Droople sponsors Water Alliance UAE’s RE-NEW Student Innovation Challenge
RE-NEW, the youth water innovation challenge for ages 8 to 17: striving together toward lasting positive change.
Striving together with our youth
At Droople, we are convinced that educating the next generations about the vital role of water in every part of our lives is of paramount importance.
To fight the global shortage of water supply predicted by the UN, and to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all, the humanity of tomorrow needs to better understand, value and manage water. We will need good practices and innovative technologies. As an enabler of this trend, Droople partners with organisations and schools worldwide.
Droople supports Water Alliance UAE
Droople joined as Silver Sponsor of the RE-NEW Student Innovation Challenge launched by the Water Alliance Association, a non-profit organisation based in Dubai’s Sustainable City. Water Alliance UAE educates people, from primary school students to universities and the corporate sector, on their water behaviour and inspires action to lower our collective water footprint.
The RE-NEW Student Innovation Challenge
The challenge is part of the Water Alliance schools programme, alongside “Youth Water Ambassadors” and “Hand Washing Heroes”. It called on students aged 8 to 18 to propose creative, innovative solutions to the world’s water issues. Submissions closed on March 22, World Water Day, and the award ceremony took place on April 22, Earth Day.
Kids in technology: inspiration by example
As Silver Sponsor, Droople took an active part in the programme: we ran an innovation workshop for schools in Dubai, where students met Ramzi Bouzerda, Droople CEO, then coached the young innovators for their pitch and sat on the jury.
“We received an incredible number of pertinent and insightful questions! By sharing my personal experience, the story and the mission of why Droople was created, I hope to have inspired some of these young entrepreneurs to join the water sector in the future!” Ramzi Bouzerda, CEO, Droople
Champions of the challenge
Over 130 students took on the mission of finding innovative ways to improve how we access, treat or distribute water. Older students came up with the most holistic solutions, while the youngest were the most passionate participants, with the highest number of entries. The winners:
- Ages 8 to 10: Isha R Nair, Nad Al Sheba, for a nature-inspired project on domestic wastewater recycling.
- Ages 11 to 13: Sashini Manikandan, Sharjah, for a QR-code-enabled water kiosk.
- Ages 14 to 17: Aliyah Fazal, Abu Dhabi, for the water-saving, universal-fit Eco Tap.
A connected bio-filter
Among the finalists, Droople mentored a 6th-grade student of GEMS New Millennium School in Dubai, Ishika Nambiar. After brainstorming sessions with Water Alliance partners, she designed a water filtration system based on biomimicry, inspired by how natural water ecosystems filter water.
Her connected system collects water wasted at the school’s dispensers and taps in a first tank with a bio-filter based on aquatic plants, whose roots are known to filter and purify water. The purified water then moves to a second tank to be reused. The project would use the existing water tank in the school’s Zen Garden.
She also proposed a school-wide programme, “The Water Buddy”, in which students run the day-to-day care of the system, analyse its data and display real-time water use in the school entrance hall. The project gained the support of her teachers and the school authorities.
“Re-New Our World aims to enable youth to think positively and creatively about the future of water. We believe that young inquisitive minds can unlock innovative ideas to address today’s water challenges and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.” Edurne Gil, Programs Director, Water Alliance