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about the challenge // background information
The MIT International Development Initiative is excited to announce the launch of the inaugural Muhammad Yunus Innovation Challenge to Alleviate Poverty. The Challenge, named in honor of 2006 Nobel Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus, was initiated and also supported by MIT alumnus
Mr. Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, benefactor of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at MIT (J-PAL).
Muhammad Yunus
by: P. Rahman/Scanpix
© nobelprize.org

the 2007-2008 Yunus Challenge topic is
"Improving indoor air quality to break the cycle of poverty."

Indoor air quality is a concern around the world and affects predominantly the poor in their homes and workplaces. Exposure is strongly tied with burning solid fuels, a practice common to 3 billion people worldwide, half of which are in India and China. In many African countries, over 90% of the population uses solid fuel. Worldwide deaths attributed to air pollution are on a level with those caused by malaria and tuberculosis. Indoor air pollution is not indiscriminate; the devastating effects are most strongly felt by women and children. For children under 5, for example, acute lower respiratory infections are the leading cause of death worldwide. Over half of those infections are related to indoor air pollution.

For this year's Yunus Challenge, we will focus on improving indoor air quality to break the cycle of poverty. Indoor air pollution kills 1.6 million people per year, yet efforts to prevent, monitor, improve the situation remain seriously under-studied relative to other global health issues on a comparable level. There is ample opportunity for innovation in public awareness, technical interventions, monitoring programs, and more, to reach the estimated 3 billion poor worldwide who are affected by pollutant levels often 100 times greater than the recommended thresholds.

Potential Issues to Consider

The issues surrounding indoor air quality are fairly complex, and present a variety of opportunities for innovation, including:
  • The strong cultural and social foundations for fuel practices
  • The lack of availability and higher cost of cleaner fuels
  • Understanding of the connection between health issues and personal practices
  • Low quantity and availability of data to analyze or publicize the problem, or to measure the effectiveness of intervention
Click here for more background information on indoor air pollution.


The Yunus Challenge IDEAS Award for 2007-2008 will be given to the team that creates a system that solves as many of the problems as possible that sustain the high levels indoor air pollution experienced by those living in poverty, for the smallest cost possible. The issues considered may include, but should not necessarily be limited to, those listed above. The system may involve a physical device, but that is not required. In judging between proposals, credit will be given for feasibility, acceptability within the community (i.e. likelihood of adoption), and supporting rationale for how it will address the issues faced. For example, the rationale could include reasoning on why the team decided to focus particular attention on solving one of the issues given. If a team decides that another factor is equally significant, supporting evidence should be given.

Because the challenge is to improve indoor air quality for the world’s poorest populations, and the worldwide impact is so poorly known and studied, systems should aim for a price point that makes intervention accessible to the target community and dissemination or study possible at a large-scale. Cost will be an important criteria in judging - i.e. the cheaper the better.

The system should be designed to operate in conditions prevalent in households and communities in poor countries where indoor air pollution is a common risk factor against good health. Participants are encouraged to work on a design with a specific community or region in mind as this can be helpful in identifying constraints and providing context.

Supporting Initiatives for Potential Contestants

Opportunities will be provided to groups of students wanting to learn more about the challenge and the context in which any solution must operate. These will be provided through D-Lab class visits and individual fellowships through the Public Service Center. Students with D-Lab will encounter indoor air pollution, especially from indoor cooking, in sites ranging from India to Brazil. In India, students may have an opportunity to visit a non-governmental organization that includes improved stoves in its technology portfolio.

In addition, students are encouraged to apply for Fellowships which provide students working on a potential solution to visit and work with communities to develop a feasible solution which takes local context into account. These opportunities are again made possible through the generous support of MIT alumnus, Mr. Mohammed Jameel. Teams may also enter their proposals into the IDEAS Competition, where two special awards have been created to provide the winning teams with funding to pursue their ideas.

Contact Information
For further information, please contact Alison Hynd (hynd@mit.edu).

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