(1 September 2022) Today RISE broke new ground. We marked the exciting start of construction on our water and sanitation infrastructure intervention in the first group of informal settlement communities in Indonesia.
(12 August 2022) What does RISE do when an infection is found through our periodic field campaigns? We have an ethical and moral responsibility to refer affected families for clinical care. But we have found there is a need to support that process even further.
(8 July 2022) RISE has launched evidence-based resources which are set to unlock more inclusive ways to design water and sanitation infrastructure with informal settlement communities.
(14 June 2022) RISE Indonesia hosted the Honourable Penny Wong, Australia's Foreign Minister, in the village of Batua, to see how climate-adaptive and -resilient systems are addressing the community’s needs.
(13 June 2022) Better infrastructure designed by communities has already started unlocking new economic and social opportunities. The resulting upward mobility of residents represents a new model of local ownership – a model that local governments are prioritising.
(Event 24 June) Join us for the launch of a new set of evidence-based resources to implement gender and socially inclusive participatory design of WASH infrastructure in urban informal settlements.
(10 May 2022) RISE researchers are investigating the activities, surfaces, sources and mechanisms through which children are exposed to pathogens in their daily life, to understand exposure and how it can be prevented.
(30 March 2022) Aotearoa New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Hon Nanaia Mahuta visited RISE Fiji to hear about the community’s experiences co-designing essential infrastructure.
(10 March 2022) New evidence shows that as the future custodians of RISE's water and sanitation infrastructure, the younger members of our communities are best-placed to support the systems' longevity and sustainability.
(8 March 2022) Meet some of the incredible women on RISE who, on International Women’s Day, share their observations of gender inequality and potential solutions to break biases.
(7 February 2022) RISE has held training sessions on the roles that stakeholders will play to maintain a safe environment for residents during infrastructure construction.
(December 2021) A toolkit helping practitioners implement gender- and socially inclusive participatory design of WASH infrastructure in informal settlements.
(December 2021) RISE reveals a scientific method that will allow us to see whether the program’s intervention is reducing faecal contamination in the environment.
(December 2021) Our baseline findings from Indonesia have generated a new model of the connections between human health and the environment.
(14 December 2021) RISE has been awarded ISO9001 certification. Certification acknowledges that our research platforms and operations in Fiji and Indonesia, and central governance and data management systems, meet the highest quality standards.
(6 December 2021) An independent set of experts have convened, forming RISE's new International Development Advisory Board, to advise on the critical construction phase of the program.
(12 November 2021) Our Water for Women researchers, and Indonesia and Fiji teams are examining the factors that unite communities, and the implications for WASH interventions.
(11 October 2021) Construction will soon begin on the water and sanitation infrastructure intervention in RISE’s first six informal settlement communities in Makassar, Indonesia and Suva, Fiji.
(17 June 2021) The Australian Government and Monash University have partnered to implement the RISE intervention for the first six informal settlements in Indonesia.
(4 June 2021) A new training program utilising cutting-edge equipment for molecular analysis is being rolled out. And it’s seeing RISE scientists lead the way in Fiji and Indonesia to uncover links between the environment and human health.
(7 May 2021) RISE researchers have validated a way to successfully detect a diverse range of bacteria (pathogens) that cause diarrhoeal disease in informal settlements.
(30 April 2021) More than six million Indonesians have been fully vaccinated so far. And our team is cautiously stepping back into the field to progress our critical ecological research.
(31 March 2021) Universities, governments and funders came together last week to launch our new report series advocating for smart, nature-based solutions to be used for resilient and sustainable urban development.
(Event 25 March) Tune in for the launch of the first-ever RISE - Asian Development Bank book series revealing the possibilities and best practices for water-sensitive informal settlement upgrading.
(8 March 2021) This International Women’s Day, we called on some of the incredible women leading work on RISE in Indonesia, Fiji and Australia to share their reflections on the question, ‘Why is it important to have diverse research and implementation teams for community-based participatory design work?’
(2 March 2021) RISE Research Associate Allison Salinger, based at Emory University, is hopeful that evidence generated from our Water for Women sub-study can lead to more socially inclusive WASH approaches globally.
(1 March 2021) One year on since the New Zealand Prime Minister launched construction, the Fijian community of Tamavua-i-Wai is fast-becoming an example of the potential for scaling up the water-sensitive approach across the Asia-Pacific.
(18 December 2020) The spirit of gotong royong is the inner voice that says, “whatever the challenge, as long as it is done together, it will feel lighter and possible.”
(8 December 2020) Monitoring water-sensitive systems at our Indonesia demonstration site has successfully restarted. Our local team has been collecting samples following our COVID-19 procedures.
(8 December 2020) The first group of Fijian settlements have finished their participatory workshops designing infrastructure with RISE.
(3 December 2020) Indonesia has laws regarding people with disabilities, but the voices of people with different needs for water and sanitation are still limited.
(19 November 2020) Dr Michaela Prescott from Monash University's Informal Cities Lab explains why all households having access to a toilet, and connecting all toilets to a wastewater treatment system is key to ensuring safe and healthy living environments for all.
(3 November 2020) After more than six months of paused field work, Batua neighbourhood is acting as the living lab for restarting community work in a COVID-19 world.
(2 November 2020) RISE microbiologists have identified a technique that effectively detects antimicrobial resistance genes, which could lead to a better understanding of antimicrobial resistance in informal settlements.
(30 September 2020) For socially inclusive infrastructure design, training on gender, differently abled people, and discrimination is key – as is being guided by local experts.
(2 September 2020) Attention is growing into the potential implications of COVID-19 for people’s mental health and wellbeing. In August we launched a survey asking informal settlement residents about the state of their lives in these challenging times.
(5 August 2020) The shutdown of Fiji’s national borders and colossal tourism sector has had a significant impact on the lives of already vulnerable families, according to a recently released RISE report.
(3 August 2020) In a major program milestone, Detailed Engineering Drawings have been completed for the first six Indonesia communities that RISE is revitalising, bringing us a critical step closer to construction.
(6 July 2020) In a COVID-19 world, we will need to be even more creative and adaptable to ensure research continuity. We have started a process to ‘reset’ our program.
(6 July 2020) RISE is doubling down to support the program’s informal settlement residents in Makassar - the capital of South Sulawesi, which has become one of the country’s leading provinces in coronavirus cases.
(6 July 2020) A socially distanced visit and gift drop comes after a phone check-in revealed that the impacts of COVID-19 have left many Fijian families in desperate need of support.
(3 July 2020) Over the past two years researchers and communities have been working together to collect data and better understand water level fluctuations.
(3 June 2020) The recent shut-down of Makassar city has left many informal settlement residents unable to leave their homes to go to work. The RISE Indonesia team reached out to help.
(3 June 2020) With big group gatherings on hold, the next best thing we can do is check in from a distance. We are contacting the Fiji households taking part in RISE to see how they are coping, and what they need.
(5 May 2020) RISE is working in partnership with UN-Habitat and Fiji Government agencies to provide rapid response support to more than 70 informal settlements to help alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 on informal settlement households.
(5 May 2020) Around the world, workers from various sectors are being called upon to assist in the coronavirus response. RISE’s global researchers are among them.
(27 March 2020) We are adapting how we deliver RISE during this challenging time. We are committed to containing and safely managing, as best as possible, the spread of COVID-19 across our operations.
(3 March 2020) RISE PhD researcher Robyn Mansfield believes children should be part of the urban planning process. She is finding ways to make them heard.
(2 March 2020) New Asian Development Bank President Masatsugu Asakawa travelled to meet with residents of Batua - RISE's Indonesia demonstration site - to find out first-hand how the program is impacting their lives.
(26 February 2020) The NZ Prime Minister officially launched construction of RISE’s green infrastructure at the program’s demonstration site in Fiji.
(11 February 2020) Two of RISE's International Scientific Advisory Panel share their reflections of their recent trip to Suva, and the proud, tight-knit communities who live there.
(29 January 2020) Mosquitoes are at the heart of a unique partnership between RISE and the World Mosquito Program. Both programs are working towards a healthier world, and both rely on mosquitoes to get there.
(3 December 2019) On Tuesday 26 November, communities and stakeholders packed into a conference centre in Suva in vibrant kalavata, to hear about RISE’s research progress in Fiji so far, and find out which six communities will be upgraded first.
(23 October 2019) Over the weekend, residents of Batua settlement in Makassar City became the very first residents to have their neighbourhood upgraded with sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure.
(9 October 2019) In September, more than 20 community representatives from Tallo, Lempangang and Bonelengga settlements toured Batua settlement to see how RISE's green infrastructure has become a reality
(9 October 2019) The New Zealand Government has awarded NZ$3 million to RISE over three years, to help improve water and sanitation in informal settlements in Fiji.
(9 October 2019) Researchers and policymakers from more than 35 countries converged at Stanford University for the 2019 Planetary Health Annual Meeting. RISE's Ruzka Taruc and Dr Amelia Turagabeci were among them.
(30 August 2019) With the finishing touches being put on the green infrastructure at RISE's demonstration site, Batua, four residents stepped forward to share their ideas for how the roads could be designed in a way that represents their identity and their community.
(30 August 2019) This month, community representatives came together with local RISE partner organisations to learn about the technical components of RISE’s infrastructure, and continue discussions about shared responsibility for its maintenance.
(5 August 2019) Science Days are bringing researchers and residents together in Makassar to make direct links between science and everyday life in informal settlements.
(12 July 2019) More than 200 participants from over 25 countries have committed to making cities in the Pacific prosperous, inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, coming out of the fifth Pacific Urban Forum held last week in Nadi, Fiji.
(1 July 2019) With 735 households in Suva consented to take part in RISE, our community fieldworkers have begun the epic task of conducting the baseline health and wellbeing survey with residents.
(1 July 2019) The health and wellbeing survey is the biggest and broadest survey RISE is conducting across Makassar and Suva. Find out from PostDoctoral Researcher Dr Fiona Barker about how it all came together.
(20 June 2019) A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and Monash University to advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Asia-Pacific.
(31 May 2019) A new video goes behind the scenes of recent participatory design workshops in Gampancayya settlement, Makassar, where residents have helped plan the water and sanitation upgrades for their neighbourhoods.
(31 May 2019) Dr Audrie Lin joins RISE from the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Public Health. She focuses on assessing adult and child health through survey and biological specimen collection.
(31 May 2019) A crucial hypothesis of RISE is that upgrading the physical environment of informal settlements can lead to better human health. One of the key aims of the environmental assessment is to quantify mosquitoes to see if they increase, stay the same, or decrease due to the intervention.
(1 May 2019) A newly released special issue of Global Challenges advances thinking about how to operationalise interdisciplinary research, shares lessons learned, and contributes new theoretical and empirical knowledge.
(30 April 2019) In April 2019, RISE’s International Scientific Advisory Panel made a trip to Makassar to visit the program’s settlements, meet the in-country team and hold their second meeting. ISAP Chair Ted Bianco shares his reflections of the trip – and some unexpected fun along the way.
(16 April 2019) Monash University and Emory University have announced a partnership to conduct research into gender-responsive design of water and sanitation services for the world’s most vulnerable and marginalised living in urban informal settlements.
(4 April 2019) Water is an important component in human life and the earth's environment. The availability and access of clean water for all living things on earth is the focus of sustainable development 2030.
(31 March 2019) On Sunday 31 March, more than 180 women and men, and girls and boys came together in Makassar to celebrate the completion of baseline sampling.
(8 August 2018) On 8 August, RISE Indonesia joined a number of government, NGO and community stakeholders for a Makassar Smart City Forum, held by the Makassar City Government with the United Nations International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The forum was held to increase cross-sector participation and cooperation in creating a smart, healthy city.
(9 June 2018) On Saturday 9 June, RISE Fiji hosted a workshop for Community Engagement Council (CEC) representatives from the 13 RISE settlements across Suva, Fiji. Bringing the CECs together for the first time is a key milestone in the RISE Community Mobilisation Strategy.
(22 Mary 2018) Today we celebrate 25 years of action for biodiversity, marking the anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Biodiversity is essential to the existence of present and future generations.
(4 May 2018) Last week, the RISE Makassar Lab Team undertook Kato Katz training in the Parasitologi Laboratory at Hasanuddin University (UNHAS), led by RISE UNHAS Focal Point, Professor Ancha Ansariadi and Asni, Laboran of Parasitologi Laboratory in the UNHAS Faculty of Medicine.
(3 May 2018) During April, RISE Objective 4 (Well-being) Leader, Professor David Johnston and RISE researchers, Dr Joanne O’Toole, Dr Fiona Barker, Dr Rohan Sweeney and Karinna Saxby conducted human health and well-being lab and field training, and baseline survey piloting with the RISE team in Suva.
(29 March 2018) This month, RISE partner, Melbourne Water delivered essential Integrated Water Management (IWM) training to the RISE team, local partners and government counterparts in Suva, Fiji.
(22 March 2018) On World Water Day, RISE hosted a workshop for community representatives – Kelompok Pengelola Lingkungan (KePoLink) – from the 13 RISE settlements across Makassar, Indonesia.
(20 March 2018) Monash has signed partnership agreements with three of the Asia Pacific’s most highly regarded universities - Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) in Indonesia; and, Fiji National University (FNU) and The University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji - for RISE.
(26 February 2018) Monash has just signed a five-year research collaboration agreement with world-leading centre in genomic discovery and understanding, the Wellcome Sanger Institute for RISE.
(27 November 2017) MSDI is thrilled to announce its official partnership with the United Nations University – International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) as part of the RISE program.
(20 November 2017) RISE Research Fellow, Dr Michaela Prescott explains how the RISE co-design workshop involved a range of participatory tools developed and adapted for different groups within the community, such as children.
(19 Nov 2017) More than 40% of the world’s population lacks access to a safe and reliable water source, according to the United Nations Development Program, and that figure is projected to rise over coming decades.
(31 Oct 2017) RISE is supporting the implementation of the New Urban Agenda by pioneering a healthier and more environmentally-friendly water sensitive cities approach to urban water management.
(4 October 2017) A team from Monash Art Design and Architecture (MADA), led by Professor Diego Ramirez-Lovering, has just returned from Suva, Fiji after implementing the first RISE co-design workshop.
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