The African Drone and Data Academy
From flying dried blood spot (DBS) samples to upskilling a new technology workforce, The 4-year journey of UNICEF's drone work in Malawi In 2016 UNICEF started testing the use of drones in Malawi to reduce waiting times for HIV testing of infants, by flying dried blood spot (DBS) samples from hard-to-reach communities directly to laboratories. In collaboration with the Government of Malawi, UNICEF launched in 2017 the first…, The challenge: Build local capacity, Across all these implementations, the main challenges have been operating with limited infrastructure and the lack of local capacity to build, use and maintain drone technology, as well as to analyze data and produce relevant insights for improving the lives of the most disadvantaged communities. After years of collaboration between the Malawi…, The solution: A drone and data academy for Africa, students work together in building a drone UNICEF Malawi/2020 Moving Minds Multimedia ADDA student from Kenya, Annie Nderitu (R) and Malawian student Hope Chilunga attaching a sensor to the s-500 drone. The African Drone and Data Academy is a new UNICEF-sponsored academy operated by Virginia Tech in partnership with the Malawi University of…, Curriculum: Become a drone pilot and tech entrepreneur, The curriculum has been specifically tailored to the needs of young entrepreneurs operating in the global south and consists of a module on drone basics, a module on drone logistics and planning, and a module on drone data, GIS and analytics. Using a simple drone aircraft of intuitive fabrication and operation, workshops are hands-on and…, Join the Academy, UNICEF Malawi Representative with ADDA students and instructors UNICEF Malawi Representative with ADDA students and instructors The African Drone and Data Academy will 11-week certificate of drone technology (CDT) programs in April, July and October 2020 that will cover aircraft fundamentals, operations, regulations and data analytics based on…