The Oral History of RIL’s First Decade
RIL’s 10th Anniversary Special Project
Charlène Cabot
Charlène is one of the earliest architects and champions of RIL. She joined to launch the lab in Uganda, built the team of U-RIL from the ground up, and laid the foundation for U-Learn — establishing "learning and evidence uptake" as what is now a tenet of RIL's work. She continues to inspire new generations of RILers through her leadership and her unwavering belief in the role of innovation in humanitarian response.
Saul Kabali
Saul Kabali's journey with RIL is a unique one. Starting as an intern, later becoming an innovator supported by the Lab, and now giving back to the innovation ecosystem, his journey reflects RIL's long-term approach to investing in people rather than projects alone.
As an aspiring leader who believes in empowering other to grow—someone whose team “can continue moving forward even without” him— Saul said he hopes to replicate the kind of leadership he experienced firsthand through RIL. As an innovator leading SafeBangle and building a safety device designed to help women and girls combat gender-based violence and physical assault, he described his experience with RIL as “phenomenal, insightful, and mind-opening”, as it showed him the importance of collaboration, trust, and investing in people.