27 April 2012
NYU Abu Dhabi students’ African solar lamp project is one of three winners in the Hult Global Case Challenge in New York City, hosted by Hult International Business School and the Clinton Global Initiative.The three winning teams from Carnegie Mellon, Hult International Business School and NYU Abu Dhabi beat thousands of students from the world’s best business schools for a US $1 million cash grant.
Hult Global Case Challenge attracted students from 350 colleges and universities worldwide to provide solutions to the challenges facing three NGOs. These are Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing; SolarAid, which brings renewable energy to impoverished communities; and One Laptop Per Child, which provides low-cost computers to children.
A panel of high-profile judges including Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, Unilever Chairman Michael Treschow, social entrepreneur Darell Hammond, and the CEOs of the three NGOs selected the winners in education, housing and energy. Former US president Bill Clinton honored the three teams at the awards ceremony.
In the energy category, judges awarded NYU Abu Dhabi’s solution to eradicate kerosene lamps in Africa with top honors. The students’ project focuses on creating a network of entrepreneurs and technicians who will sell and fix solar lamps in a sustainable way.
In the education category, Carnegie Mellon won with its plan to streamline laptop development and create a global brand for One Laptop Per Child’s open-source software.
Hult International Business School won the housing category with its solution to help Habitat for Humanity provide homes for 50 million people within the next 10 years. Hult's winning solution focuses on harnessing the intelligence of those at the bottom of the pyramid and equipping them to solve their own problems.
