REact tool, created by Action Against Hunger and the acciona.org Foundation, wins a Silver Anthem for the best use of technology.
An innovative web application to facilitate the incorporation of renewable energy during humanitarian interventions has won this year's Anthem Silver Award for the Best Use of Technology in the category Sustainability, Environment and Climate.
The Anthem Awards, organised by the creators of the Webby Awards, recognise global initiatives that make a positive impact in a variety of areas. The winners of this fourth edition of the Anthem Awards have been selected from more than 2,300 projects from 34 countries.
REact (Renewable Energy for Assisting Communities tool) is a free, open-access web and mobile application that estimates energy needs in humanitarian contexts and guides the decision-making process to meet those needs through solar energy.
"Boosting the use of renewable energy in the humanitarian sector can have a big impact. It reduces damage to the environment and limits the overexploitation of natural resources, while empowering the communities we help by providing them with sustainable energy sources," explains Amador Gómez, director of R&D and Innovation at Action Against Hunger.
REact aims to give the transition to renewable energy in the humanitarian sector the importance it deserves by making available to any NGO, free of charge, an easy-to-use tool that calculates the energy needs of a school, a clinic, a refugee camp or a water well, for example, and proposes solutions based on renewable energy.
REact has been created thanks to the joint work of the technical teams of Action Against Hunger and the acciona.org Foundation, as well as co-funding from the European Union. In addition, its design phase was developed in a participatory manner, with the contributions of 170 people from 40 global humanitarian organisations who shared their experience, knowledge and vision in a disinterested manner. The implementation phase has benefited from the software development expertise of the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. All calculations and algorithms have been corroborated by the Spanish Institute of Solar Energy.
REact has two different modules that can be accessed together or separately: one that assesses the different energy needs by humanitarian sector and a second that provides solar-based alternatives to meet that demand and compares the costs, time and environmental impact of fossil fuel and renewable energy-based solutions, making the process much easier and more accessible.
"REact is an innovative solution that is committed to environmental protection and sustainable energy transition in humanitarian responses. The decarbonisation of these actions fosters the creation of contexts that are more resilient to climate change," said Cristina Ruiz, Energy Manager at Fundación acciona.org.
In the same call, Action Against Hunger won a Silver Anthem in the category of Humanitarian Action and Services Research Projects for its project Research on Relapse in Severe Acute Malnutrition.
ABOUT THE ANTHEM AWARDS
Launched in 2021 by the Webby Awards, the Anthem Awards recognise the purpose- and mission-driven work of individuals, companies and organisations around the world. The 2023 edition of the Anthem Awards received more than 2,300 entries from 34 countries around the world. The Anthem Awards judges are intellectually diverse leaders from across the impact industry with expertise spanning all areas recognised in the Anthem Awards, including: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Education, Arts and Culture; Health; Human and Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action and Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment and Climate.
By amplifying the voices that bring about global change, these awards seek to define a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities. The Anthem Awards recognise work done in seven core causes: Diversity; Equality and Inclusion; Education; Arts and Culture; Health; Human and Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action and Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment and Climate.
More information about REact:
