International

THE PACIFIC

DR RICHARD CORKISH


Together with Vanuatu’s government and community, the University of the South Pacific and the Rotary Club, Richard and his team are installing solar-powered lighting and phone charging facilities in 14 rural health extension service and aid posts, updating renewable energy services in three schools, working on a mini-grid to provide energy security to Imaki village, and providing locals with a solar power user guide in Bislama and English.

SCIENTIA PROFESSOR JOHN KALDOR

John and his team are working with national authorities to support research that assists in the control of neglected tropical diseases including scabies, trachoma, yaws and lymphatic filariasis in Fiji and Solomon Islands. The team is assisting to improve data collection to track disease occurrence and  to better control the diseases.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IAIN MACGILL, DR ANNA BRUCE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ATUL RATURI (THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC)

In collaboration with colleagues at the University of the South Pacific, Anna and Iain jointly run student courses and oversee research projects that focus on providing more accessible, affordable and reliable energy solutions for remote communities in the South Pacific. Anna and Iain are currently investigating projects where UNSW and USP students can collaborate to design sustainable energy solutions for communities in Fiji.

PROFESSOR KLAUS REGENAUER-LIEB

Klaus and his team are using natural geothermal heat in Fiji to provide electricity for food refrigeration, a morgue and a local fish farm for 5,000 nearby residents, minimising disease transfer and improving nutrition. Over 40 hot springs have been sampled, with proven reserves for electricity and even a therapeutics industry. In 2019, the team endeavours to broaden the footprint of harvesting geothermal power from Fiji and Vanuatu’s volcanoes.

DR SARATH MATARAARACHCHI

Sarath is bridging the gap between local and national infrastructure capacities by conducting training with public officials to identify and develop viable infrastructure projects, and upskilling community members in the repair and maintenance of housing and basic infrastructure. In 2018, he brought together public sector employees from across the Pacific to discuss infrastructure projects and tested Australian “Housing for Health” model for housing and infrastructure maintenance.

THE DIPLOMACY TRAINING PROGRAM

Working with civil society organisations, the United Nations and the University of Papua New Guinea, the Diplomacy Training Program (DTP) is implementing a pilot program to train government officials with key international human rights, business and development frameworks. This program will address the negative impacts communities in Papua New Guinea experience as a result of business practice and will strengthen sector capacity in the region.

DR ANDREW DANSIE

There are increasing rates of respiratory disease in Pacific communities, especially amongst children in Fiji and the Solomon Islands. In partnership with Fiji National University, University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and the University of Oxford, UNSW has deployed air quality monitors to measure airborne particle concentrations. This data will be supplemented by data from school children who will wear personal air quality monitors. These measures will assist in determining concentrations of air pollutants within wet and dry seasons with implications. This work will inform policy responses to address respiratory issues in Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

ASIA

DR MELISSA CROUCH, PROFESSOR MARTIN KRYGIER, PROFESSOR THEUNIS ROUX

To assist Myanmar in making the transition from military rule to a democracy, Melissa and her team are working with Myanmar scholars and policy thinkers to consider how constitutional law and reform can achieve lasting peace. Together with Martin Krygier and Theunis Roux, Melissa has been helping train key legal stakeholders in Myanmar. In 2019, Melissa published her book The Constitution of Myanmar in English and Burmese.

DR PETER HARRIS

Building on a new research partnership between the Kirby Institute and the University of Medicine 2 (UM2) in Myanmar, Peter and his team are working with UM2 academics to build local capacities in medical education and to co-develop a new medical curriculum. The next step is to implement both initiatives nationally, which will increase the quality of medical practitioner and ensure that high quality medical services can be provided across Myanmar.

DR JAYDE ROBERTS

Hlaingthayar is the largest informal settlement in Myanmar. It is currently facing displacement issues due to the New Yangon City development project. In partnership with local organisations Bedar Social Development Group and Another Development, Jayde is utilising an urban planning and participatory design process to address these issues. The team will focus on urbanism in Yangon through engaging young thinkers and activists in Myanmar to analyse laws and regulations on housing and urban development. The team is also making this information accessible to local communities through information dissemination and locally run workshops to improve local knowledge.

THE KIRBY INSTITUTE

In partnership with clinicians from the University of Medicine 2 in Yangon, the Kirby Institute is evaluating how best to diagnose and treat tropical diseases in resource-limited settings. The focus is on simple, inexpensive interventions that demonstrably help patients and the communities they live in.

DR IAIN SKINNER

In partnership with the University of Technology Sydney, Yangon Technological University and Myanmar Engineering Council, Iain is working to strengthen engineering teaching capacity at Yangon Technological University. This project builds on a series of workshops held to improve industry linkages with Myanmar engineering universities. Better engagement with industry will improve outcomes for practical learning and teaching outcomes.

DR ANNE BUNDE-BIROUSTE, DR TUN SHWE

Through Football United, Anne and Tun have brought together academia, development agencies and vulnerable communities to achieve positive social change through football. As a platform for mentoring and supporting local future leaders, Football United has established a community centre in Hpa-an to serve as a training site and regional hub for social activism.

AFRICA

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ANNE BARTLETT, DR SARAH WALKER

Through a survey in 2017, Anne, her team and UNSW students identified deforestation as the major cause of land conflict in northern Uganda. They have since developed a number of related activities, including a remote sensing project to estimate the amount of forest loss, a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) project, energy efficient charcoal kilns and the use of high yield beehives to deter elephant-human conflict.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JULIAN COX

In a student exchange program between Gulu University (Uganda) and UNSW, Julian and his team aim to provide students with opportunities to learn from each other, academic staff and communities during short-term mobility experiences.  In the first phase of the exchange, ten UNSW Engineering students visited Uganda to study and aid innovations in farming practices. Gulu students and staff subsequently visited UNSW, Sydney, Canberra and surrounding communities, including the NSW township of Boorowa.

PROFESSOR PREM RAMBURUTH

Prem leads a transformative academic development project at Gulu University in Uganda. The project involves the training of academic staff in higher education strategies to enhance the quality of learning and teaching at Gulu University.  Prem, and UNSW colleagues Dr Alec Thornton and Vinoaj Vijeyakumaar, have delivered a number of professional development activities at Gulu University in recent years, including a ‘train the trainers’ course for lead teachers who will be enabled to upskill junior staff across disciplines, as well as research skills development and Moodle online teaching workshops. 

PROFESSOR ROBYN RICHMOND

Robyn and her team are helping advance the health of women and children in Northern Uganda.  In partnership with Gulu University, they have surveyed women on reproductive health and domestic violence, published results, and together with Gulu and the Ugandan Women’s Health Initiative, they established new cancer screening services at local health centres. More recently, Robyn and her team have been exploring the benefits, challenges and possibilities of online teaching with their Gulu University counterparts.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ISABELLE JALBERT

In partnership with Makerere University, Uganda, and the Brian Holden Vision Institute, Isabelle alongside colleagues and students from the UNSW School of Optometry and Vision Science, are supporting the delivery of Makerere University’s Optometry program.

SHANIL SAMARAKOON

Shanil is working to improve solar literacy in Malawi.  In response to a critical need for user-friendly and engaging consumer-focused educational initiatives, Shanil and collaborators are working to develop and promote consumer education resources on off-grid solar household systems (SHS) through the Malawi Solar Trade Association.  Drawing upon the work of UNSW’s Dr Richard Corkish & Belinda Lam (2019) as well as input from the Solar Trade Association (registered) and Dr Zalengera of Mzuzu University (Energy Department), the team are developing a manual in Chichewa and Tumbukka featuring a simple explanation of solar components, a buying guide, information on installation, safety, maintenance, and consumer support, as well as a skit-based summary video, among other resources.

PROFESSOR ANNE BARTLETT & DR PAUL MUNRO

Kitchen gardens are an important livelihood strategy for women in the Rift Valley, Kenya but electricity supply is often disrupted. To ensure women can use their kitchen gardens, Anne and Paul are working with local women and engineers to implement solar energy to power kitchen gardens. Improving electricity supply allows women to grow fresh vegetables on their land with the proceeds being shared collectively amongst the women to support neighbours living with disability.