4 strategies for tackling the toughest challenges

Innovative Solutions

Scott Harrison from Charity Water shares the innovative solutions his team developed to address the challenges of clean water access. They created capacitance sensors to monitor water flow, overcoming technical hurdles like battery power and global roaming agreements 1. Despite initial setbacks, such as failing to connect sensors in Ethiopia, they eventually solved the country's mobile roaming issue, allowing them to monitor over a billion liters of water flow 1.

When you focus on fixing unsolvable problems, you never know how impactful your solutions might be.

--- Bob Safian

Harrison emphasizes the importance of confronting problems directly, as this approach can lead to unexpected solutions and broader impacts 2.

   

Persistence and Impact

The persistence of leaders like Aurora James and Scott Harrison demonstrates the long-term impact of continuous effort in solving immense challenges. Aurora's 15% pledge initiative, which encourages retailers to dedicate shelf space to Black-owned brands, has led to significant economic opportunities, allocating over $10 billion annually to Black entrepreneurs 3.

A really small act, it may seem very small to you, creates this ripple effect of winning.

--- Kathryn Finney

Similarly, Harrison's commitment to improving water systems shows that addressing systemic issues requires ongoing dedication and allyship 4.