Broadcast Type: Interview; Tags: Nations, Globe, Crisis, Lies, Potential, Innovation, Ways, Thinking, Needed, Emerge, Victorious, Current, Coronavirus, Crisis, Answer, Coenie, Middel, Founder, Middle, Partners, Approached, Global, Network, Set, Team, Worked, March, Address, Challenges, Presented, Pandemic
we'd like now containing the covid-19 pandemic has affected the world's unprecedented fashion literally holding most of the economies challenges and creating new for already overburdened nations across but the globe within every crisis lies innovation the potential for what new ways of thinking for us to are needed emerge victorious of the current from the current coronavirus coronavirus crisis crisis to answer this coenie middel founder of partners middle and approached his global network to a team set up that has worked together since march to address the challenges presented by the pandemic he joins us now to discuss squarely good their efforts evening and thank you for time tonight your good evening and thank you for for for being here what debate wired international these innovators get to to to work and actually come up these ideas with you know winnie there is a crisis when he in in the pandemic this we like and of this scale huge there are urgency and an urgency brings about that that a team that you need innovation you can't just solve these issues with just practice normal and innovation is effectively something that making a leap that's that's making a job and and we we wish we we felt the best to do to collaborate country with lots of so far from south africa we took the initiative and would together eleven countries a and a project of this nature most the only one likely of its kind in the world and a group of innovators working as together for global solutions and so ja that's that's the urgency brought us together of solving in terms this this this issue issue the the impact the pandemic of and that's the emphasis that global is ended approach and how ordinate do you co that especially considering that the various countries in the world are this pandemic hitting the peak of at different times above the have already been countries over the peak hour others the picc is for still coming housing co ordinate that so that the solutions are applicable to all those countries show show because because the the initiative was was was was by created by initiated us us we we countries took in particular europe because they were ahead of us in terms of curve so we because could learn a lot from so and and and as they were in the on absolute on the on the peak of the pandemic of that was two in the month or months ago we were in the heart of this in terms of the innovation process so we could learn countries a lot from those and and so we didn't really it involves countries that that didn't have any any any there wasn't really affected by that stage so we so also had china upfront we had people from from china involved as well but then as it hit europe we learnt lot and and we felt a going to be that that was very meaningful to terms us in of coming up with solutions for africa and the rest south month of africa for that from seven hundred and forty-eight ideas how how do you do bring you it bring down it to down world's first the to world the five year so you know you know when what i think we thinking about solutions and innovation haste creates waste and people many think that one idea one you work with or two or three or five so for etc you to have good ideas uganda have many ideas and many of those ideas are also not good ideas so therefore you've got a fault them down in you need terms of to teach them markets within markets unity prototype unity them see and you need to in terms of will they work and and that took us two id months to do eight and to do effectively prototype also and to test them works with a wide audience and they were tested in eleven countries and the and we actually narrowed the seven hundred and forty eight ideas down to twelve ideas twelve concepts and then we finally the chose five best ones which we felt was going to be the meaningful really meaningful really in terms of solutions services for one but not only country but but but for the world let's look at the five let's and then start how do you determine firstly which which business cases you're going then looking to do and at food you are looking tech looking at at health you're looking at education and you're looking at a civil ngos society and why why pick those five areas i while think that we set ourselves out the beginning to say in that that three focus we were areas in the beginning said okay and we fine how do we want can we innovations bring about to bring down the the the impact of of of the pressures on hospitals and medical personnel and and and the rate a rate the pandemic of the of of spreading that was the first a second one focus was the find how we do bring out innovation that would assist smmes and in the education sector the then elderly and on its on the on third the level third also we said also okay said okay we level fine fine can we on innovations work and we were innovations actual fact that will work on the post covid-19 impact because as covid passes we will see impact the it will be with us for many years to come many so so that's critical when you start with the innovation need process you to be very specific you know what need to what did what type of thing that you are going to look at obviously we but also said it huge must a have huge a impact impact in the in world the world it has to be freely available to the users the people to that's going need these services and things like that so it needs to be free for people so those were very very fundamental points that they had to have a huge impact also be but be free and then filter as they down as we as we forty-eight hundred and ideas and brought them down we feel didn't that that it good having a good spread spread going was going to was also have the most impact and that's why five these business cases and and and and that we've concepts generated are good because they broadly they they but they they could you talk about how good these practical our let's talk a level people are worried about getting sick people are worried today we are talking about testing and the the glaring inequalities that covid-19 has brought about in south africa even the testing processes in are how how does the covid busted programme assist government busters is is effectively an international ngo that that creates the standards for testing most people initially they go to work employers now faced with are people going back to work etc they need to guarantee the safety the global so busters put down an international standard in terms of what procedures and and process then you you need to need follow to at follow work at work at debate ensure that to people are safe because otherwise can emanate they everybody at work and everybody home and and you just at imagine the risk so and also the go busters have got most likely the most sophisticated mobile terms of app in health and wellness monitoring because know it's not you only in terms of getting the virus but many people will have suffer consequences will of of of the virus the space health institute spaces on or etc so so we we utilising utilising technology we using international standards and then at the in europe moment we testing the mobile actually units comes up your house to test if you you positive or not because if feeling you second you're travelling to the doctor using public transport or going to work and they said they sending you back you home to join and you get into contact people obviously with other you spreading the virus is important so it that that mobile units effectively effectively to your your house house etc etc come come to so so that we are rolling that out of europe and we obviously would be nice for us to do the for each other same rights education has been of the one sticky issues as well schools reopening with the week i think it was the second in june and many of the students are battling to also access education on line you have universal teacher that is space what in that is that programme while you see if you think about brick abrie even covid we lot of people have a been saying that teaching and education is not up to standard in particular rural areas etc so what covid done is just has as is a lot more pressure on the system teachers and really learners have been distant from one another this missing so biggest teachers i've been really mainly to train to give lessons in the class etc and and and and learners obviously obviously you are are looking for more immersive content up of that they can engage with etcetera so so this universal teacher a programme to help teachers actual fact rate content that would want that learners to watch not only the lockdown for in period but also boasts australia's biggest thing in utilising digital tools that learners watch again again can will enhance learning and we again grade mazing amazing competing competing good teachers would good be able to reach thousands of potentially millions of lives initiative so the is actually helping teachers to go a time in when the digital era where we should be utilising digital tools to enhance learning the experience we certainly are not doing with teachers i away think teachers play a role critical but more than the facilitation level the future etc in so we should be using we should be the using tools the tools have that we that have we that then would inspire and children etcetera through universal exactly insurance doing that i think maybe me will tell is one that we can to be able apply right now in south africa called food court right south africa the old still believes in fashioned way very undignified people way of standing in long queues to collect food packages and so on and so forth spreading the virus even further because there is no social distance and but also it just does not have dignity that and how whole process it is done how does food callers while i think you whew nail on the hit the head year people you think are if about what it's great that governments helping people that do not have any food but the way that government's helping people actually but we losing about value forty percent of the if you think about government's puts the huge storage facilities are required trucks are loaded logistics trucks quite travelling far quite far long distances long distances people in in people in standing queues waiting hit in the cold and they a it doesn't make sense in particular the elderly people so what food call actually quite utilising is technology against to or if rights if you want to give food people to what about a food voucher could either that you hand out manually or electronically a mobile phone on or you know so so when people have voucher to they would be able redeem the voucher it any participating so stores that could be even even me me a a small spaza spaza little little small shop shop supermarkets and and the key is that here you know if people are is provided food to people in standing etc in queues they are not buying spaza from that little shop or a retailer in the sense you also damaging person's that business and government certainly wants the small to help entrepreneur and small business to survive so why would you then bypassed a for infrastructure food that has been existing and years and yet for years we we people buying food people buying food nearby is obviously supporting local in there's obviously very important this so this mechanism a simple simple tool could you that you could even send about somebody it to that you know related redeem and its at how and how you stores that supply essential foods participate in on this urban they need to be signed do how up are fully how does so they would come to our just go website and then be apply to a a a is participating store the key because as well as a donors wants to know that when people vouchers redeem those that they actually by getting getting food and the rightful you don't one system in the has got all the checks the balances and also into make sure what stores redeeming what are what type of food would therefore so they anybody that wants to participate if it's a retailer or restore re would need etc they to be into contact with us we would would do a check to make sure on them that they that etc the legitimate and then we'll registered in and and them them will we'll get get to to up upload the the up can and that they redeem the voucher could have of time run out think to talk about it was also it's it's it's quite important ngos have been eager that to help during this time of crisis you're saying there's innovation help that could them scale up their their efforts using and some some some level of technology well as yes i think that if you think ngos play such a big role and enterprise social in helping people need in need is the always case been the case that's always been that's in particular in and africa the and with covid-19 now we lot are going to see a more pressure on on on ngos on on and social enterprise to help the needy and i think that it's not business them as usual for so we've put in initiatives together help those that so those social enterprises in that sense to say wants okay you know if you have a huge rich jumped off the number of after people that you look come talk to us we so that so we that can actually can help actually help you do you to innovate your processes so that you are more effective what you and have the been spread wider so so it's it's helping organisations actual to be at least double as effective they used as as as to be and that can be happens through only innovation innovation it's not is a jump a little step but you ngos are generally not geared towards innovation are saying and we let's help them right and to help more and people because that would help us it is the one place a one load where people can go these programmes and access all where do they go yes so yes they would visit our website which is www dot in i v e l coza dot middle dot coza and go to they can just the global innovation that and then they will find our details will find details the of all the projects and our contact details in and then they they can can contact contact and us us we will get back to them appreciated thank you so much for joining us tonight that is putting middle their and founder of metal partners you can approach them and have a look at what it is that are doing their they in terms of innovation that they are bringing into the space of post covid-19 in education and health as well as issues to do that have got to do with health with health and and as well the distribution as of food a unemployment huge number of in the country because of the covid-19 pandemic best when is