Every year as part of the Millennium Campus Network Conference, groups will attempt to solve a challenge.
The 2008 Challenge
“creating sustainable water systems to raise living standards”In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference. - Rachel Carson
Equitable and sustainable management of water resources is a major issue in the modern world. Due to inadequate water systems in many developing parts of the world, the failure to deliver clean safe water to communities now constitutes a silently impending crisis. Currently, one sixth of the world lives without clean water, and over two fifths of the world do not have adequate sanitation in their community. At any moment in time, half of the developing world suffers from a water-related disease, and every twenty seconds a child dies of a water-borne disease. This crisis will only get worse as the human population is projected to grow another fifty percent in the next few decades. The United Nations has recognized the severity of the issue; in the Millennium Development Goals, the UN calls the international community to “reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.”
This year, we will focus on improving water systems, sanitation, and delivery to break the cycle of poverty and disease. Disease from poor water and sanitation is the second biggest killer of children after respiratory infections, yet efforts to improve water quality and infrastructure around the world have been largely met with indifference. This silent crisis holds great opportunity for innovation in technology, education, infrastructure, and other areas to make a global impact on eradicating global poverty.
Potential Issues to Consider:
- The political, social and economic ramifications of sustainable water systems
- The cost of implementing such systems
- Adaptability of the systems to different cultures, societies, and environments
- Partnering with a non-governmental organization (NGO) or international organization to implement the idea
Awards:
- $2000 in the water category.
- $2000 in the miscellaneous category.
Timeline:
- 04.13.08. Final Proposals due
- 04.19.20. Poster session and judging
- 04.20.08. Awards at Gala ceremony
Submissions:
Submissions are due by Monday, April 13, at 11:59 PM.
Email your proposal to gpi-challenge@mit.edu, and after submitting it, you should receive a confirmation email by Tuesday, April 14. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please re-email gpi-challenge@mit.edu.
Included in the submission should be the four parts outlined in the criteria document:
- Abstract/Summary of Project (150-200 words)
- Team Biography (200-300 words)
- Proposal (1200-1500 words)
- Budget
Also, a poster should be brought to the poster session (April 20) regarding the criteria above.
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding the Millenium Action Challenge, please contact us and we will be sure to get back to you with a prompt response.