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Screen4SpLDs - Development of an Automated Pre-Screening Tool for Specific Learning Disabilities in Children.
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Specific Learning Disabilities (SpLDs) is a common term in today's society, which manifests in different ways and can cause various difficulties in daily life. For one person it might be the lack of attention, for another, it might be struggling to read fluently or conduct basic mathematical calculations; these are different groups of Learning Disabilities. Early detection and treatment of SpLDs are crucial, as it enables the start of interventions that support the best outcomes for children living with SLDs. Not addressing SLDs at a young age has a major influence on development into adulthood and results in a high economic cost, exceeding the lifetime costs of asthma, intellectual disability, and diabetes have a huge shortage of special educators to conduct SLDs screening and subsequently providing treatment post diagnosis. There are nearly 90% of the world's children reside in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The challenge of early detection and early intervention of SpLDs is exacerbated by limited expertise, including limited screening, diagnostic and treatment resources in LMICs. For instance, in the Global South, the skilled human resource and tools to assess SpLDs are very limited. Thus, these children are undiagnosed and negatively reinforced by the community by stigmatizing and labelling them. These factors all lead to low self-esteem and behavior problems that further interfere with their ability to learn. In vulnerable communities, which are often already poverty stricken, this operates as a vicious cycle, simply because optimal education is the main method of breaking this vicious cycle. We aim to target these developmental issues by developing and piloting low-cost mobile app-based solution for the screening of SpLDs that will lead to early intervention. Specific learning disorder may affect handwriting in a way that can be visually distinguished. The purpose of the proposed research is to evaluate the ability of deep learning to distinguish between those who have SpLDs and those who do not, from their handwriting. The proposed solution requires no more than taking a photo of the handwritten image on a mobile phone and passing it to the prediction model and getting the prediction results. Based on the proposed solution, the SpLDs screening can be conducted at home, in a school study area without any additional special setting. The important factors of this app are simplicity, ease of use, less training requirement, the accuracy of the results, and reliability. This app can serve from individual to national level for screening SpLDs in children. This will reduce the burden of the shortage of special educators, and this will be a huge relief for LMICs. This will, in general, reduce the inequalities faced by vulnerable and marginalized children, by providing an opportunity to receive optimal health and educational services. This will lead to the improvement of quality education received by ALL which in turn will contribute to wider societal improvements. In addition to the direct impact on the child, the spillover effects on the family and community development are significant. Further, creating an opportunity to screen a larger population will increase societal awareness of SpLDs and reduce the stigma
Sustaining Power: Women's struggles against contemporary backlash in South Asia
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Women in South Asia have struggled for many decades to improve their lives within their families, in their communities, for securing their livelihoods, and in getting their voices heard as citizens by the state, with women's movements being critical in advancing their rights. However, contemporary social, economic and political changes have created new and multiple forms of backlash and contestations. How do women defend their rights, and secure their gains against these regressive forces and backlash? This question leads our research on the strategies and mechanisms that women use to retain power and sustain gains in women's rights. This research is particularly interested in how different groups of women understanding power and struggle, and how these change over time. We aim to assess what works to defend women's rights, and explain why some struggles are more successful than others in sustaining gains. We think that success of women's struggles depends on a) the types of strategies they use to counter different types of backlash; b) the ways in which struggles include voices and perspectives of different groups of women; and c) the ways in which struggles connect to other movements and groups across local, regional and national levels. The central research question therefore is: When, how, and why do women's power struggles succeed in retaining power and sustaining their gains against backlash? South Asia provides a valuable opportunity to investigate women's struggles. The region has witnessed rapid and large changes over the last decade, including urbanization, rising employment precarity, new electoral laws and regime changes, shifts in social norms, and the spread of digital technology. We aim to examine how these changes create new and multiple forms of backlash; and how women's struggles for power are variously challenged, opened up or are closed down by these changes. We are interested in unraveling the similarities and differences in processes and strategies used by different women's movements to retain power in the face of backlash; and in women's own experiences and interpretations of their struggles as these evolve and adapt over time. We will select 16 cases of women's struggles in four countries that represent the largest populations of South Asia: Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Within each country, we will select on-going and contentious cases of struggle in one of four arenas within which gains in women's rights are being sought: family, community, market and the state. This research will use a variety of methods including: a) identifying and analyzing the types of backlash created by processes of contemporary change; b) mapping critical players and what shapes their motivations for action; c) tracing the struggles, nature and trajectory of each movement to counter backlash - through oral history methods, reflective and participatory techniques, qualitative interviews and archival research; d) undertaking comparative analysis to compare how different movements may have triggered, galvanized or been strengthened by power struggles across different arenas; and e) identifying and systematizing which combinations of mechanisms and strategies work to defend women's rights in South Asia and beyond. This is a collaborative research project that draws together a multi-disciplinary research team with deep in-country and conceptual expertise on women's rights and contemporary power struggles in South Asia. This project includes strong capacity building initiatives and opportunities for learning through reflective processes with women's movements and research partners. This research is ambitious in its scope and we hope that our findings that will be grounded in real life experiences of women, will be relevant and useful for feminist scholars, activists and policy actors to set their future course of action to defend women's rights across the world.
Environmental Pollution Programme
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
This programme's aim is to enhance the ability of lower to middle income countries (LMICs) to manage chemicals in order to reduce air, chemical, and waste pollution. 21-22 is predominantly a scoping year for this new programme, which seeks to share expertise, best practice and invest in research to strengthen the capacity of low- and middle-income countries to meet their obligations under UN Multilateral Environment Agreements and frameworks; thereby helping to improve human health and promote prosperity, whilst also halting biodiversity loss and the key drivers for climate change.
Asha Ventures GIFT Trust
British International Investment plc
Inclusion and sustainability focused fund in India.
KASHF Foundation
British International Investment plc
We made a $15 million loan to the company, to support it to provide specialised microcredit products and capacity building services to micro-entrepreneurs, with a focus on women-owned or affiliated businesses.
Shubham Housing Development Finance Company Limited
British International Investment plc
Our investment will accelerate the company's growth to improve access to affordable housing finance, primarily for low-middle income customers across India. Shubham?s tech-enabled home loans are improving access to housing finance for Indians excluded from the formal economy.
Smartpaddle Technology Private Ltd
British International Investment plc
We first invested in the business in 2020 alongside Chiratae Ventures to help scale Bizongo?s business across an additional 1,000 small businesses, sustaining at least 20-30,000 formal jobs for low-income workers in manufacturing SMEs in India. With most suppliers pointing to the lack of good alternatives to Bizongo in the market, we can play an important role in backing an innovative model that is driving efficiencies across the sector while contributing to MSME growth. We can further play a stewardship role around social and environmental practices, setting standards for the industry and enabling Bizongo to reduce execution, reputational, and negative impact risks as the business expands. We made a further investment in the business in 2021.
Stellaris Venture Partners II
British International Investment plc
Stellaris II will invest in highly scalable start-ups of which a subset are expected to deliver material reach to low-income Indian suppliers, employees, and consumers. Fund I's track record indicates a positive impact performance on access to economic opportunities and critical goods and services. Our capital will help the fund reach its target size thereby increasing the scale of impact.
Supermarket Grocery Supplies Private Limited (Big Basket)
British International Investment plc
bigbasket is India?s largest online grocery with a fully integrated ?farm to fork? model sourcing from more than 3000 farmers and employing more than 18,000 people. Its business model is tailored to serve the needs of India?s growing urban consumers as well as its rural farmer suppliers.
Tata Cleantech Capital Limited
British International Investment plc
CDC?s $30 million directed lending facility to Tata Cleantech Capital Ltd. (TCCL) is expected to (1) avoid greenhouse gas emissions by increasing deployment of energy efficiency and e-mobility solutions to support climate change mitigation; and (2) reduce freshwater consumption by increasing deployment of water efficiency and wastewater treatment projects to reduce water stress for consumers and ecosystems. The facility is also expected to support the sustainable development of resource efficiency sectors in India by helping demonstrate the bankability of resource efficiency financing.
Techxila Fund I
British International Investment plc
Our commitment to one of the few institutionalised venture investing platforms in Pakistan can help demonstrate the commercial viability of Pakistan?s nascent venture capital sector. Techxila Fund I will invest in tech-enabled business models of which a subset are expected to contribute at scale to productive employment and market efficiencies in some of our priority sectors to the benefit of Pakistan?s workers, consumers, and suppliers.
Thar Surya 1 Private Limited
British International Investment plc
Enel is a large utility company with credible track record. One of the initial few renewable deals in India.
The City Bank Ltd
British International Investment plc
Direct 12-month trade loan to finance local trade needs of corporates and SMEs in Bangladesh.
Aavas Financiers Limited
British International Investment plc
Aavas is a retail-focused affordable housing company primarily serving low and middle-income borrowers in semi-urban and rural areas.
Liberty Wind Power 1 (PVT) Limited
British International Investment plc
CDC's investment is funding the creation of 150 MW of wind farms located in the Jhimpir area of the Sindh province of Pakistan. The project involves three separate schemes of 50 MW each, two developed by Liberty Mills and one by Indus Group.
Liberty Wind Power 2 (PVT) Limited
British International Investment plc
CDC's investment is funding the creation of 150 MW of wind farms located in the Jhimpir area of the Sindh province of Pakistan. The project involves three separate schemes of 50 MW each, two developed by Liberty Mills and one by Indus Group.
Loadshare Networks Private Limited
British International Investment plc
Loadshare is an Indian logistics company that uses technology to bring together small and medium logistics companies to create a pan-Indian network reaching local suppliers and rural customers. By bringing together these smaller companies, Loadshare enables them to have better market access, which in turn boosts their growth and creates jobs.
Metro Wind Power Limited
British International Investment plc
Our investment will provide much-needed equity finance to support the development of a clean energy platform and help to scale renewable power capacity in Pakistan. The partnership will help accelerate investment into the renewable power sector in Pakistan and underlines our focus on the renewable sector in the country.
Omnivore Partners India Fund 2
British International Investment plc
Omnivore Partners India Fund II supports breakthrough technologies in Indian agriculture.
Plenty Private Equity Fund I (Multiples II)
British International Investment plc
Commitment to a fund supporting a good performing fund during tough fundraising conditions in India.