Further Links

Scratch beneath the surface and there’s a world of humanitarian engineering initiatives in Australia, online and overseas. These were a few of my favourites discovered while researching the documentary.

Humanitarian Engineering Networks

EWB Connect		An initiative of Engineers Without Borders Australia which connects Australian engineering firms with pro bono work for community organisations.
Australia’s Bridge		A clearing house to connect Australian engineering firms with pro bono work for local community groups.
Engineering for Change		A forum for engineers and other technical professionals to collaborate on improving quality of life all over the world.

More on Humanitarian Engineering

Journal of Humanitarian Engineering		A journal that gathers research, studies, experiences and knowledge of best practice around humanitarian engineering, initiated by Engineers Without Borders Australia.
Global Humanitarian Engineering Awards		Awards that celebrate outstanding contributions to humanitarian engineering by individuals and organisations from around the globe, started by two of my friends and fellow EWB volunteers.
Year of Humanitarian Engineering		Engineers Australia’s official Year of Humanitarian Engineering (2011).
The Rise of The Reluctant Innovator		A book about humanitarian innovation by individuals who foresaw their future in other fields.
The Iron Ring		The Wikipedia entry for a quirky Canadian tradition: the Iron Ring is a band worn voluntarily by engineers to remind them of the ethics and duties towards humanity inherent to their profession.

Humanitarian Engineering Organisations

Community Development

Engineers Without Borders Australia		A non-profit organisation aimed at creating change through humanitarian engineering in indigenous, overseas and local communities.
Live & Learn		A non-profit organisation that supports communities across the Asia-Pacific region through education, community development and emergency and disaster relief with local staff.
Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT)		A non-profit organisation that works with Northern Territory remote communities to improve quality of life through appropriate technology projects.

Emergency & Disaster Relief

RedR Australia

A non-profit organisation that deploys technical professionals to UN agencies for civil and crisis response.

Disability Support

CP Tech (evolution of Dreamfit Foundation)		A consultancy that provides customised technical and recreational solutions for people living with disabilities.
Tech4Life		A non-profit organisation that develops assistive technologies for people living with disabilities.

Biomedical Engineering

Cochlear		Developers of the first multi-channel cochlear implant, Cochlear develops and brings to market a range of devices to assist people living with hearing loss.
MTAA (Medical Technology Association of Australia)		The industry body representing manufacturers and suppliers of medical technologies in Australia.

Appropriate Technology

Blogs/Opinion

Msafiri Mzungu (blog)		Reflections on the role of technology in developing countries: when it’s appropriate, and when it isn’t.
Owen in Malawi (blog)		EWB Canada volunteer Owen Malawi’s experiences in Malawi, with a focus on the PlayPumps case study.
International development aid: a ‘hand out’ or a ‘leg up’?		An article about the difference between service delivery and capacity development, written by my friend and fellow EWB volunteer.

Examples

Appropredia		The Wikipedia of appropriate technologies.
Design That Matters		A non-profit organisation that develops technology for disadvantaged communities.
10 Cases of Appropriate Technology		Just a bit of light fun: Listverse’s take on 10 appropriate technologies. Superficial, but a simple starting point for further research.

Courses

D-Lab, MIT (Massacusetts Institute of Technology)		An engineering design course with a focus on appropriate technology.
Extreme: Design for Extreme Affordability		An engineering design course with a focus on appropriate technology.

Engineering

Engineering Icons		A celebration of engineering; read it and tell me you’re not inspired by engineers!
Engineers Australia		The national representative body of engineers in Australia.

Humanitarian Sector

A History of the Humanitarian Sector		A paper on the history of the humanitarian sector from the UK’s Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
Humanitarian Advisory Group		An Australian advisory group that promotes best practice in humanitarian aid (as featured in the documentary: Beth Eggleston).
Overseas Development Institute		The UK’s leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.