FACING A DIFFERENT CHALLENGE
To some extent, every humanitarian organisation is unique in its objectives and modus operandi. This means that our Humanitarian Accelerator Programmes have different uses for different organisations. For Save the Children Netherlands, this meant that they were not (yet) in need of external partners to face the modern and clean energy challenge. Stijn Koster and Janna de Jong, both Humanitarian Programme Managers at Save the Children Netherlands, are instead concentrated on shaping Save the Children’s environmental sustainability and climate change strategy to be further mainstreamed in their advocacy, programmes, operations and fundraising.
A SPARRING PARTNER
When representatives of an organisation join a Humanitarian Accelerator Programme, they are provided with a mentor who can offer an outside perspective and guide them through the steps of the programme. When it became clear that the initial project proposal on power supply solutions for remote areas in Nigeria fell through, Stijn Koster’ and Janna de Jong’s mentor was particularly helpful: “I really enjoyed sparring with [our mentor] Laura. She is an expert on the subject and she is familiar with other (case) studies. Laura helped us to get a clear understanding of what a feasible project within the theme of energy could be for our organisation,” said Stijn Koster.
ACTION PLAN
Together with their mentor they decided that they would focus on writing a coherent and inspiring action plan that would galvanise their colleagues at the Dutch branch of Save the Children. Janna de Jong: “Energy can be a component of the environmental sustainability and climate change strategy that has been put on the agenda by Save the Children International. I have translated their work with some colleagues into a more concrete action plan for our Netherlands branch. What can we do in 2021 with the capacity we currently have? What can we do specifically within operations, programmes, advocacy, and fundraising? We have tried to operationalise the relevant policy documents.”
TIME TO CONSIDER ENERGY
The Access to Modern Energy accelerator programme was a good moment for Stijn Koster and Janna de Jong to really consider what innovation meant for their organisation: how things could be done differently. Stijn Koster: “I have really enjoyed the energy of the programme itself. It has been a very good catalyst to actually sit down and think about this topic in more depth. There are always competing deadlines and priorities and this really forces you to take a step back and really think about what we can do, and then really break it up into smaller steps and making an actual start.”
Innovation steps towards impact
Want

Change strategy
How can we shape Save the Children’s environmental sustainability and climate change strategy to be further mainstreamed in our advocacy, programmes, operations and fundraising?
Find

Mentoring
“I really enjoyed sparring with our mentor Laura Patel. She is an expert on the subject and she is familiar with other (case) studies. Laura helped us to get a clear understanding of what a feasible project within the theme of energy could be for our organisation.”
Get

Action Plan
“Energy can be a component of the environmental sustainability and climate change strategy that has been put on the agenda by Save the Children International. I have translated their work with some colleagues into a more concrete action plan for our Netherlands branch.”
Scale

Good Catalyst
“I have really enjoyed the energy of the programme itself. It has been a very good catalyst to actually sit down and think about this topic in more depth. There are always competing deadlines and priorities and this really forces you to take a step back and really think about what we can do, and then really break it up into smaller steps and making an actual start.”
Movement for modern energy in humanitarian settings
Read the challenges of the Humanitarian Organisations involved in the Accelerator Programme. Would you like to share your energy stories, challenge or solutions? Submit it to our demand and supply platform, Source2Gather. Or join us at the upcoming Energy and Innovation Summit on 13 April 2021. We’re committed to matching today’s challenges with tomorrow’s solutions.
Access To Modern Energy Programme
The AME programme is about doing new things to solve problems and improve the quality of renewable energy access in humanitarian programmes around the world. Access to Modern Energy is increasingly recognized as an area of humanitarian concern. If communities affected by crises go without proper access to energy, it becomes impossible for them to meet the basic needs of life. The programme enables humanitarian organisations to be the catalysts for tackling specific energy challenges, whilst opening themselves up to receiving the knowledge and business insights from energy experts and private-sector partnerships. Ultimately, the projects will provide local insights for humanitarian partnerships to enable cost efficiency and improve quality of humanitarian work. DCHI brings together humanitarian organisations, research and educational institutes, businesses of all sizes and governmental actors. The coalition enables them to jointly find, develop and scale innovative solutions.
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