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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) mission is to improve the lives of underserved communities by better preparing the global development workforce, optimizing the solution 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. Also, E4C has developed a learning framework and courses for those new to Engineering for Global Development (EGD). This is an interdisciplinary practice that aims to improve the quality of life of undeserved communities worldwide through the design and delivery of technology-based solutions combined with the building of local capacity. To do this effectively, practitioners must integrate their technical training with an understanding of economics and business, social science, and politics to benefit people living in poverty.

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

• UNESCO and Sustainable Development Goals
• IEEE Activities with Children

IEEE Region 8 Programs for Humanitarian Projects

Community Support Program

• Find Out More

Projects Monitoring and Visibility Program

Latest Projects Portfolio

IEEE Region 8 Humanitarian Events

Connecting Humanitarian Experts Webinars

R8 Humanitarian Activities Congress

• Find Out More

R8 Humanitarian Technologies Hackathon

• Find Out More

SIGHT Groups Coordination Workshops

Educational Resources Hub

The IEEE Region 8 Humanitarian Technology Activities Committee gathers all material from the hosted events on its YouTube channel to offer all members an educational resources hub focused on humanitarian technologies and sustainable development activities.

Latest Events Repository

IEEE Region 8 Programs for Local Humanitarian Activities

Humanitarian Student Ambassadors Program

• Find Out More

R8 Humanitarian Awards

• Find Out More

SIGHT Groups Accelerator Program

• Find Out More

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.

The IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB) inspires and empowers IEEE volunteers around the world carrying out and supporting impactful humanitarian technology activities at the local level.

The IEEE HTB mission is to support impactful and ethically informed volunteer-led initiatives, programs and projects, and mutually beneficial partnerships, as well as to inform policy formulation that harness technology and innovation to address societal challenges (including disaster recovery) in a responsive, effective, and sustainable way.

IEEE SIGHT

IEEE SIGHT is a global network of groups consisting of IEEE members and volunteers who identify and address local problems by applying their technical skills and partnering with their local communities. Its vision is for underserved communities around the world to be able to benefit from technology as they seek sustainable solutions to development challenges.

IEEE Tech4Good

A direct program of IEEE HTB, IEEE Tech4Good provides funding for grassroots projects that utilize technology to address the pressing needs of the member’s local communities. Projects must address one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Teams build relationships with local NGOs, government entities, schools and universities, neighborhood associations, or companies to identify a specific need and implement a plan to address it through technology development, customization, or deployment.

EPICS in IEEE

EPICS in IEEE empowers students to work with local service organizations to apply technical knowledge to implement solutions for a community’s unique challenges. In this way, EPICS in IEEE not only assists communities in achieving their specific local community improvement goals but also encourages students to pursue engineering for community improvement as a career.

IEEE Smart Village

IEEE Smart Village (ISV) has a unique approach to support the world’s energy-impoverished communities by providing a comprehensive solution combining renewable energy, community-based education, and entrepreneurial opportunities. ISV provides seed-funding to carefully selected community entrepreneurs based upon a credible business plan that will impact significant number of people with electricity, education and jobs.

MOVE Community Outreach

MOVE Community Outreach is an emergency relief program committed to assisting victims of natural disasters with short-term communications, computer, and power solutions. Natural disasters can severely impact individuals, families, and communities around the world. The restoration of electricity and communications is often of primary importance during these challenging times—because when power and connectivity is lost, people have no lights, no means to recharge mobile phones, and no way to reach out.

IEEE Empower a Billion Lives

IEEE Empower a Billion Lives is a global competition aimed at fostering innovation to develop solutions to electricity access. Solutions are expected to be scalable, regionally relevant, holistic, and leverage 21st century technologies with exponentially declining prices.

IEEE REACH

Understanding that technology and history are not mutually exclusive subjects, IEEE REACH provides pre-university teachers with free, open educational resources that situate science, technology, and engineering in their social and humanistic contexts. The program offers a one-stop shop of resources that bring to life the history of technology and engineering in the classroom, as well as an opportunity to expose students to the different ways that science and technology interrelate and play out in society.

Composition

Theodoros

Abdullateef

George

Lavender

Lucija

Omar

Miriam

Neemat

Nour

Lwanga

Magdalena

Maxwell

Mohamed

Simay

Programs and Activities

Community Support Program

Connecting Humanitarian Experts Webinars

Humanitarian Student Ambassadors Program

Projects Monitoring and Visibility Program

R8 Humanitarian Activities Congress

R8 Humanitarian Awards

R8 Humanitarian Technologies Hackathon

SIGHT Groups Accelerator Program

SIGHT Groups Coordination Workshops

SIGHT Groups Monitoring and Support Program

Goals

The IEEE Region 8 Humanitarian Technology Activities Committee (HTAC) mission is to inspire and empower IEEE volunteers around Europe, Middle East, and Africa carrying out and supporting impactful humanitarian technology and sustainable development activities at the local level. In particular, our goals include:

• Supports SIGHT groups activities and encourage them to participate in Regional humanitarian technology activities,
• Develops programs and initiatives to enable volunteer engagement in humanitarian technology activities,
• Reviews and evaluates of the overall effectiveness of humanitarian programs,
• Recommends best practices as they relate to programs and projects,
• Evaluates of funding proposals for projects to be carried out at the local level,
• Connects with humanitarian volunteers and builds the optimal humanitarian team in the Region,
• Mentors existing SIGHT groups and prospective groups,
• Increases visibility of humanitarian technology activities within the Region,
• Encourages reporting of activities via vTools by monitoring and reaching out,
• Raises awareness of ongoing HTB/SIGHT activities,
• Encourages submission of HTB/SIGHT project proposals and proposals for funding of activities,
• Encourages celebration of SIGHT Week/Day across the Region,
• Encourages students and young professionals involvement in humanitarian technology activities,
• Organizes R8 Humanitarian Activities Congress when budget allows and collaborates in organizing humanitarian conferences,
• Recognizes exceptional SIGHT groups and volunteers,
• Collaborates and establishes partnerships with other IEEE OUs, with external organizations and other entities with similar goals on humanitarian projects.