local ownership

  • Challenge 2

    Reducing Floodings through River Waste Management in Sierra Leone

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    Sierra Leone is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, particularly in rapidly growing urban areas such as Freetown. During the rainy season, blocked drainage systems and polluted waterways contribute to frequent flooding, damaging homes, disrupting access to essential services, and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

    The goal: Develop a solution that continuously engages local communities in running river-waste collection initiatives and strengthens resilience to flooding.

    Challenge track winner: Team YUZ BAK

    Student teams’ solutions to the challenge:

    Plastic Intervention Educational Program

    Team YUZ BAK

    Ana Ariyan Aydin, Gabriel Tovar, Gabriel Caraballo Ruiz and
    Nihal Elsayed.

    From Plastic to Flood Prevention

    Team From Plastic to Flood Prevention

    Kata Rácz, Elizabeth Aakesson, Monica Mercedes Figuera Rios, Nikolaos Avgerinos, Ebbe Schou and Tarrun Selvan.

    Plastic Freetown: Idea-validation project

    Team Plastic Freetown

    Jo, Mansingh, Gaia, Samuel and Sofia.

    “Sorting, Awareness & Bridging” Initiative (SABI)

    Team SABI

    Ambah Brøndum-Christensen, Ella Lloansi Gelabert, Esben Holdt Christensen, Mahault Genton and Zina A. Saha.

  • Challenge 1

    Circular Futures – Waste to Worth for Families in Kibera

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    100% for the Children is an international NGO working with local communities in Kenya to improve education, child protection, health and climate resilience. In Kibera, many families rely on irregular, low-paid work, making it difficult to build financial stability and provide secure futures for their children.

    The challenge explores how waste can be transformed into products, services and local businesses that create more stable incomes and greater financial independence for caregivers, while supporting a cleaner and more climate-resilient community.

    Challenge track winner: Team Phoenix

    Student teams’ solutions to the challenge:

    From Scraps to School Plates

    Team Phoenix

    Emma, Lanelle, Leo and Mai.

    The BLUE ZONE Project

    Team Wone

    Sára Júlia Eszik, Mia Blackwell Gonzalez, Anmol Agarwal and Letícia Nakada.

    Waste to Wealth

    Team Waste to Wealth

    Augustina, Sebastian, Julius, Mohd. Mahdiussaman, Johanna and Shetu.

    Connecting Kibera – One Bead at a Time

    Team Kibera ReBeads

    Nityapriya Hari Krishnan, Hanna Larios, Ashraf Mahmoud and Alicia Kelpert

    FoodNet

    Team Waste for Taste

    Jose Manuel Martinez Soriano, Maria Gaito, Mona Hein Larsen and Dumitru.

    Plastaka: Building modules

    Team Plastaka

    Pamela Roldan, Sama Lasheen, Natalia Rojas C., Sourav Dehury and Lourdes Salazar.

Link to home page.

OpenInnovation is Copenhagen’s flagship student innovation challenge, bringing over 120 students, researchers, and sustainable innovation enthusiasts together with innovation experts and key actors in the Danish ecosystems.

Contact

Sara Dømler
Project Manager
sardera@dtu.dk