Student Resourcesmac Humanitarian Project

08-04-2021
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One great way to involve students in hands-on projects that not only teach them valuable lessons, but also raises their awareness of the needs of others is to adopt a class community service project. Whether the class adopts a project for the entire school year or for the last month of school, the opportunity is priceless. This is a year long project where grade 11 students fund raise for a majority of their grad year raising awareness and money for the fight against global poverty. It is anticipated that this year's humanitarian team, comprising of both alumni and grads, will be the largest team yet! For more information, contact Mr.

December 11, 2018

contributor: Andrew Drain, Grace Burleson

How to engage students in humanitarian technology work was the topic of much discussion at the IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference 2018. The event showcased a number of student-led projects, such as, low-cost eye examination kits and apps for teaching sexual health. They exemplified a theme among the attendees, the search for meaningful and ethical work for students in the field of global development engineering. Here are six recommendations from professors and experts in the field that emerged from the talks.

1. Define the design method

Kofi Taha (MIT D-Lab) described three methods of design: “Design for,” “Design with,” and “Design by.” The first is commonly used among university service learning projects where students collect end-user data and design a solution to meet their needs. The second, also termed “Co-design,” is an increasingly popular method where trained engineers work together with end-users to solve a problem. The final, and more hands-off method, is giving the end-users the tools and empowerment to design their own solutions. Taha stressed the importance of recognizing which process is most appropriate for their specific problem and subsequently using the best practices of that specific method.

2. Define the project scope

It is essential that projects undertaken by university student groups are well-defined in their scope and designed to be achievable within their given timeline. Eric Verploegen (MIT D-Lab) discussed how breaking up a larger and more long-term project into smaller pieces allows students in his semester classes to contribute in a specific and impactful way. At the same time, students are more likely to learn better practices and have a more meaningful experience when the project is not too overwhelming or too insignificant.

3. Engage an interdisciplinary team

More and more we are seeing universities incorporate interdisciplinary teams into their curriculum. This is an especially important skill for students who wish to work in international development or humanitarian efforts. Among projects presented at GHTC, a group of students at Lehigh University presented their work of developing a sustainable mushroom growing system for farmers in Cambodia. One of the factors that led to their project’s success was the teams’ diversity. The teams were gender diverse and interdisciplinary with students from engineering, economics, and public health, among others. These students showed the importance of teams that include students with different backgrounds and skills.

4. Aim for long-term

Good solutions fail if long-term relationships are not formed, and long-term project plans are not implemented. For example, Mark Henderson (Arizona State University) presented their work on Biochar production, using invasive plant species as feedstock, in rural Nepal. After one year of work, it was found that the male Nepalese villagers originally collaborated with were not continuing the project as planned. Instead, it became obvious the project needed to pivot to align with female villagers. Without a second year of work, the project would not have impact.

5. “Co-design systems, not products”

Khanjan Mehta (Lehigh University) discussed the need for a systems thinking approach to humanitarian technology development. The design of standalone products is not the way to have long-term impact, but instead we need to collaborate with community members to design the support systems around products. Similarly, John Gershenson (Pennsylvania State University) presented the use of local entrepreneurs and 3D printers in Kenya as a way of supplying spare parts to hospitals in areas with no formal supply chain. The product (3D printer and medical equipment parts) were already designed, but the support system for implementation was crucial for long-term impact and was co-designed with local entrepreneurs.

Student

6. Set a goal and stick to it

When asked what her most successful project was, Macauley Kenney (Instiglio) responded that it was impossible to answer without discussing what success meant to each individual project. For example, university servicing learning projects could have real community impact or could develop students into highly competent engineers, with potential for long-term impact. These two objectives can result in vastly different projects. This discussion was repeated many times at GHTC with the consensus being that while both objectives are acceptable, project coordinator’s needs to be clear about which is the primary objective as this will inform how the project is planned, delivered and evaluated.

In Conclusion

Working with communities on the other side of the world is no simple task. As educators, it is important to provide students with life-changing educational experience. However, this can never be at the expense of local communities. Aiming for long-term collaborations, using best design practices, and striving for ethical impact are key components of any humanitarian project.

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Developing a research topic can prove quite daunting to a young adult. Once a student is able to narrow down at least a general topic, however, the options become both focused and limitless. School reports do not have to feel like a burden, and instead should be thought of as an opportunity to go beyond the surface and dig deeper into a topic of interest to learn more about its nuances and shades of grey.

Student Resourcesmac Humanitarian Project Proposal

The world we live in is rife with a plethora of issues that would make an interesting and thoughtful read. Below is a list of research ideas that will dazzle your teacher and prove a worthwhile and beneficial experience for you:

1. Compare/contrast poverty reduction strategies of U.S. government foreign-aid programs to those of other donor countries, focusing on the end goals of such programs. For example, do the programs aim to increase income? Or, instead, do they focus on improving quality of life? At the end of your school report, analyze the pros and cons of such strategies and develop your own strategy for how you think poverty should be addressed.

2. Explore the structure and strategies of U.S. based non-profit organizations working to reduce global poverty. What do their programs focus on? Who are their top donors? How do they raise funds? Where are their funds allocated? What are their milestones/achievements?

3. The UN General Assembly designation of February 20th as the “World Day of Social Justice.” First explore and analyze the concept of social justice. Then specifically delve into the World Day of Social Justice by answering the questions: What is the purpose of this day? How/why was it developed? What are its achievements?

Student Resourcesmac Humanitarian Project Management

4. With one more year left until the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target date, discuss what the MDGs are, as well as the various efforts made so far by UN member nations and global development institutions toward achieving the MDGs.

5. Research poverty reduction measures taken by your local elected representatives. How often do they focus on poverty related issues? How much poverty related legislation have they drafted or co-sponsored? Discuss what their primary focus is and why. How can a constituent make poverty a priority for them?

Students should view school reports as a challenge and an opportunity to dig deeper into topics that interest them. The issue of global poverty spans many fields that are ripe with information for critical analysis. The topics listed above are just one of many poverty-related school report ideas to help give you a head start!

Student Resourcesmac Humanitarian Project Ideas

– Rifk Ebeid

Student Resourcesmac Humanitarian Project Funding

Sources: UN News Centre, Take Apart, United Nations Millennium Development Goals
Photo: ksvoboda