Humanitarian Innovation: "Move Fast and Break Things...?"

Event theme

Innovation in the Humanitarian. Technologies and innovations (engineering, field level, impacts and design).

Event moderator and host

Sam Unsworth.

Professor Heaven Crawley joined the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR) at Coventry University in September 2014 from where she leads the UKRI GCRF South-South Migration, Inequality and Development Hub (MIDEQ). Educated at the Universities of Sussex (1989-1994) and Oxford (1995-1999), Heaven has more than 25 years' experience of undertaking research on international migration in a wide range of institutional settings (government, voluntary sector, national and international organisations, academia). She was previously head of asylum and migration research at the UK Home Office (2000-2), Associate

Director at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) (2002-4) and managed an international research consultancy (2004-6) before returning to academia to establish the Centre for Migration Policy Research at Swansea University (2006-14).

Joane Kayibanda runs the Bboxx Kenya operations to help in transforming lives through access to Renewable energy. Her mission is to contribute to society while growing her expertise. A Rwandan national, born and raised across multiple countries in the East African Region, Joane is a mother who is passionate about learning from real life experiences.

Since joining International Lifeline Fund in 2006, Vahid has successfully led numerous energy and WASH initiatives in both humanitarian and social enterprise settings in Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti. Vahid has extensive knowledge in program design and implementation where it has led to meaningful job opportunities and building community resilience with having an importance on environmental sustainability, community involvement and in elevating the community’s well-being. Vahid sits on UNITAR Global Plan of Action Steering Committee where its aim is to work on collective activities that advance the humanitarian sectors integration of sustainable energy solutions in policy and practice. Vahid leads the technical team of Lifeline in supporting UN agencies to formulate realistic energy strategies and in introducing innovative technologies in the cookstove sector. Vahid has co-authored several policy initiatives in collaboration with local government agencies in creating national energy strategies.

Jolanda van Ginkel is a Renewable Energy programme manager at IKEA Foundation. Jolanda works with organisations that use energy access as an enabler and starting point for development. She is also a creative young professional determined to have a positive impact where possible with a master’s degree in International Development Studies from Utrecht University. Jolanda is a keen advocate of climate action, social entrepreneurship and (social) innovations.