3 September, 2014: The Universities and Councils Network on Innovation for Inclusive Development in Southeast Asia (UNIID-SEA) is pleased to announce the selection of 20 IID Fellows from eight ASEAN countries. Under this pioneering small grants program, these IID champions will develop and share teaching and learning packages featuring innovative and inclusive approaches to pressing social concerns such as sustainable livelihoods, food security, climate change, water and sanitation, and special education, among others.
Launched in April by UNIID-SEA – in cooperation with the ASEAN University Network (AUN) – the IID Fellows Program aims to recognize and connect IID advocates in the region. In so doing, the program will help reduce the internal development gap among ASEAN member countries by facilitating the sharing of knowledge and innovations that address common development issues.
One of the program's unique aspects is to target the poor and marginalized as partners. While most modules and courses are geared towards students in formal institutions, the IID Fellows Program tailors teaching and learning packages to answer the needs of grassroots communities. Their feedback is also seen as crucial in the further improvement of the instructional materials.
For example, IID Fellows based in Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam are producing learning modules and courses to help improve water supply and sanitation facilities in local communities. In Malaysia, Tan Huei Ming is developing a course that will teach communities how to address food security in an urban farm setting. And in the Philippines, Milton Norman Medina's module will build the capacity of indigenous people to identify and document flora and fauna in their ancestral lands.
In the educational realm, Dr. Hui Min Low's module provides training for teachers on how to enhance the communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), while Viengdavong Luangsithideth's course will improve the literacy of young women in remote areas of Lao PDR. For a complete list of the IID Fellows and their projects, see: “Annex 1: List of IID Fellows and teaching/learning packages.”
The IID Fellows are now undergoing mentorship with IID experts from the UNIID-SEA network to develop and refine their teaching and learning packages. Once ready for release, these modules and courses will be shared with the public via the Inclusive Innovation Hub. This web-based knowledge and networking hub is currently under development, and will be formally launched by the last quarter of 2014.
What is innovation for inclusive development?
Despite economic growth, rising inequality in Southeast Asia has made the poor even poorer. Over the past 10 years, measures of income dispersion have deteriorated in the Philippines, Singapore, Lao PDR and Malaysia. This does not mean, however, that other Southeast Asian countries have fared better.
In order for the poor and disadvantaged to catch up, they must develop faster than the rest of society. How do we do that? By introducing innovation for inclusive development.
Innovation for inclusive development is broadly defined as “innovation that aims to reduce poverty, and enables as many groups of people, especially the poor and marginalized, to participate in decision-making, create and actualize opportunities, and share the benefits of development.”
As the United Nations, key donor agencies and governments promote more inclusive and sustainable development, current discussions and initiatives are looking into new technologies and ways of doing things that take into account not just strategic but also interdisciplinary innovation to address social needs, especially of the poor and disadvantaged.
IID Fellows selection process
After launching the IID Fellows Program, UNIID-SEA accepted a total of 104 proposals from target applicants in all 10 ASEAN member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Out of the 104 applications, a total of 20 IID Fellows were selected following a rigorous screening process.
The winning proposals were chosen for their excellent demonstration of IID elements: responding to the needs of the poor and marginalized, solution seeking, open and collaborative, scalable, and sustainable. The quality of the proposed teaching and learning package – including its design and usability, content, responsiveness to target users, flexibility and replicability – were also considered.
About UNIID-SEA
The Universities and Councils Network on Innovation for Inclusive Development in Southeast Asia (UNIID-SEA) is a project of the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG), in collaboration with the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP). UNIID-SEA works with universities and research councils in Southeast Asia to promote action research and facilitate the development of programs that support innovation for inclusive development. UNIID-SEA is supported by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
For more information about the IID Fellows Program and UNIID-SEA, click on the links below
About the Inclusive Innovation Hub
In response to growing interest in the conceptual discussion and practical application of inclusive innovation and inclusive development among scholars, researchers, policymakers, and development practitioners across countries, UNIID-SEA is launching the Inclusive Innovation Hub, an open access platform that contains multimedia resources on innovation for inclusive development and related fields.
This Hub also provides an interactive learning space among members of the IID community and the general public, in an effort to collectively understand the ideas, values and processes behind inclusive innovation and inclusive development, and to create opportunities for knowledge sharing, capacity development, and partnership-building among individuals and organizations who are engaged in related work.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Media Contact:
Aildrene Tan
Research and Grants Coordinator
Tel: +632 426 6001 loc.4639
Fax: +632 929 7035
Email: [email protected]
General contact:
UNIID-SEA
Ateneo School of Government
Pacifico Ortiz Hall, Fr. Arrupe Road,
Social Development Complex,
Ateneo De Manila University,
Loyola Heights, Quezon City,
Philippines 1108
Tel: +63 2 426 6001 locals 4646, 4639
Telefax: +63 2 929 7035
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.uniid-sea.net
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Annex 1: List of IID Fellows and teaching/learning packages
CAMBODIA
Chea Eliyan, Lecturer and deputy head, Department of Environmental Science, Royal University of Phnom Penh
IID package: Water supply and sanitation technology: impacts and solutions. This module will highlight the impacts of using unsafe water and improper sanitation facilities with a focus on the developing world. The module will also provide water and sanitation options along with their advantages and disadvantages at the community and household levels.
INDONESIA
Hendri Yulius Wijaya, Master's candidate in public policy/writer/research assistant,
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
IID package: Mainstreaming gender equality and diversity through innovative community engagement. This module will provide an overview of the importance of gender equality and diversity in development and public policy-related issues — i.e. poverty, public health (HIV/AIDS, family planning and reproductive health), human rights, advocacy and political engagement.
LAOS
Viengdavong Luangsithideth, Doctoral student, Graduate program in education management, State University of Malang, Indonesia
IID package: Promotion of female adult literacy in remote areas, Lao PDR. This course is designed to improve the literacy of young women living in areas that lack access to good education.
MALAYSIA
1. Hui Min Low, Senior lecturer, School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia
IID package: Teacher training module: enhancing language communication for children with autism spectrum disorders in schools. This module will provide basic information about autism spectrum disorders to teachers in regular schools. The module will also discuss the language communication characteristics of affected children and provide strategies to enhance their language communication skills.
2. Nik Sulaiman, Nik Meriam, Professor, Sustainability Science Research Cluster and Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya
IID package: Transformation of batik industries towards sustainability through inclusive partnership of stakeholders. This module will discuss the processing of batik (production, techniques, technology applications) and the use of information and communication technologies for the rebranding of batik products.
3. Tan Huei Ming, Programme and partnership support, Ground-Up Initiative
IID package: Co-creating a hi-tech urban farm. Drawing on practical experience gained from the Sustainable Urban Farm, Greenhouse and Educational Terrace built in Singapore by Ground-Up Initiative, this 96-hour course comprises three modules on: (i) understanding food challenges in the 21st century; (ii) sustainable technologies and techniques used in the Asia Pacific region to address these challenges; and (iii) how to co-create a hi-tech urban farm that ensures livelihood as well as water, food and energy security.
MYANMAR
Nilar Maung, Staff officer, Plant Protection Division, Department of Agriculture
IID package: Agriculture plant protection/pest control course. This course will discuss a range of insect pest control strategies including the use of parasitoids, predator pheromone traps, biological control and integrated pest management in agricultural crops.
PHILIPPINES
1. Anna Mae Dela Cruz, Product development officer, Mercado General Hospital Incorporated
IID package: Public health by design: Training undergraduate and medical school students on innovative and inclusive methods of keeping the public healthy. This introductory health innovation course is designed for undergraduate and medical students. It includes a module on the basics of innovation and inclusive development, a thematic module, and a practicum.
2. Arlene Cosape, Dean, School of Business and Governance, Ateneo de Davao University
IID package: Badjao Registry Integration Development and Growth through Entrepreneurship (BRIDGE) program. The Badjao are a nomadic indigenous tribe that is often undocumented and therefore excluded. This module will focus on including the Badjaos in the civil registry, explore their concept of and aspirations on livelihood, conduct an inventory of their skills, help them make a viable business plan and then implement it into a sustainable livelihood.
3. Gerson Abesamis, Teacher, Computer Science and Technology Unit, Philippine Science High School
IID package: Grassroots innovation for educators. Aimed at school teachers, this module will introduce design thinking and human-centred design, problem solving approaches that utilize local knowledge, multi-disciplinary collaboration, and rapid prototyping. The module aims to address many complex challenges in education that top-down policies can’t address including contextualising curriculum and lesson plans, designing and customising learning spaces, and adapting systems and processes in schools.
4. Glorypearl Dy, CEO/President, Switotwins, Inc
IID package: Digital storytelling and peacebuilding. In response to the increasing need for peacebuilding through storytelling in Mindanao schools where indigenous peoples study, this module aims to initiate activities that give children a deeper understanding of how to manage emotions and express feelings towards peace using their own voice. Despite being exposed to and/or enduring the consequences of physical, cultural and structural violence, many young people choose to engage in constructive initiatives to fuel advocacies that promote mediation, intercultural communication, conflict transformation and peace work projects.
5. Ma. Larissa Lelu Gata, Assistant professor, Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance, University of the Philippines, Los Baños
IID package: Community-based adaptive strategies to climate change. This module covers issues, concerns and processes surrounding the human dimension of climate change adaptation. The module aims to impart knowledge on climate change adaptation and generate practical solutions that will be implemented at the community level.
6. Milton Norman Medina, Associate professor, Math and Science Department, College of Arts and Sciences Education, University of Mindanao
IID package: Basic biodiversity research sampling protocols for local communities. This module will provide community leaders and members with basic biodiversity protocols in order to give users a deeper understanding of their own biodiversity and allow them to assess the extent of damage, identify and note the importance of endemic species and, in the process, act towards conservation and protection.
7. Mynabel Pomarin, Researcher, Anthropology Watch
IID package: Enhancing the documentation of indigenous conservation practices through participatory mapping. This module will help indigenous peoples document their traditional practices in conservation and resource management through the use of global information system (GIS) and participatory community mapping. The module will attempt to provide proofs of their long-tested capacities for forest protection through the generation of community maps, policies and resolutions.
8. Neil Oliver Penullar, Documentation, research and technology development coordinator – Curricular programs, Center for Social Concern and Action, De La Salle University - Manila
IID package: Learning to serve, serving to learn: A capacity-building program for higher education faculty members, curriculum developers and extension officers. This program is designed to equip faculty members, extension officers and leaders of higher education institutions with relevant theories, concepts, tools and exemplary models in community-engaged learning and teaching or service-learning. The program will cover these topics: theoretical foundations of service-learning; service-learning models and types; benefits of service-learning to students, faculty, institutions and community partners; facilitating critical reflection in service learning; developing reciprocal university-community partnerships for service-learning; and designing and implementing a service-learning course.
9. Rafael Guerrero III, Professorial lecturer, School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines, Los Baños
IID package: Household recycling of solid organic waste and “gray water” by urban/rural families for sanitation, water conservation and food production. This module will cover: basic household sanitation and design/construction/use of the Ecosan waterless toilet; basic vermicomposting and its application for organic fertilizer production and vegetable production; and the use of human urine and kitchen wastewater for vegetable production and laundry wastewater for fish production. The module is based on scientific studies and proven technologies that are environmentally-sound, safe to humans and applicable by food-insecure families who have limited access to potable water and sanitation facilities.
10. Stephanie Cuevas, Operations manager, Rags2Riches, Inc.
IID package: Basic elements of a sustainable community enterprise. This module will discuss how to create a community-based enterprise in which community members own and operate the business. The module will help communities to create and/or formalize their policies, systems and evaluation criteria on essential functions such as member and leader responsibilities, recruitment, production, and payment or fund disbursement.
SINGAPORE
1. Muhammad Ibnur Rashad bin Zainal Abidin, Community partnership and programme
research, Ground-Up Initiative (GUI)
IID package: Grounded leadership for inclusive innovation and development. This 96-hour course covers: the current situation of global development challenges in the 21st century; a range of ground-up initiatives in ASEAN designed to address these challenges; and changing dynamics in leadership and governance on the ground.
2. Tai Xu Hong, Deputy lead, Programme and Operations, Ground-Up Initiative (GUI)
IID package: Co-creating a 21st Century village. This 96-hour course covers: the big picture of urbanization challenges in the 21st Century; sustainable architecture and community building practices used in ASEAN to address these challenges; and how to co-create a network of sustainable and resilient, 21st Century villages.
VIETNAM
Ly Quoc Dang, Researcher and teaching assistant, Department of Socio-economic Policy, Mekong Delta Development Research Institute, Can Tho University
IID package: Water and sanitation: Basic concepts and practical applications in the Mekong Delta. This course covers: basic concepts of clean water and sanitation; clean water and sanitation legislation; clean water and sanitation related to social issues such as health, poverty and the vulnerable; and social research methodology for water and sanitation issues.
