Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene September 2018 Vol.13 No.4 | Page 27

People
Caleb Liow Jia Le and Johnny Xiao Hong Yu from
Singapore win Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2018
Stockholm (28 August 2018) – Two students from
Singapore, Caleb Liow Jia Le and Johnny Xiao Hong
Yu, won the 2018 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for
producing reduced graphene oxide, a material that can
be used to purify water, from agricultural waste products.
H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the
prize at an award ceremony during World Water Week in
Stockholm.
In their project, Caleb Liow Jia Le and Johnny Xiao
Hong Yu developed a new method to produce reduced
graphene oxide (rGO), a material that has huge potential
to purify water. Using durian rind and sugarcane bagasse
the students found a more environmentally friendly and
cheaper method for producing rGO.
As the pair received the prize Caleb Liow Jia Le said:
“I’m very, very happy! I’m shocked that we won the prize,
because I really didn’t expect it!”
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize goes to the winners of
an international annual competition with more than 10,000
entries from all over the world. H.R.H. Crown Princess
Victoria of Sweden is the Patron of the prize.
ICRISAT awarded Microsoft’s AI for earth grant to
promote environmental sustainability
As part of
its worldwide
AI for Earth
program,
Microsoft
has recently
announced
grants to
provide artificial
intelligence (AI) technology to organizations engaged in
solving environmental challenges. ICRISAT is one of
the grantees and will now be able to use Microsoft Azure
resources for weather predictions and pest migration
information.
Earlier, ICRISAT has collaborated with Microsoft in
developing the Sowing App, which led to significant
increases in farmers’ yields in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Commenting on the program, Lucas Joppa, Chief
Environmental Officer, Microsoft Corporation and Lead
for Microsoft AI for Earth, said, “In every country around
the world, we are facing unprecedented environmental
challenges, impacting the ability to access water, grow
healthy crops and protect biodiversity. At Microsoft, we’ve
found that one thing was accelerating as quickly as the
degradation of our planet’s natural resources, and that is
technology. Through AI for Earth, we’re making sure that
innovative environmental researchers, like the seven here
in India, are empowered with Microsoft’s AI in the pursuit
of creating a more sustainable future for us all.”
Global Winners Announced for ‘SDGs and Her’
Competition
WASHINGTON, August 29, 2018 – Today the global
SDGs and Her Competition announced its inaugural 2018
winner chosen from over 1,200 entries. The contest -- co-
sponsored by the World Bank Group, the Wharton School
Zicklin Center, UNDP, and UN Women -- showcases
women micro-entrepreneurs helping to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their
business operations.
The winning entry is Tanzania-based Women Choice
Industries owned by Lucy Odiwa. Her micro-enterprise
seeks to empower women and girls in Tanzania by
promoting safer menstrual health hygiene management
(MHM), sharing information, products, and related
services. The lack of MHM products often affects the
ability of low-income women and girls to attend school
and to work, Odiwa says. Women Choice Industries
produces reusable sanitary pads, post-partum maternity
pads, child and adult diapers, and promotes MHM in
schools to promote quality education for all, helping
Tanzania to achieve SDG target 3.7 (Women’s health), and
SDG target 4.1 (Girls’ access to education).
The second-place winner is Mukuru Clean Stoves of
Kenya, owned by Charlot Magayi, which recycles waste
metal to produce improved, reliable, and affordable cook
stoves to reduce indoor air pollution, which is a major
health challenge in the developing world. Her business
addresses SDG8 (Decent Work), SDG1 (End Poverty),
and SDG3 (Good Health).
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