September 4, 2023
News
What do you think of when you hear the words humanitarian and development aid? Innovations may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but in fact they have been an important part of helping people in need in recent years. Innovations make the work of humanitarian organisations more efficient and sustainable, and help reach affected people faster. How does Caritas Czech Republic provide help thanks to innovations?
1. Innovations in agriculture: Together for sustainable development
Mwiba is a farmer from a poor region in western Zambia. Like other farmers in developing countries, he is struggling with the impacts of climate change. Thanks to Caritas Czech Republic, he has gained the skills to farm in a changing climate and the knowledge to grow nutritionally valuable and resilient food. He also learned how to properly preserve crops. "Thanks to Caritas, we now have food on the table all year round," says farmer Mwiba.
Agriculture is the source of livelihood for a third of the population in developing countries. In many places that were farmed not so long ago, it is now difficult or impossible to make a living. That is why Caritas Czech Republic is introducing technological innovations that enable farmers in poor regions to adapt to a changing climate.
In Zambia, we are supporting farmers to grow resilient crops and introducing mobile apps that give farmers access to important climate information, enable them to take out insurance against climate risks and also make it easy for farmers to get their crops to market via the app. Thanks to our initiative, the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture has trained over 40,000 farmers to adapt to climate change.
We are also introducing innovations in agriculture in Iraq, which has been struggling with a devastating drought for a long time. Yet agriculture is a source of livelihood for a large part of the population. The unstable situation in the country makes conditions even worse. We are providing Iraqi farmers with training in modern farming methods that will enable them to make better use of natural conditions and secure their livelihoods despite the changing climate.
In Georgia, we are helping to revive livelihoods for rural people so they do not have to leave their home regions to work in bigger cities. For example, we are introducing innovations in cattle farming to serve as a sustainable source of livelihood. Through new practices, farmers in rural Georgia are able to gain better market access and increase their income from livestock.
2. Technology in medicine: Modern approaches to health care
Poverty, lack of specialists or long distances to doctors are often behind insufficient health and social care in developing countries. Technological innovation is one way to provide quality care and speed up the diagnostic process for people in these regions.
In Georgia, for example, we have long been working with the Ministry of Health on strengthening local primary healthcare. We are introducing unified electronic management information system for the healthcare in the country, which makes doctors' daily work easier - instead of paper records, doctors can find all the information about patients in an electronic system. The system is also used to share data with other government information systems and helps to monitor the quality of primary care and contribute to its improvement.
One of the benefits of innovation is that they can be scaled up and respond to sudden crises. For example, our electronic management information system proved its worth during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and helped monitor the spread of the disease and effectively manage the Covid-19 vaccination in Georgia. A key tool during the pandemic was the so-called COVID Lab, which we launched in the country. We are also training doctors in Georgia in medical innovation so that they can keep up with new developments in the field.
Innovations in healthcare are also helping to reduce long distances to the doctor, for example in rural Moldova, which is mainly populated by lonely senior citizens. In Moldova, Caritas Czech Republic is introducing telemedicine services that make it easier for people in remote areas to access quality healthcare and help save time and money. Telemedicine provides healthcare remotely without the need to go to a doctor's office and allows you to reach medical specialists who often practice in only a few locations in the country.
3. Efficient waste management
We all produce waste. However, not every country has an effective system in place to manage waste so that it does not have a negative impact on the environment. Illegal landfills threaten both the environment and human health. Yet even waste can be managed in innovative ways to protect the planet and local people.
In Moldova, we are building a functional and sustainable waste management system in the city of Criuleni. We support local people to reduce waste production and recycle properly. We are also helping to develop waste management infrastructure in the mountainous regions of Georgia, where we also provide training on the importance of recycling.
In both Moldova and Georgia, we are helping to expand composting to minimise the environmental impact of organic waste.
Mongolia is usually associated with beautiful nature, vast steppes and nomadic herders. But nowadays the country is also suffering from rapid environmental degradation. Due to poor waste management, Mongolia is literally flooded with tons of waste. It is mainly plastic, which is often not recycled and accumulates in landfills, polluting the environment. In Mongolia, we therefore support businesses that are actively recycling plastic waste. We organise trainings and spread awareness about the importance of waste sorting.
4. Innovations in organisations: Increasing efficiency and transparency
Innovations do not have to be about complex technologies. Often the most effective innovation can be the sharing of important know-how, the provision of necessary training and the support of experts. This is how Caritas Czech Republic supports civil society and NGOs in developing countries.
The war in Syria has been going on for over 12 years. But Syrians want to carry on with their normal lives and young people have the desire and energy to become active in society and participate in the future of their country. However, they lack the know-how and experience of working in humanitarian and development organisations. That is why we are training NGOs in Syria so that they can carry out their own projects and improve the lives of people in the war-torn country.
We also support young people in Mongolia, which is struggling with high youth unemployment. We help young Mongolians with personal development and advise them on how to plan and build a career. Recently, we organised a hackathon in Ulaanbaatar with partner organisations, which helped to launch several innovative projects.
Are you interested in news from the world of humanitarian and development aid? Do you want to know how we use innovation in our work, how we help people in need, and what is happening in countries that do not get much media coverage? Sign up for our monthly newsletter.
