Congratulations to Prof. Ng Wun Jern, Prof. Shane Allen Snyder and the NEWRI Community Development team for receiving the Nanyang Humanitarian Award!
Founded in 2010, the NEWRI Community Development (NEWRIComm) team has improved the lives of over 1.2 million people, with outstanding work in community development projects, in the domains of access to safe water and sanitation through the Lien Environmental Fellowship Programme (LEF).
The team promotes holistic solutions coupled with an education program to address environmental issues, while serving the needs of affected communities through a collaborative and participatory approach. Typically, a wide spectrum of stakeholders, ranging from academics in partnering institutions, local social influencers such as community leaders, children and the beneficiaries (the users) are engaged. Their inclusion from project inception to handover inculcates a strong sense of ownership.
NEWRIComm has received numerous instances of media coverage, both local and overseas regarding its projects, which is unique for a philanthropic unit hosted by a research institute. The NEWRIComm team members have been recognised with two prestigious Engineering awards in 2017 for solutions in ‘Mitigation of Pollution in Kandy Lake & Mid-Canal in Sri Lanka’, and a third in 2018 for the Don Bosco water project in Hlaing Thar Yar, Yangon, Myanmar. The LEF programme is funded by the Lien Foundation and administered by Nanyang Technological University Singapore’s Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI).
