for the inequality but they also then tell others how their development should proceed. Imposing their ideas on others and saying, ‘This is the right way for a country to develop. You must develop the way we want you to develop.’ Is this not a form of postcolonial structural racism? They are helping the developing world but they are also helping themselves in the process and creating a narrative for how change should occur. The structure of the system that has been put into place favours one set of people and discriminates against others. Those who have the opportunity to help are still gaining at the end of the day. Even though it comes from a place of goodwill. What are we to do then when such a structure exists? Personally, I felt quite aggravated when this realisation of a rigged system dawned on me. 

I know a few people who work in the world of development aid and they acknowledge that the development system is not perfect. The work that is being done through NGOs and multinationals is important and does help improve the world. I just like to reflect upon if there is a different, more equitable way to deliver development which does not come with the attachment of strings and conditions to it. There must be more transparency in this regard or maybe the system can be viewed from a different perspective, one based more on collaboration between people and on the specific needs of those in need. This is why I firmly believe in the advancement of technological and innovative development through collaborative design.

Collaboration as ‘King’

Collaborative design is an approach used to find non-linear solutions to problems. This occurs when different stakeholders actively take part in the design process, As opposed to the engineer or design expert saying what the final product will be. A  process of engaging with the stakeholders and seeing what their specific issues are and based on these issues the co-creation of a product can be developed (Da Cunha Pimenta, 2018). In other words you are giving each stakeholder some level of autonomy and agency to put forwards their ideas. This relates to innovation in development because it is about giving people a voice to express their thoughts and needs. One thing I have learnt growing up is that even though I am a Kenyan citizen and national, I have no idea what the people in Kenya actually need to help with their development needs. I also do not have the right to superimpose my opinion onto other people about what I think they should do to foster development and innovation. Just because I have an education and a degree does not give me the right to tell other people that I know better than them because I cannot fully understand their circumstance. Through this process of collaborative design, the stakeholders in developing countries will be given a voice to say what their needs are as no two countries or organisations will have the same issues. They may be similar issues which will require similar solutions but these may have to be met with different specifications on the final design. It is also important to realise that some places may not even be able to implement or use the newest forms of technology as in their country they do not have the required resources, technological understanding or infrastructure to deal with new equipment and support widespread adoption (Becker, 2017). Even though the challenge may be the same, the context may not, and that will radically change the effectiveness of a given solution.

Collaborative design is an approach used to find non-linear solutions to problems. This occurs when different stakeholders actively take part in the design process, As opposed to the engineer or design expert saying what the final product will be. A  process of engaging with the stakeholders and seeing what their specific issues are and based on these issues the co-creation of a product can be developed (Da Cunha Pimenta, 2018). In other words you are giving each stakeholder some level of autonomy and agency to put forwards their ideas. This relates to innovation in development because it is about giving people a voice to express their thoughts and needs. One thing I have learnt growing up is that even though I am a Kenyan citizen and national, I have no idea what the people in Kenya actually need to help with their development needs. I also do not have the right to superimpose my opinion onto other people about what I think they should do to foster development and innovation. Just because I have an education and a degree does not give me the right to tell other people that I know better than them because I cannot fully understand their circumstance. Through this process of collaborative design, the stakeholders in developing countries will be given a voice to say what their needs are as no two countries or organisations will have the same issues. They may be similar issues which will require similar solutions but these may have to be met with different specifications on the final design. It is also important to realise that some places may not even be able to implement or use the newest forms of technology as in their country they do not have the required resources, technological understanding or infrastructure to deal with new equipment and support widespread adoption (Becker, 2017). Even though the challenge may be the same, the context may not, and that will radically change the effectiveness of a given solution.

Collaborative design is an area in development that I feel quite passionate about. It has given me the opportunity to get into contact with small scale humanitarian organisations who do development aid work locally. This also allows the opportunity to hear first hand from people about their opinions on projects as well and targeted projects can be created. I feel that I can start to become deeply invested in projects which I am a part of and help develop the world whilst practicing transparency. In this way a more equitable platform for technological development can be created whereby all stakeholders are involved, regardless of race.

InAGlobe as a platform for co-design

InAGlobe Education sees itself as a platform which will enable a greater level of collaborative design to occur that directly involves the developing world. We see ourselves as a place which seeks to bridge the mismatch in information between those with the capacity to innovate (resources, expertise, etc.)  and those living in low-resource environments. This process of creating collaborations with stakeholders on the ground will grant people more agency in making change in their country without structural pre-existing biases. This collaboration breeds a transparency and comradery that will be crucial in an evermore connected and globalised world that seems to be slipping along nationalist and exclusionary routes.

We believe that students that get involved in humanitarian engineering and innovation will also learn about how their work can be a direct benefit to those living in low-resource environments. It is also an opportunity to teach and educate students at University that collaborating with people outside of their immediate circles, and especially academic circles, can breed awesome results, as well as a better understanding of contexts so far detached. People who live in situations where development is needed will be able to give first-hand insights into their everyday problems and better specify how others can help. We envision that small scale projects that are highly collaborative can compound to have a massive effect internationally in the long run. This may occur through the simple act of thinking critically about a challenge, or my spinning out social enterprises that build the economy and provide jobs, as well as products and services directly stipulated by the community. 

I would like to hope that this also leads to the creation of a train of thought in students who have had the privilege to grow up in the West that, in some circumstances, what may seem a rudimentary and somewhat simplistic technological design for them may in fact be of a vast benefit to a person in a developing country. It is through education that we learn about the world’s past grievances and how best to fix them. Through this active involvement of project creation, there is also hope that people learn to understand and accept people from different backgrounds and ethnicities as they team-up to tackle challenges that really involve all of us. Although this is not an outright dismantling or toppling of the structural and institutional racist inequalities in the world it does create a platform for change which promotes global acumen, and social and cultural awareness for people of developed nations and gives people in developing countries a platform to share their needs and have their voices heard. In this sense the technological hubs may not need to be located in cities such as London or New York but wherever people are, wherever those who have ideas for change are. 

We stand behind the fact that Black Lives Matter, and that all ideas in-fact matter! We openly and candidly support a reconfiguration of all structures that present structural racism, and we invite everyone to open their hearts and minds to true collaboration.

Written by Max Mwenda Wilbers, Humanitarian Liaison Officer at InAGlobe Education.

References:

Agarwal, P. (2020) Foreign Aid. [online] Intelligenteconomist.com. 

Becker, A. (2020) Ldcs And The Technological Revolution | LDC Portal. [online] Un.org. 

Blakemore, E. (2019) What Is Colonialism. [online] nationalgeographic.com.

Da Cunha Pimenta, G. (2018) Collaborative Design Sessions 101. [online] UX Collective. 

Dodani, S. (2005) Brain drain from developing countries: how can brain drain be converted into wisdom gain?. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 98(11), pp.487-491.

European Commission – European Commission. (2020) Recipients And Results Of EU Aid.

InterQuest Group. (2020) The Biggest Tech Hubs In The World 2019 | Interquest Group. 

Katz, D. (2018) Top-Down Vs. Bottom-Up Innovation. A Battle For Resources.. [online] Bbntimes.com. 

Kenton, W. (2020) Foreign Aid. [online] Investopedia. 

Leskin, P. (2018) The 50 Most High-Tech Cities In The World. [online] Business Insider. 

Olanrele, I & Ibrahim, T. (2015). Does Developmental Aid Impact or Impede on Growth: Evidence from Nigeria. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues. 5. 288-296. 

Srinivasan, R. (2020) Opinion: The Global South Is Redefining Tech Innovation. [online] Wired. 

Our main academic partner, Imperial College London has been leading the effort in the UK to warn about the effects of the disease by the hand of Prof. Neil Ferguson [2]. Our closest departmental partner, the Department of Bioengineering has been doubling their efforts to deliver on technologies that may help alleviate the shortage of ventilators and improve our ability for rapid detection. Prof. Jimmy Moore has led a team to design a low-cost, simple ventilator system that can be made with standard production facilities [3]; Dr. Firat Güder is in the process of delivering a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) that has the potential to be far more sensitive than currently available ones [4]; just to mention a couple examples. As alumni of Imperial College we are incredibly proud of the collective response. However, the efforts made globally are immense, Imperial College is just one of the countless academic, public and private players that are uniting and collaborating to try to understand this novel disease, mitigate it’s effects, and fully tackle it. With all the challenges of globalisation, this is the kind of collaboration that InAGlobe has been advocating for since we started, a collaboration without borders.

In that light, despite the importance of our projects, these come secondary to the health and safety of the students and academics involved. Imperial College decided to send everyone home before the end of term and with it pause the design and prototyping phases of the student projects involved. This year we had reduced the number of projects in order to better understand the dynamics that delivered successful projects, and current progress was very impressive, going well beyond expectations. The projects will be picked up on a case by case basis upon the return to normal project work, either as academic projects or summer projects. For the moment our focus will be around ensuring their inheritability and the feedback and opinion of our humanitarian partners.

Western health systems are being stretched passed their limits, and only essential workers are allowed to go into work. There has been little mention of how this virus will have an effect on countries with poorer health infrastructure, and with less digitalised economies. In developing economies, working from home is not an option, not going out may be the difference between having food to put on the table. Spain with 330 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants is already facing an unprecedented tragedy since the last instauration of democracy, how can we ignore that there are countries, such as Mozambique with 3 per 100,000? Not only is it personnel, it is materiel as well: testing, Personal Protective Gear, ventilators and necessary infrastructure. From InAGlobe we advocate for a global coordinated response to the crisis, and we know this is not an easy ask, but it is imperative. The arguments regarding the humanity of this response are clear, however, (even) from a selfish-nationalistic perspective, if we don’t tackle the virus everywhere, countries with less resources committed to the fight against the virus will act as deposits of the pathogen from where it can spread and mutate, and that means the virus will return. And not only does the response need to be global, but also multidimensional: the collapse of the markets, and the incredible recovery that some natural spaces have seen since the reduction of human industrial activity. These are blatant examples of the interconnected nature of all the systems on Earth. Despite the hardships that COVID19 has brought, this is an incredible opportunity to tackle systemic ecological, economic and social problems.

From InAGlobe we want to extend our deepest condolences to all of those affected by the direct and indirect health and human consequences of this virus, whether it is this prolific virus or any other treatment that finds itself addressed. We want to extend our biggest admiration to all the healthcare workers, the staff in supermarkets, transport- and delivery-workers, pharmacists, carers, individuals in the supply chain, police and armed forces, volunteers,  and many others that are essential for everyone’s ability to reduce contagion by remaining at home and socially distancing. We all owe you a debt of gratitude. 

Written By: Jaime Aguilera Garcia (13/04/2020) - Co-Founder of InAGlobe Education.

References

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 [Accessed on 13-04-2020 at 22:00]

Neil M. Ferguson et al., Estimates of the severity of coronavirus disease 2019: a model-based analysis, The Lancet, 30/3/2020 (https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laninf/PIIS1473-3099(20)30243-7.pdf)

https://www.imperial-consultants.co.uk/areasofexpertise/emergency-ventilator/ [Accessed on 13-04-2020 at 22:00]

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.23.002931v1 [Accessed on 13-04-2020 at 22:00]

In a paper written by David Cutler, Angus Deaton, and Adriana Lleras-Muney[5] about global mortality, they stated that:

Mortality in England began to decline in the wake of the Enlightenment, directly through the application to health new ideas about personal health and public administration, and indirectly through increased productivity that permitted (albeit with some terrible reversals) better levels of living […] Most recently, the major life-saving scientific innovations in medical procedures and new pharmaceuticals have had a major effect […] important health innovations whose effect has been mainly in poor countries.

From this quote, it can be seen that the factors which led to the reduction in mortality rates are many. Before we delve into these factors that have improved the health of people, let us first understand what health is.

According to the WHO, health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”[6]. In other words, the mind and emotions of a person, in addition to the physical body, all affects the health of the person. However, if we think deeper about the definition presented by WHO, we can include a greater population into the definition. This idea was shared by Dr. David Misselbrook on the British Journal of General Practice[7]. He raised the example of an amputee. With a missing limb, does that mean that person can never be in good health since it does not fulfil the definition by WHO? It would be absurd to think so. This is because the amputee can still live a fulfilling life and be free from illnesses. A person who lives up to the latter definition is Nick Vujicic, who was born with tetra-amelia but did not let his condition of not having limbs deter him from living life. Hence, good health should also include the ability to overcome illnesses and disabilities.

Bearing the definition of health in mind, we can look at the following determinants of health identified by WHO [8]:

The Physical Environment

As defined in a paper by National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in the USA, “the factors in the physical environment that are important to health include harmful substances, such as air pollution or proximity to toxic sites (the focus of classic environmental epidemiology); access to various health-related resources (e.g., healthy or unhealthy foods, recreational resources, medical care); and community design and the “built environment” (e.g., land use mix, street connectivity, transportation systems).”[9].

The Social Environment

This consists of two aspects: the conditions and the systems. The conditions involve those “in which people are born in, grow, live, work and age”. The systems refer to those that “affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes and risks”[10].

The person’s individual characteristics and behaviours

This encompasses genetics (the innate biological characteristics), which includes age and gender, as well as the way of living and behaving, which includes diet, alcohol consumption and sexual practices [11]. 

We shall explore these determinants in this essay and a question to ask as we go through each determinant is: How can technology play a role in ensuring good health?

Physical Environment

Some elements of the physical environment are:11

• Natural environment (e.g. plants, weather, or air quality)
• Built environment (e.g. buildings, or transport)

In the Global Shapers Survey done by the World Economic Forum, climate change and the environment were the most critical concern for years 2015 to 2017, with 48.8% of the approximately 25,000 survey responses by millennials selecting that as the top concern in 2017 [12]. Their concern is valid because global emissions have indeed been rising each year. Emissions have always been rising, yet the rate of increase has been fluctuating [13]. This inevitably leads to the rise in global temperatures due to the trapping of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, with 18 out of the 19 warmest years occurring since 2001.14 As a result of air pollution which causes heart disease and stroke, approximately 7 million people died in 2012 according to WHO.15 Based on a paper written by Professor Drew Shindell from Duke University, if the emissions in the USA were cut to 40% by 2030, 295,000 premature deaths could be prevented [16]. It is with no doubt that the health of the planet is directly associated to the health of people.

However, Rob Jackson, a senior fellow at Stanford University, says that in nations like India and China where hundreds of millions live without electricity, “the need for electricity surpasses concern for climate”[17]. This results in the continual burning of fossil fuels for transport, electricity and industry, which makes people vulnerable to respiratory and circulatory diseases, both in rural and urban areas[18].  Climate change is also causing an increase in disease incidence, such as Malaria and West Nile virus [19]. This is due to the extended lifespan of the vectors in the warmth, enabling them to carry the disease further and for longer periods of time. The warmer temperatures also allow harmful bacteria to thrive, such as Vibriosis, a flesh-eating bacterium that infects open wounds and contaminates seafood [19].

Besides climate change, the built environment influences the health of people as well. Many studies have shown that having green spaces in urban areas that are close to residential and work places is beneficial for health. A study revealed that wards that have a view of trees sped up the recovery of patients and that these patients required less painkillers [20]. In another study that compared exercising in a green space and in an urban environment revealed that stress level is reduced in the former setting[21]. In a separate study, results showed that living in greener areas improved mental health substantially[22]. Hence, an area filled with nature is beneficial to not only people who are recuperating, but also people who are healthy. It is also beneficial for both our physical and mental health.

Poor sanitation facilities can also affect the health of people. Faecal waste is dangerous to health, in which millions of harmful bacteria can be found in just one gram of faeces[23]. InAGlobe is working with Engineering Change, a student-led society at Imperial College London, and SNV Mozambique, to develop a septic tank to allow for safe disposal of the waste. Furthermore, hospitals in low-resource environments may find difficulty in disposing waste that is hazardous and possibly contaminated, such as syringes and used gauze. These objects can lead to an increase in blood-transmitted and water-borne diseases. Helvetas has brought this challenge to InAGlobe and we hope to tackle it in the following year.

Besides proper disposal methods, access to clean drinking water is paramount. Contaminated water can infect people with diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid. It is estimated that 829,000 people die each year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe drinking water and improper sanitation[24]. A country that managed to secure clean potable water despite being water-scarce is Singapore. They developed NEWater in which recycled water is purified through reverse osmosis. NEWater had comparable or better microbiological parameters when compared with regular drinking water and have no toxic or carcinogenic effects when tested on mice and fishes[25]. However, this reverse osmosis technology is costly and may not be feasible for all. Hence, InAGlobe partnered with the Department of Civil Engineering of Imperial College and uDrops to develop an affordable clean-water system for an orphanage on Mfangano island in Lake Victoria.

The work environment also matters as this concerns what people do on a regular basis. For example, in India, in rural areas people are often involved in primary industry occupations, such as agriculture and forestry[26]. Their exposure to chemicals (such as pesticides) and to air pollution (such as vehicles and machinery) make them prone to, for example, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases[26,27]. In urban areas, both blue-collar and white-collar workers are vulnerable to illnesses. Common illnesses between both groups include lower back pain, upper respiratory problems and fatigue, although the rates are higher in blue-collar workers, possibly due to the higher physical demands[28]. Due to the sedentary work nature, white-collar workers are prone to diabetes, burnout-linked depression and occupational overuse syndrome [28,29].

In the area of agriculture, to reduce emissions and maintain the fertility of the land, there is a growing field called Agroecology, which are “farming practices that mimic nature by adding organic material to soil, planting trees on cropped fields and using natural enemies to attack insect pests”[31]. This not only helps farmers to save the costs on fertilisers and pesticides, it also reduces their exposure to chemicals. With respect to office work, companies can adopt ergonomic workstations. This means reducing the strain and stress on workers, such as their posture or their movements[32]. One way to do so is to have chairs that promotes good posture and reduces awkward positions, such as having necessary supports[33]. Tables can also be designed such that there is enough leg space for the worker. If a job requires constant usage of the telephone, headphones can be used in place of traditional phones to reduce strain on the hands and the neck.

Social Environment

The social environment “encompass[es] the immediate physical surroundings, social relationships, and cultural milieus within which defined groups of people function and interact”[34]. Essentially, it concerns how people live in the environment they are in, which includes their own individual lives (such as home, work and school) and also the society they are in (such as the city, labour market and culture).

Resource mismanagement has led to the loss of about $455 billion out of the $7.35 trillion spent on healthcare each year.35 One such form is the absenteeism of healthcare workers, in which these workers have jobs in both the private and public sector. Since the private sector usually gives higher wages, the public sector would suffer if these workers are dually scheduled. Another form of corruption is informal payment such as bribery. People do this to perhaps move up the waiting list or to receive more attention. This means that people who are better-to-do would receive treatment sooner and of better quality than those who cannot spare extra money to get the service. Sometimes, resources are mismanaged, resulting in improper equipment acquired or insufficient medications. The former situation happens because hospital administrators might make an agreement with a company to only use their products or to accept their money to use in projects that are not of priority. This can result in acquiring incompatible equipment in which the community does not have the manpower to repair or maintain it. The latter situation happens healthcare resources are diverted during the process of delivery so that such that they can be resold to the private market. These will in one way or another restrict the accessibility of healthcare to the public. However, security and audit tech, as well as technologies for traceability such as IoT systems can have a potential in preventing and controlling corruption.

To aid in the undersupply of healthcare workers, Fundación Mozambique Sur proposed for a pillbox that can inform children at a Mozambican orphanage, Casa de Gaiato, when they need to take their medication. This will relieve the work and stress of the healthcare workers and ensure that the children are taking their medications. In turn, this liberates healthcare workers to focus on other aspects of the children’s health.

Governments can play a role in ensuring the good health of its citizens. To encourage the people to walk more, the Health Promotion Board in Singapore developed the “Healthy 365” mobile application which allows users to track their steps[36]. As an incentive, the more steps the user walks, the more points he earns, and these points can be used to redeem prizes. Other features in the app includes a diet tracking journal that has a database of the calorie and nutritional information of various foods and drinks, and map views of the nearest exercise facilities and healthier eateries. Another similar application that is applicable to people globally is Sweatcoin[37], which uses a cryptocurrency to create the incentive for people to walk. This shows that both governing authorities and private firms can have a substantial role in promoting healthy lifestyles.

Income is also a crucial factor in accessing healthcare. And income comes from employment and entrepreneurship. It is important that people have jobs because it provides the financial ability to spend on goods and services they may require[38]. This includes access to health services and education. It also gives people security and fulfilment, a crucial factor in keeping good psychological health[39]. It should be noted that the permanence of the job also matters. With employment there is an increase in the revenue through taxes that can then be redirected towards healthcare systems, thus improving access [40].  

To help protect the occupations of Mozambicans, a project proposed by Helvetas is to have a mobile phone application that informs Mozambicans of the fair local market price for their goods. 80% of the population depends on agriculture. To prevent them from getting misguided by middle-men, this application informs farmers of the fair price of the grains which takes into consideration the region’s supply and demand. It is interesting to consider that those that experience the most malnourishment and hunger are those that produce food; thereby an application that allows them to distribute their sales will improve the management of their income.

Education is also very much linked to health of people. For example, mothers who have some degree of health and nutritional education will provide their children with a healthier and more balanced diet, avoiding unhealthy food and food from unsafe sources. This can reduce the rates of parasitic worm infections, as well as obesity and diabetes. These two examples promote the prevention of malnutrition and avoidance of diseases, leading to a healthier population. Also, adults who have higher levels of education tend to avoid risky behaviours such as smoking and drinking, and would adopt healthy behaviours such as exercise and a balanced diet [41].

Individual Characteristics and Behaviours

Besides the environment, the genetics of a person will have an influence on the person’s health in one way or another. Some genetic conditions include Sickle-cell Anaemia and Down Syndrome. The family history of an individual can also play a role, such as the predisposition of heart disease[11]. Compared to children, the elderly are biologically more prone to poor health, an effect of aging [42]. The level of hormones and chemicals in the body changes through the years, and this affects the rate of recovery. For example, the level of collagen decreases as we age, making us more prone to cuts and flesh wounds[42]. Another example would be the breaking down and regeneration of our bones. As we age, the rate of bone breaking down is faster than the rate of bone regenerating. Hence, for a fracture, while it takes children a few weeks for them to heal, it can take months for adults to heal[43]. Despite this observation, children are also at risk given their yet unprepared immune system, which is why one of the greatest achievements of the last century is the immense reduction in Child Mortality. The incidence of various diseases also differs between gender. For example, females are more prone to autoimmune diseases compared to males, such as Multiple Sclerosis and Sjogren’s Syndrome[44]. A person’s ethnic group also influences the state of health of the person. As a result of cardiovascular disease, African communities tend to have strokes whereas South Asian communities tend to have heart attacks[45].

Although we cannot control genetics yet, we can control our behaviour, such as washing hands and consumption of a balanced diet. Exercise is very important for both our physical health and mental health. Physically, it reduces the likelihood of diseases such as heart and lung diseases, dementia and diabetes. Mentally, it helps to reduce stress, recover from mental health issues and improves sleep[46]. By controlling our behaviour, we can reduce the likelihood of getting ill. For example, although Type II diabetes can be partly attributed to genes, it can also be attributed to lifestyle. Exercise is beneficial in preventing diabetes as it helps to regulate blood sugar level and it helps to increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin[47]. Similarly with heart diseases, diet and exercise are factors that affect the health of the heart [48].

We all value health because we want to be able to do the things that we want to do. Poor health prevents us from having the energy and ability to achieve a meaningful life. From the above analysis, we can see how complex health is as it is influenced by various factors that are multifaceted. Health is not just influenced by an individual’s genes and behaviour, it is also influenced by the environment and people around them. Despite the complexity of the issue, we can always think of solutions to alleviate health issues through innovative technologies. We need to acknowledge that investing in health will be an investment that we will not regret. Only with a healthy population can society keep improving and pushing itself beyond its limits.

Written By Jaynell Ng (31/08/2019) - Outreach Volunteer for InAGlobe Education.

References:

1. Countries are spending more on health, but people are still paying too much out of their own pockets. (2019, February 20). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/20-02-2019-countries-are-spending-more-on-health-but-people-are-still-paying-too-much-out-of-their-own-pockets
2. Roser, M. (2017, May 26). Link between health spending and life expectancy: US is an outlier. Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/the-link-between-life-expectancy-and-health-spending-us-focus
3. Health Spending Grows Faster Than Global GDP – But Millions Lack Essential Coverage, UN Says. (2018, December 12). Retrieved from https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/health-spending-grows-faster-than-global-gdp-but-millions-lack-essential-coverage/
4. Life expectancy. (2018, May 15). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/gho/mortality_burden_disease/life_tables/situation_trends_text/en/ World Health Organisation (WHO)
5. Cutler, D., Deaton, A., & Lleras-Muney, A. (2006). The Determinants of Mortality. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(3), 97-120. Retrieved from https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.20.3.97.
6. WHO remains firmly committed to the principles set out in the preamble to the Constitution. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/constitution World Health Organization (WHO)
7. Misselbrook, D. (2014, October 27). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4220217/
8. The determinants of health. (2010, December 01). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/ World Health Organization (WHO)
9. Woolf, S. H., & Aron, L. (2013). U.S. health in international perspective shorter lives, poorer health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK115854/
10. What are the Determinants of Health? [PDF]. (2018, May). Curtin: Public Health Association Australia. https://www.phaa.net.au/documents/item/2756
11. Determinants of Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/Determinants-of-Health
12. Global Shapers Survey [PDF]. (2017). World Economic Forum. http://shaperssurvey2017.org/static/data/WEF_GSC_Annual_Survey_2017.pdf
13. Hausfather, Z. (2018, December 5). Analysis: Fossil-fuel emissions in 2018 increasing at fastest rate for seven years. Retrieved from https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-fossil-fuel-emissions-in-2018-increasing-at-fastest-rate-for-seven-years
14. Global Temperature. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/ NASA – Global Climate Change
15. Genchev, D. (2018, October 14). 7 million deaths in 2012 due to air pollution. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/china/home/25-03-2014-world-health-organization-7-million-deaths-in-2012-due-to-air-pollution World Health Organization (WHO)
16. Milman, O. (2016, February 22). 295,000 US deaths may be prevented by 2030 with cuts to greenhouse gas. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/22/us-deaths-greenhouse-gas-295000-emission-cuts-climate-change
17. Krieger, L. M. (2018, December 5). Why fossil fuel emissions are increasing – again. Retrieved from https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/12/05/why-fossil-fuel-emissions-are-increasing-again/
18. Karambelas, A., Holloway, T., Kinney, P. L., Fiore, A. M., Defries, R., Kiesewetter, G., & Heyes, C. (2018). Urban versus rural health impacts attributable to PM2.5 and O3 in northern India. Environmental Research Letters, 13(6). doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aac24d https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aac24d/pdf
19. Climate Change and Health: Infectious Diseases. (2018, September 5). Retrieved from https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/climate-change-and-health-infectious-diseases The Climate Reality Project
20. Green space and health. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sustainablehealthcare.org.uk/what-we-do/green-space-and-health Centre for Sustainable Healthcare
21. Green Cities Make Healthier People. (2013, April 16). Retrieved from https://www.sciencealert.com/green-cities-house-healthier-people National Environmental Research Program (NERP)
22. Alcock, I., White, M. P., Wheeler, B. W., Fleming, L. E., & Depledge, M. H. (2013). Longitudinal Effects on Mental Health of Moving to Greener and Less Green Urban Areas. Environmental Science & Technology,48(2), 1247-1255. doi:10.1021/es403688w
23. Mara, D., Lane, J., Scott, B., & Trouba, D. (2010). Sanitation and Health. PLoS Medicine, 7(11). doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000363 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2981586/
24. Drinking-water. (2019, June 14). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water World Health Organization (WHO)
25. Tan, T., & Rawat, S. (2018, January 15). NEWater in Singapore. Retrieved from http://www.globalwaterforum.org/2018/01/15/newater-in-singapore/ Global Water Forum
26. Matz, C. J., Stieb, D. M., & Brion, O. (2015). Urban-rural differences in daily time-activity patterns, occupational activity and housing characteristics. Environmental Health, 14(88). doi:10.1186/s12940-015-0075-y https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4644325/
27. Farm safety – risks and hazards. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/farm-safety-risks-and-hazards Victoria State Government – Better Health Channel
28. Schreuder, K., Roelen, C., Koopmans, P., & Groothoff, J. (2008). Job demands and health complaints in white and blue collar workers. Work, 31(4), 425-432. https://content.iospress.com/articles/work/wor00756
29. Health and safety in the white collar workplace. (2014, December 10). Retrieved from https://duncancotterill.com/publications/health-and-safety-in-the-white-collar-workplace
30. Teo, Y. (2019, January 17). Singapore updates health and safety for a white-collar world. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/c9c440aa-e1bf-11e8-a8a0-99b2e340ffeb
31. Kerr, R. B. (2015, September 21). How low-tech farming innovations can make African farmers climate-resilient. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/how-low-tech-farming-innovations-can-make-african-farmers-climate-resilient-47684
32. Best Ergonomic Workstations. (2018, August 27). Retrieved from https://www.allthingsergo.com/best-ergonomic-workstations/
33. Rhoden, T. (2015, July 20). Top considerations for creating ergonomic workstations. Retrieved from https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/human-resources/2015/07/considerations-for-ergonomic-workstations.html
34. Barnett, E., & Casper, M. (2001). A Definition of “Social Environment”. American Journal of Public Health, 91(3), 465-465. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1446600/pdf/11249033.pdf
35. Crossing the global quality chasm: Improving health care worldwide. (2018). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi:https://doi.org/10.17226/25152 Chapter 6
36. Healthy 365 app. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthhub.sg/apps/25/healthy365 Health Promotion Board (Singapore)
37. Sweatcoin. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sweatco.in/
38. Capozzi, C. (2019, January 5). The Importance of Employment & Workplace in the Society. Retrieved from https://bizfluent.com/info-8296076-importance-employment-workplace-society.html
39. Allan, B. (2018, October 3). Why Good Jobs are Important for the Economy and the Mental Health and Well-Being of American Workers. Retrieved from https://scholars.org/brief/why-good-jobs-are-important-economy-and-mental-health-and-well-being-american-workers
40. Wray, L. R. (2009). The Social and Economic Importance of Full Employment. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1394467 http://www.levyinstitute.org/publications/the-social-and-economic-importance-of-full-employment
41. Zimmerman, E., & Woolf, S. H. (2014, June 5). Understanding the Relationship Between Education and Health [PDF]. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. https://nam.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/BPH-UnderstandingTheRelationship1.pdf
42. Farrar, J. (2018, May 01). Do injuries take longer to heal as we age? Retrieved from https://www.thephysiocompany.com/blog/do-injuries-take-longer-to-heal-as-we-age
43. Sewell, A. (2016, July 5). Why Do a Child’s Bones Heal Faster Than an Adults? Retrieved from https://www.merivalehandclinic.co.nz/news/childs-bones-heal-faster-than-adults/
44. Ngo, S., Steyn, F., & Mccombe, P. (2014). Gender differences in autoimmune disease. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 35(3), 347-369. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.04.004 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091302214000466
45. Genes and human diseases. (2019, March 21). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/genomics/public/geneticdiseases/en/index3.htmlWorld Health Organization (WHO)
46. Exercise and mental health. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/exercise-and-mental-health
47. Exercise is good for diabetes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/exercise-is-good-for-diabetes Harvard Health Publishing48Jaret, P. (n.d.). Genes vs. Lifestyle: What Matters Most for Health? Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/genes-or-lifestyle WebMD

There are a number of factors preventing inclusive education in developing countries. At the root of many of these factors is poverty. For example, some parents cannot afford (more so that opportunity cost is higher) to send their children to school once the children are old enough to work or get married. The challenge with opportunity cost is the “short-term gains vs long-term benefits”- the cost of sending a child to school with a growing list of investments such as uniform and transport. These are perceived larger due to the high rate of absenteeism amongst teachers, which often is also closely linked to poor economic incentives and lack of school funding. At InAGlobe we believe that technology can help bridge some of the challenges, whether it is related to affordability of educational material, or other.

Then there is the value of alternative education. Alternative education methods have been the norm amongst communities until education became part of a system, whether it was from a religious stand-point or as a result of the Industrial Revolution. However, alternative methods of education can be hugely impactful in communities where schools are overloaded. Mike Wamaya, the founder of Project Elimu (Wamaya, 2017) has been a driving force with his vision on alternative education in Kibera (a slum in Nairobi home to approximately 100,000 people). After a career as a professional dancer, he returned home to Nairobi and started a ballet school. InAGlobe personally met Mike in April this year and we hope to find ways of complementing his envisioned alternative education project so that innovation can be an enabler.

Furthermore, a lack of funding means schools cannot often cater for disabled children, unless supported by another organisation. Children with special needs are a huge source of untapped potential, many hold perspectives on life that no-one else could possibly imagine. The emergence of echolocation as an alternative to sight amongst the blind is just a glimpse of the capabilities that visually impaired individuals have. It is heart-breaking to see a system that so poorly adapts to disability, and it is socially, politically and economically foolish. But disability is not only the visually impaired, it is the amputees, the victims of polio, those with learning difficulties, individuals that were victims of conflict, accidents, violence and disaster, it is a myriad of diversity that can contribute to a better understanding of the world, as well as help build a more inclusive world. In the same way that political institutions should be pluralistic, giving voice to minorities, this also applies within disability, and inclusive education is a necessary stepping stone so that these individuals can become more heavily involved in building a world that works for all. InAGlobe is partnering with the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust to develop a low-cost device that will help teach visually impaired children mathematics. There is no reason why a visually impaired child cannot dream of being an engineer, a scientist, a mathematician, a statistician or an accountant.

This is but a glimpse of the complexity behind the challenge of inclusive education for children with special needs, there is a more pressing imperative which is that the mainstream reality is that many of these children are often socially marginalised, with immense levels of stigma. This is a barrier that is being cleared by countless organisations working on the ground, but it is not enough that organisations do this out of charity. Educational inclusion leads to economic and social inclusion, and along the way the removal of a stigma that is often more disabling than the disability itself.

Inadequate sanitation is another issue causing absenteeism. It often prevents girls from attending school once they begin having their period. The leading cause of school absenteeism is parasites, and other water-borne diseases that are tightly linked to poor sanitation. Effective Altruism, an organisation that helps focus the efforts of motivated individuals towards tackling large impact challenges sees de-parasiting as the most effective leverage point towards education (Effective Altruism, 2019). The list is seemingly endless, and the paradigm is complex, such that the UN estimates that 617 million youths worldwide lack basic numeracy and literacy (UN, 2018).  Despite the barriers, small steps can be taken to ensure that communities are progressing towards the goal. These can include:

• The use of teaching assistants or specialists: these staff can make sure that specific attention is given to struggling students, meaning that more students overall can achieve basic numeracy and literacy skills.
• Implementation of an inclusive curriculum: this aims to include themes relevant to the local community and contributions by marginalized and minority groups. It should include children of all abilities, and ideally teach vocational skills for students unable to learn conventional academic skills.
• Specific teaching aids and enabling technologies: this can range from innovative technological solutions that allow more children to be included within the system or elevating the current educational experience by considering alternative forms of learning. (Open Society Foundations, 2019)

Of course, these measures can only be properly implemented if there is significant funding going into the progression of education in developing communities. Often, NGOs or local charities will bring in volunteer teaching assistants or will purchase teaching aids for schools to keep and use. However, the core ideology of inclusivity has only been ingrained into very few schools in developing countries. The idea of rolling out the inclusive education framework almost sounds fanciful, particularly in areas where basic education is considered a luxury. However, by approaching different facets of the problem (e.g. lack of technology, social stigma, poverty), it may eventually be possible to bring education to all.

Due to to InAGlobe’s strong ties with the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London, we approach this topic with an emphasis on technological solutions. There have been numerous advances in assistive and educational technology in developed countries to improve the standard of disabled children’s education. This can encompass everything from adapted sitting chairs, to low- and high-tech braille devices, to modified computer controls for children lacking fine motor control. These technologies can make a world of difference to a disabled child and can result in their acquisition of key skills needed to live a more full and independent life. However, technologies such as these are often extremely expensive to manufacture, which reduces their viability in developing countries. If we could make these technologies affordable enough to allow for their implementation, we may be able to reduce the burden of disability on children, parents and schools alike. 

So how can we bring about the implementation of these technologies? We believe that by using innovative thinking and human-centred design, we can either come up with brand new solutions or remodel existing technologies to allow for their use in developing countries at a fraction of their current cost. This is something we are striving to promote at InAGlobe, as one of our main priorities is the education of every child. Beyond this, we have a further goal: to raise awareness for these issues so that the engineers and scientists of tomorrow may take on the challenge of finding innovative solutions to global issues.  By bringing issues such as inclusivity in education to the mainstream, we hope that we can encourage large-scale involvement and collaboration to tackle these challenges.

Written By Kavaya Ganabady (09/07/2019) - Outreach Volunteer for InAGlobe Education.

References:

Gulland A. 2019. Lack of toilets and water at school puts girls’ education at risk. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/lack-toilets-water-school-puts-girls-education-risk/

N/A. 5 Examples of Assistive Technology in the Classroom. 2015. Retrieved from https://www.masters-in-special-education.com/lists/5-examples-of-assistive-technology-in-the-classroom/ 

N/A. Eliminating Parasitic Worm Infections. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.effectivealtruism.org/articles/ea-global-2018-eliminating-parasitic-worm-infections/

N/A. Sustainable Development Goal No.4: Education. 2018.  Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/

N/A. The Value of Inclusive Education. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/value-inclusive-education 

N/A. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1948. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/  

N/A. What is Inclusive Education?  https://www.allfie.org.uk/definitions/what-is-inclusive-education/

Wamaya M. 2017. https://www.projectelimu.org/

1. Lack of sanitation and clean water

It is shocking that 1 in 3 primary schools do not have clean water or decent toilets. According to a report by UNICEF and WHO (2018), the lack of clean drinking water is affecting 570 million children and the lack of decent toilets is affecting 620 million children. In fact, a child under the age of 5 is dying every 2 minutes due to diarrhoea caused by dirty water and poor toilets.

In the short term, this increases the risks of children falling ill and being infected by parasitic worms, leading to diarrhoea and anaemia. Recovering from an illness at home means a loss in school days, hindering the learning of children they must spend more time and effort to catch up. Even if the child is well enough to attend school, he might struggle to concentrate. In the long term, since these students are in the phase of life in which they are developing cognitively and physically, it is thus possible that their bodily functions are affected if they fall ill on a frequent basis. The bottom-line is that education does not come as a priority to good health, and health is heavily affected by access to clean water and sanitation.

In addition to the poor toilets, many schools only have mixed-gender toilets. This makes it difficult for girls to go to school especially when they hit puberty and need to clean themselves during menstrual periods. The lack of privacy and unsafe water deters girls from attending school, resulting in greater gender inequality. In the same report by UNICEF and WHO (2018), in 2016, 355 million girls were affected by the lack of facilities to wash their hands after changing sanitary pads.

Kelly Ann Naylor, the chief of water, sanitation and hygiene at UNICEF, puts into words the importance of sanitation and clean water very nicely: “If education is the key to helping children escape poverty, access to water and sanitation is key to helping children safely maximise their education. To neglect this is to be careless with the wellbeing and health of children.”

Possible Solution

To emphasise the importance of toilets in Mozambique, InAGlobe partnered with SNV to seek a collaboration with local artisans (e.g. ceramicists, brick-makers etc.) to design affordable permanent toilets out of locally sourced materials. If these designs can be implemented into schools, it will not only help safeguard the health of the students, it will also encourage job creation and also lower carbon footprint.

2. Opportunity costs for households

Often in developing countries, even if education is free, the costs incurred from transportation, uniforms and textbooks (just to name a few) can substantially increase the cost of education for the family, especially if the family has many children. Moreover, children are often expected to contribute to the family’s income or to stay at home to help with the chores, such collecting water and firewood or taking care of the younger siblings.

This especially affects girls. The fact that girls get married off and become part of her husband’s family does not encourage the families of the girls to send them to school, since the income she gets will belong to her husband’s family. Furthermore, in the short-run, if the family has many children, they might choose to marry their daughters off once they are of age to lessen the financial burden on themselves. Hence, there is little to incentivise the family to warrant an expenditure on education for the girl. As a result of all these, drop-out rates increase, and gender inequality widens. This issue is further reinforced by the increased likelihood of becoming pregnant.

Possible Solution

Although technology might not have the ability to change cultural beliefs and traditions, technology can help reduce the opportunity costs of households. Having water storage systems or agricultural technology means the dependence on physical labour is reduced, which can possibly allow children to go to school. If these systems in place can aid the improvement of family’s income and induce a higher spending capacity, perhaps due to more efficient methods of processing the goods or the production of higher quality products, they might be more willing to send their children (regardless of gender) to school.

3. Crises and Conflicts (and Displaced People)

Crises and conflicts (as well as the aftermath), such as natural disasters, epidemics and political conflict can adversely affect education. During such situations, besides the destruction of schools, there is also the disruption of amenities and infrastructure such as water supply, transportation and electricity. With the lack of water, children are likely to fall ill and are unable to attend school (as mentioned earlier). With damaged roads, the journey to school may be unsafe or unpassable.

Particularly in times of political instability, danger is lurking everywhere. In recent history, it is not uncommon to see children recruited as child soldiers. This definitely disrupts the schooling of these children as now they are directly involved in the conflict, not to mention the underlying psychological effects of extreme violence and the physical legacy of war itself. Moreover, militia leaders often give drugs to the child soldiers to desensitise them against the acts they are carrying out. Child soldiers also take drugs to forget the memories of their former lives and continue to take it after coming out of the army as an act of denial to the acts they performed against their community. This makes it difficult for them to integrate into society because they become addicted and violent, which results in society rejecting them. They feel even more isolated and turn back to drugs, making this a vicious cycle.

Moreover, conflict often leads to displacement, forcing people into refugee camps or even to leave the country. This relocation can mean a change in educational system, language and teaching style for the children.

Delayed and slow schooling eventually leads to low productivity, which is an economic hurdle. Further, crises and conflicts are especially problematic given that priorities shift from making investments towards the future (such as with education) towards immediate survival-driven decision-making (such as fleeing), and subsequently upon the end of the crisis, the reconstruction of infrastructure rather than education.

Possible Solution

These events can cause great trauma to the children, affecting their ability to learn. This makes schools even more important as it can induce a sense of normality and also aid in the restoration of their lives, counteracting the psychological impact of the trauma.

Since the destruction of infrastructure is a common sight after a natural disaster, we can research into building materials that are stronger and at the same time affordable such that buildings like schools stay strong and stable. Also, these buildings can also serve the purpose of being a refuge place, reducing the need for people to relocate.

We can also make use of the internet cloud to store teaching materials to ensure nothing gets lost during emergency times and schools can resume more smoothly once things around stabilise. Mobile phones can also play an interesting role in the education of children in times of conflict. Viamo (formerly known as VOTO Mobile) uses interactive voice response (IVR) technology in a mobile device to deliver education. The material is related to the lesson content on radio, in which students can participate in live-polls or quizzes by dialling the hotline or through text. Xavier Project (a humanitarian organisation) collaborated with Eneza Education (a mobile course provider) to provide children in Kenya primary education using short messaging service (SMS). Besides receiving explanation on why the answer is correct or wrong, other services come with the SMS study tool such as Auto-Quizzes and live Ask-a-Teacher feature, enabling them to direct their questions to a qualified teacher.

4. Social Stigmatisation

In many places, stigmatisation arises as a result of deep-rooted religious and cultural beliefs or due to the lack of awareness and hence lack of tolerance. However, do note that this attitude is not necessarily uniform across the community.

Developing countries contain 80% of the population of children with disabilities. These children are often excluded from education because of the lack of appropriate resources and expertise to teach them. However, false beliefs on disabilities also contribute to the inaccessibility of education for such students. Some beliefs include: a punishment from God (or bad karma), a demonic possession, and an ancestral curse. This results in not only rejection of school admission for these children, but also parents protecting their children from negative perceptions by keeping their children away from social activities. According to the United Nations, 38% of caregivers of children with disabilities in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia reported doing the latter action. Even the children of disabled parents suffer from the same fate even if they do not have any disabilities.

Children with albinism are one such disadvantaged group. According to Standing Voice (accessed in 2019), the prevalence rate is higher in Sub-Sharan Africa, with 1 in 1,400 people suffer from albinism in Tanzania compared to the global average of 1 in 18,000. There are misconceptions that children with albinism have a shorter lifespan, hence communities are not keen to devote resources to their education. Moreover, besides being bullied in public which can affect mental health, people with albinism are believed to possess magic powers and hence are often abducted or killed and mutilated for their body parts. With these dangers, families would rather protect their children at home than to send them to school.

Myths and superstitions extend to girls menstruating as well. In Nepal, Chhaupadi is practiced, in which Hindu women who are menstruating are not allowed indoors, including their own homes. This is because they are considered to be impure. This inevitably results in the loss of school days. It should be noted, however, that the Nepalese government is taking steps to stop this practice, in which they banned the practice in 2005 and criminalised it in 2018. Knowing that it is a long-running tradition, the government also stops giving state support to families that practices this act and families that stops their daughters from going to school.

Besides cultural beliefs, the lack of awareness also prevents the education of children in some communities. The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa is no less amongst children. 1.9 million out of the 2.5 million children, age 15 and under, living with HIV/AIDS are in Sub-Saharan Africa (Medscape, 2018). They experience a degree of stigmatisation that prevents them from attending school at times. This is fostered by the incorrect belief that the virus can be transmitted through human contact rather than fluid exchange.

Possible Solution

Realising that proportionally, there are many forms of disability that are more prevalent in countries that cannot afford current assistive technologies such as teaching aids, affordable tailored technologies have immense potential towards creating inclusion. Due to the focus of both the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London, and Jaime’s previous focus of humanitarian work and engineering, InAGlobe has a special focus on assistive technologies, collaborating closely with the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust. Through technology, we can lessen the burden of disability and increase the inclusiveness of society, playing a part in ensuring that every individual gets a chance in school, eventually contributing actively in the economy and hopefully, reduce the burden of stigma.

These issues are multi-faceted and there is not a single solution that can solve all of them. Although many of these problems are social problems and technology might not be able to change human mindsets, innovative technological solutions can be developed to alleviate some of these problems. We need to constantly question ourselves: How can technology play a role in, directly or indirectly, increasing education rates? Who is not being included in the current system, and how can this be changed? At InAGlobe, these are the kinds of problems we want to raise to higher education institutions to inspire them to come up with innovative solutions. By raising awareness, we hope to play a part in global education to empower the lives of individuals and communities.

Written by Jaynell Ng (22/06/2019) – Outreach Volunteer for InAGlobe Education.

References:

Ahmed, M. (n.d.). InnoCentive Custom Challenges. Retrieved from https://www.omnicompete.com/crisisandconflictedtech.html Albinism. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.standingvoice.org/albinism Baker, C. (2018, November 21). Children with albinism find it hard to navigate school. Teachers can help. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2018-11-children-albinism-hard-school-teachers.html Bindu, L. (2010, January 15). Drug Addiction Hinders Child Soldier Reintegration. Retrieved from https://iwpr.net/global-voices/drug-addiction-hinders-child-soldier Briggs, B. (2018, December 28). Education under attack and battered by natural disasters in 2018. Retrieved from https://theirworld.org/news/education-under-attack-in-2018-conflicts-natural-disasters Education . (n.d.). Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/topic/education Franklin, A., Lund, P., Bradbury-Jones, C., & Taylor, J. (2018). Children with albinism in African regions: Their rights to ‘being’ and ‘doing’. BMC Int. Health Hum. Rights.,18(2). doi:10.1186/s12914-018-0144-8 Gulland, A. (2019, June 11). Lack of toilets and water at school puts girls' education at risk . Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/lack-toilets-water-school-puts-girls-education-risk/ Kadariya, S., & Aro, A. R. (2015). Chhaupadi practice in Nepal – analysis of ethical aspects. Medicolegal and Bioethics,5, 53-58. doi:10.2147/mb.s83825 Kathmandu, R. A. (2019, January 14). Destroy 'period huts' or forget state support: Nepal moves to end practice. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jan/14/destroy-period-huts-or-forget-state-support-nepal-moves-to-end-practice-chhaupadi Leege, R. (2015, September 17). Education to Children in Crisis and Conflict Zones. Retrieved from https://businessfightspoverty.org/articles/education-to-children-in-crisis-and-conflict-zones/ Literacy Rates Continue to Rise from One Generation to the Next[PDF]. (2017, September). UNESCO. Lone, P. (n.d.). Commentary: Keeping girls in school. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/pon96/edgirls.htm McCarthy, D. (2018, September 4). Back to school: Young children most at risk from lack of water, sanitation and hygiene in schools. Retrieved from https://www.wateraid.org/uk/media/back-to-school-young-children-most-at-risk-from-lack-of-water-sanitation-and-hygiene-in Nebre, M. (2018, May 15). Social discrimination against people with albinism[PDF]. https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/groups/University Honors Program/Journals_two/17_nebre.pdf Primary School Age Education. (2018, July). Retrieved from https://data.unicef.org/topic/education/primary-education/ Rivera, D. M., & Frye, R. E. (2018, November 16). What are the statistics on pediatric HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa? Retrieved from https://www.medscape.com/answers/965086-160121/what-are-the-statistics-on-pediatric-hiv-infection-in-sub-saharan-africa Roser, M., & Ortiz-Ospina, E. (2016, August 31). Global Rise of Education. Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/global-rise-of-education Secondary education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://data.unicef.org/topic/education/secondary-education/UNICEF Talbot, C. (n.d.). Education in Conflict Emergencies in Light of the post-2015 MDGs and EFA Agendas[PDF]. NORRAG. http://www.norrag.org/fileadmin/Working_Papers/Education_in_conflict_emergencies_Talbot.pdf The Importance of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pearson.com/corporate/about-pearson/the-importance-of-education.html Toolkit on Disability for Africa[PDF]. (n.d.). United Nations. Verbruggen, Y. (2018, August 24). Young children most at risk from lack of water, sanitation and hygiene in schools. Retrieved from https://www.wateraid.org/uk/media/young-children-most-at-risk-from-lack-of-water-sanitation-and-hygiene-in-schools VOTO Mobile. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://allchildrenreading.org/winners/voto-mobile/ Xavier Project. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://allchildrenreading.org/winners/xavier-project/

Schools can help inspire students to question the things around them and to seek truth. It is this sense of curiosity and imagination that increases creativity levels, and thus promote the development of innovative solutions. Ultimately, we would want a society in which people can be discerning and are able to form independent conclusions based on given facts. This diversity in thinking can enable better consensus between individuals because of the different angles from which different people see. InAGlobe complements higher education institutions by creating collaborations with humanitarian organisations, striving to raise social awareness and global acumen among students, and give rise to a new wave of humanitarian engineering. Hopefully, this can spark a collective sense of social responsibility and inspire them to bring positive impact to the global community.

The benefits of education are numerous. Zooming in on individuals, as mentioned before, education aids in our thinking and discernment. Since these are soft skills that employers seek, higher degrees of education enable higher chances of finding a higher paying job. This allows people to raise their standards of living and the benefits can trickle down to the next generation. Moreover, education helps make people aware and in turn be adaptable to face unexpected situations.

For example, sanitation and safe water would be ensured if the individual knows the importance of hygiene. One cause of children not going to school is parasitic worm infections, which has a higher prevalence in children. Walking around barefooted and consuming contaminated food and water are some ways that the worms enter the blood circulation system and gut, leading to anaemia and malnutrition. This shows how important hygiene is in protecting education, as poor health is a barrier to learning. Also, mothers who have some degree of health and nutritional education will provide their children with a healthier and more balanced diet, avoiding unhealthy foods and unsafe sources. This can reduce the rates of parasitic worm infections as well. These two examples promote the prevention of malnutrition and avoidance of diseases, leading to a healthier population. With good health, people are enabled, empowered and unhindered by preventable causes, allowing them to reach their fullest potential. Improved health is heavily important in lifting individuals out of poverty. And in turn, deparasiting is seen as one of the most effective solutions to keeping children in school.

Zooming out to the community, an educated workforce brings about increased productivity, driving the economy. The gains from an improved economy can be used to invest in other areas such as education, healthcare and transport. Improvements in infrastructure and amenities can increase the accessibility to schools, hence further improving education rates, leading to a positive feedback loop of growth. Also, the ability to form independent comments and conclusions can aid in political stability since people can discern truths and vote for people who are genuine in improving lives in the community.

By developing technological solutions that can aid in the education of children in impoverished environments, we open the door to equipping the future with the tools and the skills to better determine their futures. Due to the focus of both the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London, and Jaime’s previous focus of humanitarian work and engineering, InAGlobe has a special focus on assistive technologies. In the realm of education there is an imperative element of inclusion, not simply the enabling of basic education systems. Children with special needs across the developing world suffer from extreme marginalisation, and there are countless organisations working on aiding shift towards social, economic and educational inclusion of these children. Whether it is a child with impaired vision, an amputee or a victim of Polio, tailored technologies have immense potential towards creating inclusion. This is magnified when realising that proportionally, there are many forms of disability that are more prevalent in countries that cannot afford current assistive technologies, such as teaching aids. This can be either increased rates of cataracts due to dust or traumatic injury, or higher proportions of amputees due to landmine heritage. Technology can create productive agents in society and the economy, as well as lessen the burden of disability, if only they receive adequate attention from engineers and technologists.

InAGlobe wants to go a step further, the development of technologies is but a nominal aspect to its intended impact in education. By incorporating projects into the curriculum of higher education institutions where students become the engineers, scientists, mathematicians, technologists that build the world thereafter, we seek to create generations of professionals versed in problem solving with humanitarian engineering constraints. It will expose the technological minds of the future to challenges that will be shared globally due to the interconnectivity of the environment and of people. Moreover, the exercise of collaborating with individuals in wildly different contexts with different cultures grows the social awareness and global acumen of the students. Also, by including such projects in the curriculum, InAGlobe gives exposure to entities that work in this problem space that are often resource-constrained when seeking talent. By shifting our mindset through education that includes emerging markets, humanitarian engineering may become a mainstream job market, rather than niche. This is likely the most important aspect of InAGlobe, and it is the same reason that we are writing these essay series: to create awareness and understanding about the imperative of global collaboration towards the forthcoming challenges.

Written By: Jaynell Ng (27/05/2019) - Outreach Volunteer of InAGlobe Education.

Some links

https://examplanning.com/importance-of-education-comprehensive-article/ http://www.mheducation.co.uk/openup/chapters/9780335223510.pdf http://infed.org/mobi/what-is-education-a-definition-and-discussion/ http://www.cedol.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/28-31-2008.pdf https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-barriers-to-education-around-the-world-2/ https://theirworld.org/news/10-reasons-why-children-don-8217-t-go-to-school https://www.cochrane.org/CD000371/INFECTN_deworming-school-children-developing-countries https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-deworming-how-it-works-why-its-needed-5301325/ https://www.who.int/elena/titles/deworming/en/

1. Biological
2. Cognitive
3. Social
4. Ecological

A living (biological, cognitive, social or ecological) system is an integrated whole whose properties cannot be reduced to those of smaller parts.”

-Fritjof Capra (Capra, 2019)

In essence, Systems Thinking is a conceptual framework. At the core, we have the science of relationships, the interactions and dynamics (flows) that exist between what Donella Meadows labelled as stocks.These building blocks give rise to the “Bathtub Theorem” of economics, which is essentially the smallest unit of a system. In this case, a bathtub is supplied with water through a tap (flow in), and water exits through leakage or the drain (flows out); where the bathtub holds a stock of water (Meadows, 2009)(or whatever liquid you enjoy bathing in). Another key concept in Systems science is that of feedback and causal loops, the first to emerge were those of positive and negative feedback loops (represented as Circles of Causality) which led to the first two archetypes: Balancing (negative – reduces the difference between the disturbed state and the goal-state)and Reinforcing (positive – accelerates the present trend of a process) (Capra, 2019). The concept of delay is crucial to understanding these circles of causality.

The ‘dynamic-yet-stable’ state of systems is a key characteristic which allows a system to adapt to changing environments. From this concept arises the term “Structural Coupling” (Capra, 2019), entailing that a system is structurally coupled to its environment, which when disturbed adapts and thus learns, setting a historic in the system itself. One can quickly see how systems science suddenly becomes incredibly complex. Hence, the importance of applying non-linear mathematics to Complexity Theory, where the solutions are not a number but instead a pattern or a geometry (such as fractal geometry). Without going further into this, I want to introduce what are considered the building blocks of Systems analysis, several archetypes identified by Peter Senge in his book The Fifth Discipline. By generalising the dynamics of a system you are trying to analyse into one of the archetypes described by Senge, you can quickly understand what type of system you are dealing with (Stroh, 2015)(the following link leads to a PDF that has an explanation of these: https://thesystemsthinker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Systems-Archetypes-I-TRSA01_pk.pdf(Kim, 2000)). The flowchart below is a useful tool to navigate these archetypes. This is a convenient way of diagnosing what trends exist in a system and what kind of interventions would be successful. Bear in mind, that systems can have multiple archetypes embedded within, so amongst different feedback loops one can find different dynamics. This also means that multi-faceted interventions are usually necessary for tackling challenges systemically.

In order to help make these abstract concepts appear more practical I will present a series of examples that have helped me grasp the essence of systems thinking. During the 1980s, European countries along with the US and Australia were experiencing a pandemic of HIV/AIDS. Without a cure, and with little hope of finding any in the near future, a systems analysis of the incidence and spread of disease allowed mapping of transmission channels and find leverage points. These leverage points were locations where interventions would be most successful and efficient, which was imperative for what was becoming an incredibly expensive disease. This exercise showed that most of the infections were occurring in users of injected drugs, such as heroin and other opioids, as a result of sharing and re-using needles. By identifying the main cause of transmission, instead of focusing all resources into research and development of cures, governments and health care systems intervened by providing sterile needles for drug-users (free of cost) and places for them to be disposed of safely. This hugely decelerated the propagation of the disease. Such intervention was critical to saving economically in the long-run and prevented an innumerable amount of infections (Burack & Bangsberg, 1998) (National Academy of Sciences & Institute of Medecine, 1995) (Stimson, 1995) (Wodak & McLeod, 2008). This in turn has allowed a larger proportion of the budget to be dedicated to the identification of the cure. This is a good example of a systemic intervention to a challenge.

At the heart of one of Capra’s narratives in the Systems View of Life is that of the Web of Life, which supports itself not only on the shift from food chains to food webs, but also on evolutionary theory. Most specifically the advancements brought by Lynn Margulis and her theory of Symbiogenesis, leading to the Gaia Hypothesis co-developed with James Lovelock (Capra, 2019). The Gaia Hypothesis suggests that living organisms form complex, synergistic and self-regulating systems with the inorganic matter that surrounds them, such that life is perpetuated. This suggests that organisms co-evolve as the environment changes. The Gaia Hypothesis has in turn led to the philosophical and ecological movement of Deep Ecology, where the worth of all living beings exists regardless of their instrumental utility by humans (Capra, 2019). The argument sets itself on a balance that exists between all the members within a system, due to the high degree of interconnectivity, once again observing the relationships between them. This can be taken another step further and extended to the interconnectivity between the economy and the ecological framework known as Gaia (Capra & Jakobsen, 2017). Capra argues that humans are members of at least two core communities on Earth, that of ‘Humanity’ and that of ‘Oikos’. Within Humanity, we have an imperative to respect and exercise everyone’s human rights, defending each persons’ dignity, such that the system is inclusive. And with Oikos, humans are part of the Earth’s biosphere, sharing our space with all the other living organisms. In recognition of this following the 1992 World Summit, the Earth Charter was devised by a multidisciplinary team, a document that summarises how we must “join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.” (Earth Charter Commission, 2000).

Due to the nature of InAGlobe’s remit, I want to bring focus to the work of David P. Stroh in Systems Thinking for Social Change. There are two examples that I find particularly helpful for understanding the practicality of systems thinking: Homelessness and Criminality. In the thematic of homelessness, focusing on metrics and siloed organisations shows an example of unintended opposition. Temporary shelters are incredibly important in ensuring that homeless people do not sleep rough, and are an invaluable stepping stone into permanent housing. Now, say the metric that temporary shelters report on is the percentage of occupied beds. If this number is increasingly high, close to 100% (and above) a temporary shelter can justify that they require more funding to install more beds. In turn, having more beds will take more people off the streets temporarily and make the problem of homelessness be perceived as ameliorated. This intervention could be seen as a “Quick Fix”, because the metric of number of homeless people has not been reduced, and if anything, has increased (due to the parallel with increased demand for beds). On the other hand, affordable, permanent housing with the supporting services necessary to introduce homeless people into the formal economy as well as treat those who abuse substances, would permanently help remove people from the streets. Yet, if temporary shelters are exerting pressure for funding, budgets for permanent housing and inclusion services suffer. Stroh states that the first step to solving a problem systemically is to convene all the stakeholders in a problem space and define a set of shared goals, in this case: Reduce the amount of homelessnessand define a representative metric, for example,number of individuals transferring from temporary shelters into permanent housing (Stroh, 2015).

The second example, that of criminality, looks at the mass incarceration in the United States. Once again, public perception plays a crucial role in this process by influencing legislation. In order to make the streets safe from crime, criminals are incarcerated. The motif for incarceration is variable, but let’s say that petty crimes (generally in a cumulative sense) lead to eventual incarceration (as do violent crimes). By incarcerating criminals, the immediate effect is that there are less criminals on the streets, and thus the streets appear safer. Petty criminals spend their sentence in prisons where they harden up, through exposure to more violent individuals, and come out into society with a criminal record that gets in the way of them participating in the formal economy normally. This incarceration of the petty criminal has bred an alienated hardened criminal who is now more likely to commit a crime, and especially a violent crime. Hence, the street is now less safe than before the initial incarceration. This in turn leads to harsher laws on criminality, which leads to more individuals being incarcerated, reinforcing the original problem – this illustrates a system of Shifting the Burden/Escalation. This goes into the argument that Michel Foucault so well presented, where punishment in its historical sense rarely rehabilitates individuals, and prisons are but an exponent of this. The argument that Stroh provides is that legislation must have an outlook on reinsertion such that petty criminals do not recidivate, entering a spiral of increasing alienation and aggressiveness (Stroh, 2015). Bear in mind that both examples are an extremely simplified and condensed account of what Stroh presents in his book, and I strongly suggest picking up a copy if you found these topics interesting.

By understanding relationships between living organisms and the non-living environment, InAGlobe seeks to utilise systems thinking to analyse problem spaces in proposed innovation projects. In this manner, interventions must consider possible side-effects and domino effects, as well as providing the most efficient approach to problem solving. There is not a day that passes where systems thinking is not useful in our process, whether it is in analysing problem spaces for innovation or for management of students and stakeholders, as well as internal processes. For anyone interested in diving deeper into this topic, I strongly advise looking into the referenced material for this piece as they are of immense quality.

Written by Jaime Aguilera Garcia (16/5/2019), CEO & Co-Founder of InAGlobe Education

Bibliography

Burack, J. H. & Bangsberg, D., 1998. Epidemiology and HIV Transmission in Injection Drug Users. Capra, F., 2019. CapraCourse: Systems View of Life. London, UK: s.n. Capra, F. & Jakobsen, O. D., 2017. A conceptual framework for ecological economics based on systemic principles of life. International Journal of Social Economics, 44(6), pp. 831-845. Earth Charter Commission, 2000. The Earth Charter. Johannesburg, South Africa: s.n. Kim, D. H., 2000. The Systems Thinker Toolbox: SYSTEMS ARCHETYPES I. [Online] Available at: https://thesystemsthinker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Systems-Archetypes-I-TRSA01_pk.pdf
[Accessed 29 4 2019]. Meadows, D., 2009. Thinking In Systems. London, UK: Earthscan. National Academy of Sciences & Institute of Medecine, 1995. Preventing HIV Transmission: The Role of Sterile Needles and Bleach. Washington D.C., National Academy of Sciences & Institute of Medecine. Stimson, G. V., 1995. Aids and injecting drug use in the United Kingdom, 1987–1993: The policy response and the prevention of the epidemic. Social Science & Medicine, 41(5), pp. 699-716. Stroh, D. P., 2015. Systems Thinking for Social Change. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. Wodak, A. & McLeod, L., 2008. The Role of Harm Reduction in Controlling HIV Among Injecting Drug Users. AIDS, 22(2), pp. 81-92.

According to IDEO.org, the approach to human-centred design consists of 3 phases: Inspiration, Ideation and Implementation.

Inspiration: The aim is to learn and truly understand exactly what the user needs. There are a series of steps that designers follow in this phase that enable them to deepen their understanding of the requirements for the project:

Ideation: This gives the designer the opportunity to make sense of their findings, draw meaning from them, and prototype potential solutions. This can again be broken down into a series of straightforward steps:

Implementation: This is the phase that brings the solution to life. By following a co-design process with the people involved, the solution is more likely to be something they utilise and hold agency over. The steps are as follows:

It is clear to see that this has all the makings of a successful method. The process of iterating and continuously developing and adjusting ideas for the benefit of people leads to enhanced user satisfaction, which leads to greater success for the business. There are numerous examples, in different industries, of this working in the favour of both the business and the consumer. Recently, companies such as IKEA and Apple have chosen to focus on the emotional relation between their products and the consumer, rather than focusing purely on technology.

A proponent of this approach is Tricia Wang, a ‘global tech ethnographer’. She focuses on ‘thick data’ (small-scale qualitative, human-centred data) rather than ‘big data’ (large-scale, quantitative analyses). She believes that thick data, though smaller in scale, is crucial in finding out what users truly want or need. Whilst big data can be useful to uncover patterns, it is thick data that provides context and detail to these patterns. Therefore, she believes integrating the quantitative approach and the human-centred approach can yield the best results.

This is not to say that human-centred design does not come with its drawbacks. It has often been criticised for stifling true creativity. It has also been argued that this type of design does not push boundaries, as it only attempts solve to present-day problems instead of thinking ahead.

Human centred design is particularly important in the developing world, hence our adoption of it at InAGlobe. By liaising with stakeholders on the ground, we can understand what it is that communities truly need and practice inspiration alongside them. With contextual constraints in mind, we can hand over projects to academics at Imperial, and other universities to carry out the ideation and implementation phases. In particular, two of these projects involve human-centred design: a mathematical brailler for unlocking numeracy and a pill-organiser to facilitate self-medication.

The first is a project proposed by Kilimanjaro Blind Trust, operating in East Africa: an electrical brailler that includes a series of design constraints that will allow visually impaired children to unlock their abilities in STEM. Currently, numeracy levels amongst VI individuals is low because the focus of their education surrounds a braillers that tackle literacy. A user-centred approach has been taken to cater for the specific needs of visually impaired children, and for the educators such that the device can be easily integrated in their current educational practice. This ranges from the inclusion of mathematical symbols to various refreshing working lines or affordability and energy requirements.

Meanwhile, the pill-organiser has been taken up by a final year MEng Biomedical Engineering student and is currently undergoing prototyping cycles. This involves mapping the user needs: understanding that young adults and children are the main focus, and therefore predicting the conditions the pillbox will be exposed to and how this affects engineering constraints. For instance, clear audio feedback is crucial for blind children.

Both projects directly reflect the needs of communities in developing countries, and we hope that their implementation can have a long-term, positive influence on the lives of those affected by the issues.

Human-centred design is a process that we advise anyone working in any form of interface with users to incorporate, so that the usability can be as smooth and relevant as possible. It will allow entrepreneurs to adjust prototypes accordingly before great investment is made, and improve the experience of stakeholders. There are many resources out there which can be utilised for free, ranging from courses on +Acumen or tool kits on https://www.ideo.org/ and https://movestheneedle.com. 

Written By: Kavya Ganabady (23/04/2019) - Outreach Volunteer of InAGlobe Education.

Resources

https://www.ideo.org/approach 

https://medium.com/ethnography-matters/why-big-data-needs-thick-data-b4b3e75e3d7https://movestheneedle.com

For more information on Tricia Wang, see her TedTalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk35J2u8KqY

Innovation = Information + Imagination + Ideation + Initiation + Invention

With these concepts in place, it’s no wonder innovation is often associated with digital technology in the 21st century because there have been many ground-breaking digital products. With the same concepts, this was how society advanced in the Renaissance Period with the emergence of new philosophical ideas and in the Industrial Revolution which had the aim to achieve greatest efficiency.  

It is with innovation that humanity can keep advancing and achieve even higher standards of living. However, those who really need innovation are not getting it. This can due to how businesses operate in a free market. The demand for the innovation might be there, but those who would truly benefit from it just cannot afford the product. Hence, companies would reduce their cost by placing their products in markets that can afford their products. Even if companies have the aim to create low-cost products, many cannot afford the goods since each cent spent is one less cent available for competing needs.  

Despite the struggles, low-resource environments are a fertile ground to rethink technologies, especially in the area of sustainability and affordability. There has been successful innovation that sprouted from such environments, from energy to agriculture, from healthcare to education. One very successful example is M-Pesa, which enabled 93% of the Kenyan population to have access to mobile payments. In a place where it is difficult to travel from rural areas to the city, M-Pesa connects these places and allows people to send money to their loved ones whenever necessary.  

Here are some terms often heard in these places:

1. Frugal Innovation
More and more people are thinking of how to develop high-quality products while reducing the complexities and increasing the value of the products. This is called Frugal Innovation. One such example is a fridge made of clay that does not require electricity created by Mansukhbhai Prajapati after an earthquake struck India and all he had was clay.

2. Reverse Engineering
Reverse engineering happens when innovation done in less-developed communities is brought into developed communities. This is what Beth Kolko and her company, Shift Labs, believes in and is doing. By focusing on the needs of less-developed communities, such as unstable electricity supply and shortage of manpower, the company develops low-cost medical devices which managed to get the attention of some US hospitals.

3. Leapfrogging Technology
The immediate adoption of modern technology and bypassing intermediate technological stages is referred to as leapfrogging. For example, a HIV clinic in South Africa makes use of a robotic pharmacy system to prescribe medication to patients. Using this system reduces the errors made and the waiting time.

Indeed, a society’s status is not solely driven by innovation. But if the United Nations recognise increasing innovation as one of the sustainable development goals for 2030, innovation must have a significant role to play in lifting people out of poverty. Like how the UN is proposing a program called ‘STI doctors’ (or ‘Science, Technology and Innovation Doctors’) which consists of foreign professionals to solve technical bottlenecks, InAGlobe Education is also seeking to fill up any voids in resources and knowledge low-resource environments might have. We hope to encourage academic institutions to develop innovative solutions for specific problems a society might have. We believe that innovation has a large role to play in improving the livelihoods of those most in need.

Written By: Jaynell Ng (15/03/2019) - Outreach Volunteer of InAGlobe Education.

Resources

1. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/feb/08/obsession-with-ending-poverty-is-where-development-is-going-wrong
2. https://www.fastcompany.com/90278790/how-we-can-encourage-innovative-solutions-to-poverty-and-inequality
3. https://businesscollective.com/how-the-leapfrog-effect-may-affect-your-business/index.html
4. https://www.cam.ac.uk/frugalinnovation
5. https://www.cairn.info/revue-journal-of-innovation-economics-2016-3-page-9.htm
6. https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/07/09/ozy-third-world-innovation/12401465/
7. https://mag.n26.com/m-pesa-how-kenya-revolutionized-mobile-payments-56786bc09ef
8. https://singularityhub.com/2018/05/06/leapfrogging-tech-is-changing-millions-of-lives-heres-how/#sm.000jltwycsjcd2w11rp1f175ch1wx  

Over the next few months, we will re-purpose the blog that was losing traction, in favour of furthering operations. Do more, talk less. But now, by talking more we involve more, we engage more, we educate more. This seems a lot more like InAGlobe. I am pleased to announce a series of short essays written by the team at InAGlobe surrounding the topics of relevance to our vision, mission and operations. In the essays we will cover topics ranging from the most basic elements that guide us, such as sustainability, education and innovation, and tools that we use everyday such systems thinking and human-centred design. We will also explore topics related to the projects currently and prospectively running within Imperial College London. These include topics such as assistive technologies, infectious diseases, inclusive technology as well as sanitation and climate change. We have followed a structure which contextualises these in terms of tackling the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as these are the defined standards which humanity should be seeking to reach upon the end of the next decade. There are 17 SDGs, and we don’t claim to tackle all of them, but they are often problems that are interconnected in between them, and so it is important to consider the impact of each solution to a problem far past the individual SDG that you are measuring. Although not immediately obvious, a good example is those living in poverty that are seeing the biggest negative impact due to climate change, such as farmers or herders living in the Sahel impacted by desertification. Climate change is most taxing on those that have fewest alternatives.

By publishing these essays we seek to be more explicit about the work that we do at InAGlobe and the things that we care about. We hope that this brings you closer to our cause and may engage you in some way, even externally to InAGlobe. We want to partake in a global frameshift that allows people to make educated decisions and share the responsibility in making planet Earth the best version of itself that it can be. InAGlobe seeks to contribute to a minute aspect of the challenge, and we want every single person that reads these pieces to be a flagship towards building a better and fairer world.

Written by Jaime Aguilera Garcia (11/03/2019) -CEO and Co-founder of InAGlobe Education.

This summer, the greatest success was that of commencing two UROP (summer) projects with the Bioengineering Department of Imperial College London, as mentioned in the previous post. These two projects rendered very promising outcomes, and are now lined up for continuation in the upcoming academic year. This exercise was extremely fruitful for InAGlobe as it allowed us to understand the motivations and the dynamics that undergo the process.

Secondly, a very constructive relationship is being born with Engineering Change, a society at Imperial College London that gives students the possibility to exercise engineering for developing countries in an extra-curricular fashion. Engineering Change has been very promoting of the InAGlobe initiative and will be of great support. Their experience with the remote engineering model will be invaluable. Engineering Change has selected a handful of projects from our project catalog to allow students to embark on filling the identified voids. Furthermore, Engineering Change represented InAGlobe Education at Freshers Fair at Imperial College London, as to allow students to volunteer and gain experience in Project Identification and Network Expansion processes.

An incredibly cherished and valuable friendship with N. Samarakkodi has caused InAGlobe to start looking at Sri Lanka as a great source of both talent and partnerships. Thus InAGlobe is starting to collaborate with entities on the ground, these are often extremely dynamic, driven and young individuals that are truly accelerating change across the country, improving the lives of countless people.

These are only a few glimpses of the work done this summer, but we are happy to be able to communicate this progress with you because there is no more motivating work than that of which incredible impact can come about!

The Autumn term, from October to December, commenced with in a celebratory fashion. As mentioned in the previous post, we were awarded the Student Award of Outstanding Achievement and the Undergraduate graduation ceremony of Imperial College London. The next few months were included solidifying relationships with the Bioengineering Department, and with key individuals that gave us guidance at the inception of the idea before the summer. However, the most important task undertaken over these months was setting the groundwork for what InAGlobe was to become and how this was going to happen; this meant that a lot of time was spent troubleshooting and discussing the many hurdles that we had encountered during the months since April 2017.

Over the months of January to March, the main focus turned towards taking advantage of the resources that Imperial College gave students for the creation of companies, via the Enterprise Lab. This, despite the pressure that it exerted in delivering at a high pace, resulted in the completion of our concierge service website: inaglobe.com. This was coupled with reconnecting with the NGOs in the field so that projects could be proposed to departments for the summer opportunities that students have at Imperial College. In order to not overload ourselves with quantity, a selected few projects were taken forward for this first exercise. 

A project for the development of a point-of-care device for viral hepatitis using micro RNA biomarkers, undertaken by L. Petrou and supervised by Dr. Sylvain Ladame, was awarded funding as a UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunity Programme). Secondly, a project proposed by Casa do Gaiato – Maputo for an innovative pill organiser was selected to be undertaken by a team of two students: D. Charemis and M. Nunes de Abreu; and supervised by Dr. Sypros Masouros. We wish all the parties involved all the best in the endeavour!

This summer will come with a series of exciting milestones, which will get us closer to the goal of spreading impact, innovation and the humanitarian mission across different parts of the world!

The 18th of October more than 2,300 students graduated from Imperial College. Alberto and Xavi were amongst those students that over the past three or four years spent countless hours studying, working and learning. Alberto graduated with an MSci in Physics with Theoretical Physics and Xavi with an MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. 

The 18th of October was also one of the biggest and most rewarding days for InAGlobe as Jaime picked up the award for Student Award for Outstanding Achievement 2017. This is an award that was established in 2003 by Imperial College London to recognise outstanding students for their achievements in any extramural activities. We were given this award for having and materialising on the vision of granting students from Imperial and other universities the opportunity to innovate and design solutions to humanitarian problems. InAGlobe is honoured and humbled to receive this award, and it will only motivate us to continue building on this dream. A dream driven by the impact that educating the next generation on the challenges and responsibilities can have in bringing a better well-being to those that are not as fortunate as most of us. 

We extend our gratitude to all the parties that have been involved in the process: professors, students, NGO workers, mentors and the volunteers that have helped us on each step of the way. 

With a year of important changes coming along, there is a need to restructure InAGlobe. As Jaime graduates from Imperial College, he will take on the running and building of InAGlobe as a full-time endeavour. Alberto will be furthering his education and Xavi will continue to build himself as a professional with strategy consulting; both continuing to build InAGlobe in a part-time fashion. 

We know that the blog posts have recently been lacking, but there has been a lot of work behind the scenes and soon enough we will update on the progress that we have achieved over the past year!

Firstly, what is our next step? Jaime and Alberto have made their way back to Spain, where they will begin applying for funding, revising the project plan (based on the Mozambican experience) structuring the platform and countless other tasks that are pending for the formalisation of InAGlobe Education. Throughout this process, close contact will be kept with all the partners involved, ensuring that the design is in line with a shared vision. Jaime will then head back to London to resume his studies, where InAGlobe will occupy the remainder of his time. On the other hand, Xavi will remain in Africa, currently resting (we all know he will still be constantly in contact with new ideas, and reasoning) in Tanzania and Kenya. After which, he will remain in Nairobi where he will meet with incubators and accelerators to then meet with social entrepreneurs.

Secondly, we wanted to round up the overview of the trip that underwent. We began our trip in different corners of Spain (except Alberto, who was dead in the middle: Vigo, Menorca and Madrid. Coming together in Lisbon, where we headed to Maputo overnight. Rather than staying in Maputo, we headed straight to Fundación Khanimambo, (in Xai-Xai), where we spent two days and one night. That weekend, we spent in Tofo, preparing ourselves for the marathon of meetings that we were going to encounter in the next 12 days in Maputo. These included a weekend, in which we kindled a great friendship with Muheti. In Maputo, we managed to meet with four universities: Universidade São Tomas de Moçambique (USTM), Universidade Pedagógica (UP), Instituto Superior de Ciências, Tecnologia e Engenheira de Moçambique (ICSTEM) and, the largest university in the country, Universidad Eduardo Mondlane (UEM). In addition, we met with 9 International NGOs: Medicus Mundi, I-Tech, Communità Sant’Egidio (CSE), Population Services International (PSI), Growth Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Consejo Interhospitalario de Cooperación (CIC), Medici con L’Africa CUAMM, Ingenieria Sin Fronteras (ISF) and Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF). In addition to these, we met with several players from the Spanish and Italian Cooperation Agencies, and had a phone call with the British Cooperation. Furthermore, we had the chance to present to a world-leading Malaria research centre, the Centro de Investigação de Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), and had the chance to visit a DREAM project AIDS/HIV and Tuberculosis health centre, as part of CSE. After Maputo, we made our way to Casa Do Gaiato, in Massaca, in Maputo Province, where we spent a night. The following day we headed back to Maputo, so that we could then make our way to Ponta D’Ouro. In Ponta we had the important task of crossing the border to renew our visa. After Ponta we made a titanic journey, via Maputo, to reach Nampula. The following day we headed straight to Ilha de Moçambique for a 3-day stay. Next, was Pemba, where we had the chance to meet with Ayuda en Acción, the Spanish honorary consul – a member of the Spanish cooperation agency -, and with Helvetas. In one of these days, we headed with Helvetas into the province of Cabo Delgado to observe the logistics and the work they did on the field! Once again, we were on the move to the island of Ibo, where we remained for 4 days, 1 of which was spent with Fundación Ibo. Then finally the trip back home commenced, but not before fitting a meeting with Oikos, and a dinner with two volunteers of Semillas de Esperanza, in Pemba. And that brings us to where we are now, Alberto arriving in Madrid a day before Jaime, who spent a transit day with Xavi in Dar es Salaam, and Xavi in Zanzibar enjoying a deserved rest!

Next, we wanted to make an incise on what will be posted on the blog from now on. As mentioned, there will be updates coming on the progress in Kenya, giving small insights onto the meetings and the possible collaborations that may arise. In addition to this, the blog will become a platform where our critical thinking on the project will be presented, this will be done through articles and essays on a range of different topics involved with innovation, analysis, development or anything that may come to mind related to the InAGlobe cause. Our aim is to make InAGlobe a tool for exchange of information and knowledge, and sharing our thoughts on the vastly different experiences in Mozambique, and how they may shape our approach we feel is something that may be of interest!

Finally, we would like to express our most profound gratitude to all the actors involved throughout the trip, members of NGOs, educational institutions, friends, bag-packers, volunteers, taxi drivers, cobradores, hotel staff, waiting staff, children, adults, fathers, mothers, teachers, you name it… and that includes all the readers of the blog!

On the harbour, we finally managed to put together a group of locals and hired out a private chapa (it was a regular chapa, but it was supposed to take a group of people that didn’t turn up). This was on the verge of the timeframe allowed by the tides for the boat to be able to pass through the shallow sea laying between Ibo and Tandanhangue. The return boat ride was not as smooth as the one to Ibo, we kept touching the sand below the boat, having to redistribute the people across the hull to ensure the smallest fretwork; in addition, at one point the outboard motor came to a sudden halt, which thankfully only lasted a handful of minutes. Upon arrival to Tandanhangue, the boat didn’t manage to reach the harbour, and instead a pair of young men walked a barge over to where the boat had run aground, and picked us up to then take us to the dry harbour. These turned out to be the same men that were operating a ‘my-love’ chapa, which are open-back trucks that carry people around. Although slightly more of a temerity, it turned out to be a much more pleasant journey than expected. The open air made up for the lack of (comfortable) seats (but then again, closed chapas aren’t that comfortable in terms of sitting either…). To our surprise, despite being stopped several times by police, we had little trouble with them (there is usually a fairly thorough questioning process that takes place). Upon arriving to Pemba, we found out that the man sitting on the front seat was actually a transport policeman, who had waived us past all his colleagues during the almost 5 hours of journey! Our “pleasant” experience of the chapa ride was to come to an end when we picked up our ruck-sacks, they had been lying in a puddle of fishy (literally) water. The stench was horrific. We decided to momentarily ignore it until we made it to the hostel.

Before heading to the hostel we stopped to pick up the shirts that we had at the tailors’, from our previous stay in Pemba. In a timely Mozambican manner, it was no surprise that even though the alfaiato had over a week, he was still finishing up the buttons when we arrived! Needless to say, the shirts turned out awesome! There was little time to celebrate, we had our meeting scheduled with Oikos immediately after lunch, and we had just about enough time to reach the hostel (pre-ordering our food), check in, have a short (useless) attempt at cleaning our bags and get changed for the meeting.

At our meeting with Oikos, we followed a similar structure as most of the meetings we have had throughout the trip, where we presented the project and then engaged in a discussion of troubleshooting and a Q&A, where we cleared out any doubts on the project and at the same time found out more about the work that Oikos does. We had the chance to get good insight on to their ADAPT programme thatis heavily involved in environmental impact, following the analyses of experts in the field. The meeting was very insightful, and gave us a handful of ideas that could be proposed as projects. We hope to hold an ongoing conversation with Oikos to hopefully aid with one of the most important themes haunting planet Earth in this age.

Whilst Jaime and Alberto were at the meeting, Xavi still recovering a little, had two calls in order to organise the reconnaissance expedition to Kenya, to approach social entrepreneurs and incubators, to give a new dimension to the platform, especially on the complex implementation side.

After these, we needed some air, a little break. We were exhausted. We made the most of the last hours of sun going for a final swim in the straight of Mozambique, taking advantage of the high tide. It was a glorious swim, reigned with even better vibrations that had been present throughout the trip, where even a stray dog, as cute as possibly could be, celebrated with us ecstatically. It was a reflection of the hard work that had helped build one of the most amazing experiences the three of us had ever gone through. We could feel ourselves at the doorway of something with great potential, a potential that could only be fulfilled with hard work and astute thinking; always with the ulterior cause in mind.

Following the swim, we groomed ourselves and prepared for our flights the following day (still drying our smelly bags); to then have a drink and dinner with the volunteers from “Semillas de Esperanza”. It was a very pleasant and informal encounter, we discussed our experiences in Mozambique, learning a great deal about how the day-to-day of a volunteer is on the field; the reasoning and rhetoric that reigns behind their actions and the motivations to do the work that they do. They were also close to their return to Spain and we had a great laugh, exchanging anecdotes. As with all the other incredible people we have met on this journey, it is refreshing to see people caring so deeply for those they know close to nothing about.