IEEE Region 8 Humanitarian Technology Activities Committee
Humanitarian Student Ambassadors Program
The Humanitarian Student Ambassadors Program is a new collaborative program between the IEEE Region 8 Humanitarian Technology Activities Committee and the IEEE Region 8 Student Activities Committee targeted at keeping an eye on each corner of Europe, Middle East, and Africa. The program aims to increase awareness and knowledge about humanitarian technologies, increase the humanitarian impact of student groups, and encourage the establishment of new SIGHT groups.
Deadline: 26 April 2024
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
The following criteria must be met for applying to be an ambassador:
- Be an active student in an active IEEE Student Branch;
- Be an active IEEE and SIGHT member;
- Dedicated to work for 2-4 hours a week.
Applications will be reviewed using the following criteria:
- Endorsement letter from the Student Branch Chair or Counselor (optional);
- Statement on what the IEEE humanitarian activities are for you;
- Statement on how you plan to help contribute to IEEE humanitarian efforts;
- Position statement on why you are applying.
Timeline and Process
- Submit your application here
- Application portal open until April 26th
- Applications reviewed until late April
- Selection notification will be sent on early May
- Training sessions via on-demand videos will take place on mid May
- Successful ambassadors list announced in late May
- Group meetings with all ambassadors to take place every 2 months
- Complete activities and receive badges for your work
- Ambassadors term end in late November 2024
Available Badges
- SIGHT 101
- SIGHT Activities
- Humanitarian Projects 101
- Implementing a Project
- Communication and Publicity
- Establishing Collaborations
- Special Badges
Humanitarian Projects and Teams Management
- Organizer: IEEE Region 8 Humanitarian Activities Committee – SIGHT Groups Coordination Workshops
- About: Dive into key topics, including effective management of humanitarian volunteering groups, project coordination, and overcoming challenges in team-community relations. Learn about structuring SIGHT Groups, establishing collaborations for funding, and fostering membership growth. Gain valuable insights into navigating the complexities of humanitarian projects.
- Speaker: Dr Kennedy Okafor, a Senior IEEE Member, holds a Ph.D. in digital electronics and computer engineering and is recognized as a global talent by the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK. He serves as a Senior Research Visiting Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK and a Visiting Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Besides, he serves as an Adjunct Facilitator at the World Bank Africa Center of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development. With diverse certifications, Kennedy’s research spans AI, cloud data centres, and green energy analytics. Dr Okafor chairs the IEEE Consultants Network in Nigeria, the IEEE Skillup Hubs in Region 8 (HTB funded), the Project Manager of FUTO CISCO Academy, Nigeria, and the Chair of the MSR-Laboratories at FUTO. His collaboration with industry leaders has led impactful projects from what he deserved over 32+ Awards and securing research grants exceeding £2M in Africa.
- Important Info: February 24th, 2024 (5:00 – 6:00 PM GMT) – Online (via Google Meet) – Registration Required
Locate your nearest SIGHT group
Professional SIGHT groups
| Code | Approval Date | Section |
|---|---|---|
| SIGHT043 | 15 Oct 2014 | Kenya Section |
| SIGHT071 | 12 Apr 2016 | Western Saudi Arabia Section |
| SIGHT072 | 10 May 2016 | Croatia Section |
| SIGHT078 | 6 Aug 2016 | Nigeria Section |
| SIGHT079 | 27 Sep 2016 | Tunisia Section |
| SIGHT061 | 3 Oct 2016 | Greece Section |
| SIGHT089 | 7 Jul 2017 | Spain Section |
| SIGHT090 | 26 Sep 2017 | Bahrain Section |
| SIGHT093 | 14 Nov 2017 | Egypt Section |
| SIGHT094 | 29 Nov 2017 | Germany Section |
| SIGHT101 | 24 Mar 2018 | France Section |
| SIGHT102 | 28 Mar 2018 | Uganda Section |
| SIGHT116 | 29 Nov 2018 | Lebanon Section |
| SIGHT120 | 22 Apr 2019 | Turkiye Section |
| SIGHT143 | 22 Aug 2019 | United Kingdom & Ireland Section |
| SIGHT157 | 23 Apr 2020 | Switzerland Section |
| SIGHT158 | 23 Apr 2020 | Zambia Section |
| SIGHT181 | 27 Apr 2021 | Ghana Section |
| SIGHT197 | 20 Aug 2021 | South Africa Section |
| SIGHT198 | 18 Apr 2022 | Algeria Section |
| SIGHT199 | 12 Dec 2022 | Oman Section |
| SIGHT200 | 22 Dec 2023 | Tanzania Subsection |
Student SIGHT groups
| Code | Approval Date | Student Branch | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBA01039S | 1 Nov 2017 | Al-Huson University College | Jordan Section |
| SBA10122S | 13 Jun 2018 | Kyambogo University | Uganda Section |
| SBA61191S | 29 Oct 2018 | American Univ of Sharjah | United Arab Emirates Section |
| SBA05101S | 19 Nov 2018 | American University of Beirut | Lebanon Section |
| SBA63021S | 19 Mar 2019 | Al-Balqa Applied University | Jordan Section |
| SBA10128S | 22 Aug 2019 | Jomo Kenyatta Univ of Agriculture & Tech | Kenya Section |
| SBA63861S | 23 Apr 2020 | Enugu State University of Science & Tech | Nigeria Section |
| SBA99367S | 24 Mar 2021 | Bule Hora University | Africa Council (Ethiopia) |
| SBA64613S | 13 Dec 2021 | ESPRIT | Tunisia Section |
| SBA10213S | 18 Apr 2022 | H S Sciences & Technologies H Sousse | Tunisia Section |
| SBA20233S | 24 Apr 2023 | Higher I A Sciences & Tech (ISSAT Sousse) | Tunisia Section |
| SBA10056S | 3 Oct 2023 | Higher Inst of Computer Science | Tunisia Section |
| SBA60211912S | 14 Nov 2023 | Egypt University of Informatics | Egypt Section |
| SBA61881S | 14 Nov 2023 | Nnamdi Azikiwe University | Nigeria Section |
| SBA17411S | 18 Nov 2023 | Ecole Nationale D’Ingenieurs De Tunis | Tunisia Section |
| SBA29081S | 22 Dec 2023 | Federal University of Technology Owerri | Nigeria Section |
| SBA60168044S | 22 Dec 2023 | H.I. Info & Com Technologies | Tunisia Section |
| SBA11516S | 22 Dec 2023 | H I Informatics & Mathematics of Monastir | Tunisia Section |
Contact and News
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Contact Information
Latest News and Inspiring Stories
TBA
Our Programs and Activities
Community Support Program
A special SIGHT projects CFP in collaboration with HTB. Provides support to R8 SIGHT groups to implement community support projects to address local community challenges.
Humanitarian Student Ambassadors Program
Supports and trains student volunteers to share IEEE humanitarian opportunities across our Region and impact the local communities. Aims to increase awareness and knowledge about humanitarian technologies, increase the impact of existing SIGHT groups, and encourage the establishment of new SIGHT groups.
R8 Humanitarian Activities Congress
Brings together R8 SIGHT group members to share results, lessons learned, and experiences with peers across the Region, and to discuss and address various humanitarian and community development projects, as well as to promote the use of technology for social good. The Congress typically includes presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities. During the Congress, attendees from different countries across the Region are expected to participate and interact to discuss and promote community development initiatives.
R8 Humanitarian Technologies Hackathon
Fosters competition amongst IEEE and SIGHT members through their solutions to specific humanitarian challenges and targets tech proposals around specific UN SDGs. Collaboration with SIGHT groups is highly encouraged for the hackathon organization. Awards tech proposals that can solve humanitarian challenges. If winning OU doesn’t have a SIGHT group, then they will be mentored towards forming one; otherwise, if it is a well-standing SIGHT group, then they will be mentored towards submitting a project proposal to a HTB/SIGHT CFP.
SIGHT Groups Coordination Workshops
Online workshops with SIGHT group leaders and volunteers on challenging topics based on feedback from SIGHT groups using reports. Provides support and guidance to R8 SIGHT groups to overcome any operational or organizational issues and obstacles they face or could face in the future and to ensure their optimal functioning.
Connecting Humanitarian Experts Webinars
Webinars on humanitarian topics presented by an expert in the field. Targets to understand the humanitarian impact of achieving the UN SDGs from an engineering and technical perspective and how we can achieve these SDGs.
Projects Monitoring and Visibility Program
A follow-up activity of the Community Support Program to monitor the current status of active humanitarian projects in R8 and implement a visibility plan to publicize IEEE impact on local communities. Closely monitors active humanitarian projects in R8 to ensure smooth closing, establishes an online projects repository to ignite, and prepares a visibility plan to publicize volunteer’s work.
R8 Humanitarian Awards
The Committee participates in R8 Awards and manages the Outstanding Section SIGHT Group of the Year Award and the Outstanding Student Branch SIGHT Group of the Year Award. The Committee should encourage Section and Student Branch SIGHT groups to apply for Awards in order to raise their visibility and have their achievements recognized.
SIGHT Groups Accelerator Program
Provides R8 SIGHT groups with seed funding for the new year’s activities based on their humanitarian efforts and activities of the past year. Aims to recognize the success of the SIGHT groups activities, provide funding to organize more activities, help evaluate the health of the SIGHT groups and promote good practices.
SIGHT Groups Monitoring and Support Program
Gathers statistical and leadership information for R8 SIGHT groups to identify actions needed for each case and communicate them to their leaders. Each R8 SIGHT group shall be monitored for its activity status in order to provide guidance.
Education
Learning Resources
The IEEE Learning Network (ILN) is the online website for discovering continuing education from across IEEE. With hundreds of educational courses available—and more added all the time—ILN offers the latest in continuing education in engineering, technology, and more. IEEE HTB & SIGHT have developed an educational curriculum on Humanitarian Technology and Sustainable Development at IEEE that is housed on the ILN. There are 6 different modules, and it is tailored for busy IEEE members, each module should take only 20 – 30 minutes to complete.
The Engineering for Change (E4C) is a hybrid organization with three integrated arms: An online academy, innovation lab, and a media platform. E4C’s mission is to improve the lives of underserved communities by better preparing the global development workforce, optimizing the solutions development cycle, and ensuring public health and safety. E4C has a set of standalone webinars, series, and panels sharing research, career guidance, and best practices.
Conferences
IEEE International Humanitarian Technologies Conference
The IEEE International Humanitarian Technology Conference (IEEE IHTC) is a Multi-Regional Conference Series rotating between R7 (Canada), R8 (Africa, Europe and Middle East), and R9 (Latin America and Caribbean). This inter-disciplinary conference series focuses on showcasing challenges, success stories, lessons learnt, case studies and technological innovation related to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ICT4D and the application of Humanitarian Technologies (including Disaster Relief and Disaster Recovery) and facilitating engagement by stakeholders from the public, private, education and research and societal sectors around the world.
IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica Conference
The IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica Conference is the leading conference on the African continent focused on addressing its power and energy challenges. The conference provides a forum for researchers, engineers, policy makers and practitioners from Africa and beyond to share and discuss research findings, innovative ideas, emerging technologies and solutions to pressing challenges in the African energy sector. All researchers who work outside of the continent are invited to come learn from the energy innovations emanating from Africa and share innovations and experience from other regions of the world.
Humanitarian Meets STEM Hub
This section aims to spread IEEE humanitarian efforts and introduce sustainable development goals to pre-university students. Having doubts about how you can get involved with?
- Organize visits to a STEM entity to see how STEM professions can assist humanitarian challenges based on UN SDGs.
- Organize inter-scholar competitions or hackathons in which each school gets to present a humanitarian invention or idea in the fields of STEM based on UN SDGs.
- Organize workshops or seminars on a specific humanitarian topic based on UN SDGs.
- Include pre-university students in a SIGHT group project development.
- Share stories of successful STEM professionals who made something exceptional on the humanitarian topic(s).
Available IEEE programs
Want to explore some established and successful programs that combine humanitarian activities and pre-university students?
Engineering Project in Community Service (EPICS in IEEE) was started at Purdue University in 2005 to benefit both engineering students and the community. IEEE adopted the philosophy of EPICS by creating the EPICS in IEEE committee in 2009. The program helps fulfill the IEEE core purpose of fostering technological innovation and excellence for humanity. EPICS provides funding, support, mentorship and visibility for engineering projects, while also empowering students to work with local service organizations to apply technical knowledge to implement solutions for a community’s unique challenges.
TryEngineering is dedicated to providing educational resources, inspiration, and guidance that empowers educators, counselors, and their students around the world, fostering the next generation of technology innovators. Launched in 2006 as a collaboration of IEEE, IBM, and the New York Hall of Science, it offers a variety of resources that will advance the skill and knowledge of educators who intend to bring engineering education into their classrooms and to engage and excite students about engineering and technology careers.
IEEE REACH (Raising Engineering Awareness through the Conduit of History) provides pre-university teachers with free, open educational resources that situate science, technology, and engineering and the complex relationships they have with society, politics, economics, and culture. It was created by the IEEE History Center, a unit of IEEE whose mission is to preserve, research, and promote the history of information and electrical technologies.
Further reading
Projects
IEEE Region 8 Programs for Humanitarian Projects
Community Support Program
Projects Monitoring and Visibility Program
Latest Projects Portfolio
TBA
Events
IEEE Region 8 Humanitarian Events
Connecting Humanitarian Experts Webinars
R8 Humanitarian Activities Congress
R8 Humanitarian Technologies Hackathon
SIGHT Groups Coordination Workshops
Latest Events Repository
Local Activities
IEEE Region 8 Programs for Local Humanitarian Activities
Humanitarian Student Ambassadors Program
R8 Humanitarian Awards
SIGHT Groups Accelerator Program
SIGHT Groups Monitoring and Support Program
Humanitarian Voices
An opportunity for SIGHT groups to share their activities in order to get published in R8 News and inspire volunteers across Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
Regional SIGHT Groups Self-assessment Report
A gateway for SIGHT groups to dive into their operations and share their experiences with the R8 Humanitarian Activities Committee.
Act locally with SIGHT groups
SIGHT groups consist of at least six IEEE members who come together to learn about sustainable development, build relationships within their local communities, and implement SIGHT group projects that utilize technology to tackle key problems within the community. Non-IEEE members are welcome and encouraged to join their local SIGHT group. Groups can be formed at the professional or university level. SIGHT Group’s main purpose is to partner with underserved communities and local organizations to leverage technology for sustainable development.
In order for a SIGHT Group to be considered as active, the following requirements should be followed:
- Membership: Should maintain a membership of not fewer than six (6) IEEE members.
- Activities: Should hold not less than two (2) Group activities per year reported in vTools Events.
- Leadership: Should hold elections regularly and report any changes in vTools Officers.
An integral part of IEEE HTB’s strategic mission is to offer educational resources and training to equip IEEE members and volunteers to impact their local communities through sustainable development activities. Webinars are one way that SIGHT members can learn new ideas, grow their professional acumen, and connect with an extended community of engineers affecting sustainable change around the world.
Awards and Recognition
The IEEE Region 8 Outstanding Section / Student Branch SIGHT Group of the Year Award was established to recognize the essential work of the existing section / student branch SIGHT groups in Region 8, but also to promote and encourage sections / student branches to create SIGHT groups. The purpose of this award is to recognize a Section / Student Branch SIGHT Group who has made an outstanding contribution to IEEE SIGHT and to the local underserved community by leveraging technology to accomplish a sustainable solution.
The IEEE SIGHT Group of the Year Award was established to recognize IEEE SIGHT Groups committed to impacting their local underserved community through the development or deployment of technology. The IEEE SIGHT Volunteer of the Year Award was established to recognize a professional or student member of IEEE who has made an outstanding contribution to IEEE SIGHT and a local underserved community through the development or deployment of technology.