The Mittal Institute’s CommunityHATS project, funded by Harvard’s Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, was conceptualized as a way to address a major gap in the data related to heat impacts. Often macro-level data on temperature fails to capture the impacts on the most vulnerable, including informal workers who labor in exterior spaces without protection from extreme temperatures. This summer, two members of the CommunityHATS team traveled to Ahmedabad City in Gujarat, India, to work with the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in deploying sensors to collect temperature data from poor working women and their environments. Their work occurred concurrently with one of the most extreme heatwaves India has ever faced.
In an op-ed in The Indian Express, members of the Mittal Institute’s climate team + partners working on climate change adaptation in South Asia write on heatwaves and the need for a detailed understanding of how different communities are impacted by and react to the heat.
The burden of climate mitigation needs to be borne by all countries globally and equitably, but South Asia urgently needs to focus on adapting to the impacts of climate change the region is already seeing. In 2023, with the goal of increasing focus on adaptation, The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute (the Mittal Institute) launched a climate platform.
As another academic year comes to a close, we pause to reflect on a year chock-full of lively events, knowledge exchange, and connection-building. The Mittal Institute’s community turned out in full force for our virtual and in-person events in our Cambridge space, our New Delhi office, and other locations across the globe. Learn about 10 of our not-to-be-missed events – please visit our YouTube page for more.
From improving digital literacy in India, to researching ways to prevent Alzheimer’s in Bangladesh and beyond, Harvard’s class of 2024 is full of graduates with big ideas for South Asia. These movers and shakers will now set off across the globe, eager to put into practice their years of learning. We curated a list of profiles on some notable graduates across many of Harvard’s schools — though this list is not all-encompassing, it gives you a flavor of the many ways that our Harvard graduates aim to improve the world. Congratulations, Harvard University Class of 2024!
As the summer approaches, the Mittal Institute extends a warm invitation to Harvard’s community to visit the New Delhi Office. Whether using the office space to conduct research, participating in scholarly discussions, or immersing oneself in the vibrant academic milieu of the region, the office offers a unique opportunity to engage with South Asia’s rich cultural heritage and scholarly legacy. The office has planned several events that will connect Harvard with India’s intellectual scene. Come and be a part of it!
With a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, the Mittal Institute’s Seed for Change competition funds ideas that have the potential for widespread impact in India. View our list of finalists, including this year’s $30,000 grand prize winner who is deploying a network of solar irrigation kits that are shareable via digital platform; and the $5,000 runner-up, a comprehensive intervention program that provides career training and life skills to students in grades 9 and 10.
Reading is paramount, explains Musharraf Ali Farooqi, a former Mittal Institute Fellow, saying, “Becoming a reader is the first step on the path to becoming a self-learner.” A novelist, scholar, and translator, Musharraf is also the founder of the STORYKIT Program, a unique program that inspires a love of reading among Pakistan’s children. STORYKIT boxes teach children the Urdu language, its classical literature, and its folklore through engaging, age-appropriate stories.
In 2023, Storykit launched the Pakistan Spelling Bee, holding competitions for both English and Urdu languages nationwide. Farooqi is leading a Malala Fund supported program to help adolescent female students in Pakistan public schools write about their educational journey. Storykit is also carrying out an internet safety, media literacy and climate resilience campaign for Google Foundation.
