With global warming in Southern Africa occurring at double the global average rate, the impacts of climate change are expected to have a devastating effect on the region – from reducing agricultural yield, drying up water sources, and increased risk of natural disasters such as fires and storms. Combating the impact of climate change is essential to maintain the health and safety of all and will require bright ideas and tech-driven solutions.
To encourage innovative thinking for solving real-world challenges faced by South Africans, Silicon Cape and the US Consulate General Johannesburg are hosting the fourth and final hackathon in the Building Community Hackathons series,”Changing Climate Change”. Taking place virtually on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March 2022, the hackathon will allow participants to meet industry experts and come up with innovative and socially impactful digital solutions to prevent and combat climate change in South Africa.
In addition to the hackathon, a virtual bootcamp will take place on Tuesday, 22 March to Friday, 25 March, for participants to learn more about prototyping, design thinking, sustainability and pitch practice. The team with the winning solution will have access to funding, mentoring and the infrastructure to make their idea come to life.
Silicon Cape Co-chairperson, Dr Sumarie Roodt, says: “Hackathons such as this help change the lives of real people, through finding solutions to real problems. Climate change continues to have an effect across the world, and we hope to see solutions that can tackle its impacts in Southern African communities. The hackathons are great ways to develop skills, and mental models, which they can apply in other areas of their lives.”
Emerging software developers, IT professionals, civil society organisations, academics and professionals in relevant fields of climate change and technology are encouraged to take part.
Participants will pitch their ideas to the judging panel on Saturday 26 March 2022, with the winning team receiving R25 000 and the runner-up receiving R15 000. There will also be spot prizes of R5 000 up for grabs.
And there’s more – as an ecosystem enabler for tech-enabled start-ups, Silicon Cape will help bring the winning team’s solution to life as they’ll have access to developers, angel investors and venture capitalists. The winning team will also have access to the low cost, easy-to-use infrastructure needed to scale and grow, through the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Activate programme. This includes $10 000 worth of AWS Promotional Credits, valid for two years; AWS Business Support valued at $5 000, valid for up to one year, and a solution architect technical whiteboarding session.
US Consul General Vincent Spera says: “Millions of people have been and will be adversely affected by climate change. This hackathon will raise awareness about the choices that individuals can make to contribute to the slowing down or even reversal of the effects of climate change. As Nelson Mandela said, ‘May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.’ We look forward to the solutions that the participants will offer to help citizens make positive choices that benefit the environment.”