Turning Waste into Opportunity: Launching the E-Waste Challenge in Aleppo
Every day, growing amounts of electronic waste end up in communities across Northwest Syria, posing risks to the environment, public health, and future generations. But what if this challenge could be transformed into an opportunity for innovation, livelihoods, and lasting change?
The Response Innovation Lab (RIL), in partnership with Field Ready for Humanitarian Innovation and World Vision Syria Response, with generous support from World Vision Hong Kong, is proud to launch a pioneering new initiative: the E-Waste Challenge in Aleppo.
This project is designed to empower local innovators, students, repair technicians, startups, engineers, NGOs, community-based organizations, academics, and private sector actors to co-create solutions that recycle and repurpose electronic waste. The initiative combines training, collaboration, and financial support to ensure that promising ideas can move from concept to reality.
Participants in the E-Waste Challenge will have the opportunity to:
Build innovation skills through practical training on Design Thinking and problem-solving.
Join a hackathon to develop solutions directly addressing e-waste challenges in Aleppo.
Access up to $15,000 in support to pilot their ideas and bring them to life.
Collaborate with experts from humanitarian, technical, academic, and private sectors.
The journey begins with a stakeholder convening event, where participants will connect, share experiences, and map out the most urgent e-waste challenges in their communities. From there, innovators will move through the full innovation cycle—training, hackathon, and piloting—transforming bold ideas into practical, sustainable solutions.
This initiative goes beyond recycling. It is about protecting the environment, creating new livelihoods, and inspiring a culture of innovation in Aleppo and beyond.
Together, we can turn e-waste from a growing problem into a source of opportunity, resilience, and hope for the future.