Noteworthy

Idea Lab Noteworthy

Bart Bernardes

Berliners walk and cycle along the abandoned taxiway at Tempelhof Airport.

From Nazis to Refugees: The Story of an Airport in the Heart of Berlin

by Colleen Maney

In the center of Berlin, just beyond the trendy Kreuzberg neighborhood, is one of the city’s most beloved public spaces, the Tempelhof Airport. After closing in 2008, the airfield and large runways have become the city’s largest open space. On sunny days, the grounds are filled with children flying kites, families picnicking, and people rollerblading, running, and walking.

The large hangars have been used to host conferences, trade shows, and festivals. In a segment from BBC’s The Travel Show, one Berliner described the importance of the park to the city, saying, “It brings so many cultures together, and everyone in Berlin knows Tempelhof. Everyone comes here.” Tempelhof was central to the fabric of the city long before its inauguration as a beloved park. The airport and its grounds have borne witness to the key players and events that have shaped Germany for the last century.

In the 1930s, Tempelhof was redesigned as the imposing entrance to Nazi Germany. The four hangars and over 9,000 rooms within the grounds are in the typical style of Nazi architecture: massive and commanding.

During WWII, Nazi intelligence material was stored at the airport. With the fall of Nazi Germany at the close of the war, the airport came under Allied control. In the thick of the Cold War, Tempelhof became a lifeline for West Berlin when American troops used the airport to run the famous airlift in reaction to the Soviet blockade.

The food, fuel, and other critical supplies delivered into West Berlin from Tempelhof for over a year provided civilians with necessary materials for survival.

Today, Tempelhof remains an invaluable symbol of freedom for many Berliners. While the building and nearly all of its facets, including signs and disused conveyor belts, were originally under legal protection as a national monument, the highly appealing location of the property made it attractive to city

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planners and developers for new housing and commercial projects.

After a battle between city planners and Berliners, the community triumphed in May of 2015. With a winning margin of over 180,000 votes, the community voted to maintain the airport grounds as a public facility. This victory was perhaps an act of fate, as Tempelhof would shortly become a symbol of hope for a new generation of people in need of international assistance.

Today, Tempelhof has found itself in the midst of what is sure to be another important chapter in Germany’s history, as it is transformed into Germany’s largest refugee center.

When completed, the airport is projected to house up to 7,000 refugees.

Currently, 800 refugees are being accommodated in one of the four hangars.

Next to remnants of the hangar’s past—signs reading “High Noise Protection Required” and “Berlin Brigade/Freedom City” left by the United States Army Aviation Department—are now clear signs of

Idea Lab Noteworthy its next chapter. Graffiti on the walls include messages in Arabic and flags from Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, and Syria. “Thank you Germane,” reads one message, with a heart drawn next to it.

While refitting the airport will be costly and challenging, and the political atmosphere regarding refugees in Germany remains uncertain, the Tempelhof Airport continues to be a symbol of hope for many, and a central landmark in the story of Berlin.

Stopping Sexual Harassment in Egypt

by N’dea Yancey-Bragg

According to the UN Population Fund, Egypt is ranked the second worst country in the world for sexual harassment, after Afghanistan. A study by UN Women found that 99.3 percent of Egyptian girls and women surveyed reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime.

Women reported feeling unsafe on public transportation or when walking the streets. In June 2014, the Egyptian government passed a law criminalizing sexual harassment, making it punishable by a prison sentence of up to five years and fines between 2,000 and 5,000 Egyptian pounds (USD$249 to $623). However, many rights groups are skeptical that this law will amount to more than mere words on paper, and are calling for stricter enforcement.

After experiencing near constant sexual harassment in Cairo, Rebecca Chiao, Engy Ghozlan, Amel Fahmy, and Sawsan Gad cofounded Harassmap, an online and mobile tool to combat sexual harassment.

Harassmap crowdsources text messages and online reports of sexual harassment and assault and adds

Fundación Cibervoluntarios

Amel Fahmy, co-founder of Harassmap, speaks at EmpoderaLIVE 2015, a meeting of social entrepreneurs whose mission is to promote citizen empowerment in social innovation through information and communications technology.

them to an online map. The map shows areas affected by 17 different categories of sexual harassment. The campaign conducts research into

social dynamics surrounding sexual harassment and sends volunteers into their own neighborhoods to encourage others to stand up to sexual

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Idea Lab Noteworthy harassment. Volunteers also recruit local businesses and universities to serve as Safe Area partners, who pledge to enforce a zero tolerance policy on harassment in their establishments.

Harassmap celebrated its five-year anniversary this January, and it has grown widely since its inception.

Harassmap has inspired and coached 28 other similar initiatives not only in the MENA region, but in the United States, South America, and East Asia as well. The campaign ultimately seeks to eradicate the “social acceptability of sexual harassment” with education and diligent reporting.

The organization recently partnered with Uber, the popular private car service, and will provide anti-sexual harassment training to all of its drivers. This could be a big step for Egyptian women, 86.5 percent of whom reported feeling unsafe on public transportation according to the UN Women survey.

Many small NGOs operate in both countries, digging wells and partnering with communities to build wells or otherwise provide clean water, but millions are still left without access.

Water.org, for example, supports four microfinance institutions providing microloans to rural and urban communities to buy water in Kenya. The Water Project partnered with Wells for Life to fund fresh water well projects in India. However, some activists are concerned with the long-term efficacy of such projects.

To supplement these efforts, a unique initiative is being launched independently in both countries: water ATMs. These ‘ATMs’ dispense affordable, clean water to customers who pay using smart cards. The cards are easily refillable with water credits, often at much lower prices than those of local water vendors.

Danish engineering company Grundfos has set up four such ATMs

in the slums of Nairobi. The Nairobi City Water and Sewage company says they charge half a Kenyan shilling (half a US cent), for 20 liters of water—100 shillings cheaper than what vendors charge in the suburb of Eastleigh according to a report by the BBC. Sarvajal has launched a similar initiative in India, delivering solar powered water ATMs and filtration devices into the care of local businesses. According to The Economist, because they do not accept government subsidies, they are able to sell 10 liters of water for just six cents.

Of course, these products cannot fully address the systemic inequities that prevent millions in India and Kenya from having access to safe water.

Both companies are looking to expand with the hopes that water ATMs can provide a sustainable source of fresh drinking water for communities in serious need.

New ‘ATMs’ Bringing Water to Communities in Need

by N’dea Yancey-Bragg

India has the world’s second largest population, and its growth shows no signs of slowing down. The massive population combined with agricultural demands for water is putting a serious strain on the country’s resources. Poor sanitation plagues the already limited water sources. The World Bank estimates that 21 percent of the country’s communicable diseases are related to unsafe water.

Kenya, too, is in the midst of a water crisis. Its arid climate limits natural water sources and population pressures are pushing people into slums with little access to fresh water or proper sanitation.

Jonathan Kalan / DICatUSAID

A Kenyan woman stands next to a Dispenser for Safe Water, part of a clean water access initiative run

by Innovations for Poverty Action. While many such interventions exist in Kenya to provide clean water, water ATMs have been installed in Nairobi to supplement these efforts.

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Idea Lab Noteworthy Breaking the Menstruation Myth in India

by N’dea Yancey-Bragg

Of the 355 million menstruating women in India, only 12 percent of them use sanitary napkins, according to a study done by A.C. Nielsen. The vast majority simply cannot afford them, and so they turn to a variety of unsanitary options ranging from newspapers and dirty cloths to sand and corn husks.

When Arunachalam Muruganantham discovered his wife was using old rags because she couldn’t afford proper sanitary pads, he embarked on a years-long journey to create affordable and sanitary options.

The documentary Menstrual Man follows Muruganantham as he fashions a “uterus” out of a football “bladder” filled with blood to personally test his product. Once he crafted the perfect pad and a machine to produce them, he began distribution. Now, his machines have been sold to NGOs and women’s self-help groups in over 1,300 villages. Each machine can dispense 200 to 250 pads per day at an average of 2.5 rupees (USD$0.037) each, serving over 3,000 women and employing ten as manufacturers, according to a report by the BBC. Menstruation in India has long been a taboo subject, and women on their periods are essentially treated as untouchables, barred from kitchens and mosques alike because they are considered to be unclean. This culture of shame is not only damaging to young women, but also incredibly dangerous.

In a country with a historically poor reputation for sanitation, this issue is even more pressing for

TED@Bangalore

Arunachalam Muruganantham speaks at a TED@Bangalore in 2012.

menstruating women. The stark lack of access to sanitary options leads to serious health consequences. Tech in Asia reported that 70 percent of all reproductive diseases in India can be traced back to poor menstrual hygiene.

A handful of startups have followed in Muruganantham’s footsteps, such as Aakar Innovations and Saral Designs, which both manufacture affordable sanitary products. Aakar set up over 20 “mini factories” that employ women as both supervisors and producers manufacturing affordable sanitary products. Saral sells low cost sanitary pads and installs vending machines for

convenient and discreet distribution in schools and public restrooms.

Women with internet access can also order monthly subscriptions on Those5days.com, an online distributor of a vast array of sanitary products.

The startup boasts that it serves over 20,000 postal codes, ensuring that women in the most remote regions have access to their products.

As affordable sanitary products become more and more available in India, the hope is that social and cultural attitudes will shift, and the shame surrounding menstruation will subside.

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