Ithra’s Tanween Mega Challenge honors creative solutions for refugees

The winners of the Tanween Mega Challenge to find ways to improve the lives of refugees around the world were announced at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) on Saturday.

More than 60 people representing 14 different nationalities took part in the challenge, which was divided into three sections: education, food security and power.

The winners of the education challenge were the Creative Resilience team. With members from Canada, South Korea, Nigeria and Bangladesh, their idea was to create an educational incubator in Indonesia that would help refugees to establish a sustainable source of income.

“Our goal was to solve the problem in Indonesia, where they are extremely hard working and talented people,” a spokesperson for the team said.

“Our goal is to make refugees job creators, not job takers.”

The food security challenge was won by the Autm team, who devised a practical solution to providing food using fertilizers, while the Musul team took the power award with their idea for a solar-powered transport system for moving refugees from one place to another.

The awards were presented in front of an audience of representatives from international organizations and institutions.

“Tanween attracted experts from around the world to discuss and celebrate creative ideas so that they become a tangible reality,” Miznah Al-Zamil, head of innovation and creativity at Ithra, said.

“The presence of over 60 participants under the supervision of leading experts all in one place highlights the role of Ithra in supporting the development of creativity and its role in providing programs that highlight creative people and encourage them to think innovatively.”

The three winning projects will focus on refugee camps in Mauritania, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Bangladesh.

Tanween also awarded a sustainable solution award to the Saudi women of the Ray of Light team for their globally approved positive behavior measurement method, while the Saudi members of the Sun Box team won the best innovative solution award for their cooking appliance.