CHONEY ZANGMO
Thimphu
A team from Bhutan, Eco Pet, secured the third place at the South Asian PLEASE Hack youth hackathon held in Sri Lanka recently.
Their idea, a gamified smartphone app, aims to reduce household waste by educating consumers through interactive and engaging content.
Eco Pet will receive seed funding to further develop their app and present it to potential investors.
The hackathon brought together nearly 100 teams from eight South Asian countries.
It is part of the PLEASE Project, South Asia’s largest initiative to combat marine plastic pollution and promote sustainable plastic use.
Shortlisted teams engaged in a two-week virtual Hackathon during March, collaborating within each team to refine and develop their innovative concepts. They received mentoring support and guidance from national experts. Country level judging then selected 23 teams who were supported to travel to the Sout Asian Regional Final held in Colombo on April 6.
The regional winners will receive seed funding to enable them in refining their innovations and present them to potential investors. National-level winners from each South Asian country were also recognised and rewarded.
“Our planet will flourish only when our youth are empowered to take stewardship,” says Norbu Wangchuk, Director General of SACEP, expressing his enthusiasm for the initiative.
“This hackathon demonstrates the commitment of our youth in South Asia, who are not only worried about the plastic crisis that we face but also offer solutions to save the planet from the crisis. This Hackathon is empowering the youth to take charge of their future.”
“South Asia is projected to see over one million young people join the labour force monthly over the next 10 years,” says Cecile Fruman, Director, Regional Integration in the South Asia Region (SAR) for the World Bank. “Fostering innovation and job creation through public and private sector solutions needs to be a key priority. Initiatives such as the hackathon create sustainable job opportunities for young innovators in support of the goal of the PLEASE project to promote circular economy innovation.”
Charles Callanan, Director, South Asia Multi-Country Office, UNOPS, emphasised the long-term benefits of the event, noting, “The PLEASE Hack Hackathon is about transforming innovation into practical solutions. We are excited to see these ideas come to life and contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable South Asia.”
