H2A BRAZIL COHORT
H2A Brazil is an exciting co-created partnership between Harvard HealthLab (H2A) and Centro Universitário Dinâmica das Cataratas – UDC Brasil (UDC). In collaboration with H2A, UDC has incorporated creativity and entrepreneurship curriculum into the academic schedule for more than 2,400 students at the secondary and post-secondary levels in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.
Student teams solve real-world problems posed by the region’s agricultural, health, and environmental spheres. They work with UDC professors and H2A mentors to develop actionable and impactful solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among all these student teams,10 were chosen to form a cohort that follows an accelerator model similar to our own at Harvard. The H2A Brazil cohort is provided with tools and resources to advance their ventures. They are helping to build an H2A global alumni base of young social entrepreneurs.
BUILDLINK
Students from UDC Foz do Iguaçu created an app to reduce construction waste and debris. The app centralizes documents and manages suppliers, with an additional easy-to-access QR Code to be posted at the entrance of the constructions’ sites. It includes in a single platform all engineering and architectural projects and documents subject to regulatory inspections.
It enables direct communication through specific channels, such as contact between suppliers and the construction company to send quotes, manage appointments, and supply orders.
Conservteam
Students from UDC Foz do Iguaçu are creating an app for people to access to reliable information about the behavior, population, and sightings of endangered Jaguars in the Iguaçu National Park. Users will have access to official publications on the conservation of the species, able to contribute financially to conservation, environmental education projects, and research and awareness.
This model is applicable and scalable to all types of parks.
DetectDengue
Students from Colégio Anglo Foz are creating an app with heat map to detect dengue outbreaks in Foz do Iguaçu, using data from the Department of Health. The app will help in making decisions for more effective campaigns and public policies,
with the aim of reducing the spread of the disease and protecting the health of the population. The model will be used for countries with a subtropical climate, mainly in South America and Africa.
EcoScore
Students from Colégio Dinâmica are creating an app to helps users make sustainable consumption decisions. The app provides information about the
sustainability of products and brands, where users can check whether the brands they use have a green seal and sustainable footprint.
GreenVoice
Students from UDC Foz do Iguaçu are creating a sustainability engagement app for hotels and guests. The app offers benefits for both audiences such as comments and reviews, booking stays, sharing experiences and gamification. The app aims to serve a diverse audience and promote sustainability behaviors and initiatives within the tourism and hotel sectors around the world.
FozBus
Students from Colégio Caesp Foz
are creating an app to improve the quality of public transport in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, using an application that meets all the needs of its users and makes new technologies available - such as real-time visualization of the bus route and its capacity, in addition to online ticket purchasing. The app seeks to improve passengers' daily lives, and can be applied in several countries.
PhoneixBricks
Students from Colégio Caesp Medianeira have created PhoenixBricks, which produces ecological blocks intended for civil construction. Ashes from burned logs used in boilers of a local animal protein company are used as raw materials in producing the blocks. The use of ashes allows the reuse of this waste, aiming to minimize environmental impact. The ecological blocks can be used for building houses or to make construction improvements for low-income populations and hourly-paid employees of the partner company.
GreenHealth
Students from UDC Foz do Iguaçu are creating an app that provides information on the use and cultivation of medicinal plants and PANCs (unconventional food plants). The app seeks to provide natural options for everyone, shying away from the focus in pharmaceuticals, and giving technical guidance to produce credible alternatives.
Reuse of Ashes on Agricultural Areas
Students from UDC Medianeira
are working to develop an organic compound from ashes originated from burning logs in the boilers of Cooperativa. Through a composting process, as well as the direct use of ashes in the soil, it aims to improve physical and chemical conditions of the soil in agricultural areas, partially replacing chemical fertilizers.
Tabuleiro Amorável
Students from UDC Foz do Iguaçu
have created a board game for children up to 8 years old aiming to encouraging the consumption of healthy food. The game simulates a race with stages to be daily conquered by children when eating the proposed fruits and vegetables. By ending the race, the child wins the previously agreed prize, which could even be a family outing. The board is put up on the refrigerator’s door with a magnet for daily engagement.