An Impact Footprint in Iraq: Rwanga Foundation Joins the RIL Network as an Affiliate Facility

We’re thrilled to announce a new partnership between the Response Innovation Lab (RIL) and the Rwanga Foundation — a leading non-governmental organization headquartered in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Established in 2013, Rwanga Foundation operates across Iraq with a mandate spanning six key sectors: Education, Youth, Environment, Research, Culture, and Vulnerable Groups, striving to empower young people to discover and harness their talents and potential, while championing access to modern technologies and e-learning to elevate education standards to international benchmarks.

With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at RIL’s annual event, RILx25, in Istanbul, Rwanga Foundation officially joins the RIL global network as an Affiliate Facility. Affiliate Facilities share RIL’s vision of developing inclusive and collaborative innovation ecosystems, while combining their local expertise and institutional strengths with RIL’s methodologies. Rwanga Foundation becomes RIL’s fourth Affiliate Facility, following the ones in Jordan, Nepal, and Puerto Rico.

As part of this affiliation, Rwanga Foundation will serve as the host of the Iraq Response Innovation Lab (IRIL), reinforcing RIL’s commitment to localization and locally led innovation. IRIL was established in January 2019 through a collaboration between Oxfam in Iraq and the Response Innovation Lab. The Lab was created to ensure that innovation is deeply rooted within local humanitarian contexts, transforming how response efforts are designed and delivered from early recovery and resilience building to supporting cross-sector innovations that address locally identified challenges.

Through this collaboration, RIL and Rwanga will join forces to advance innovation, creating pathways for young people, local organizations, and innovators across the Kurdistan region and Iraq to drive creativity, cultural growth, and social impact. With a shared commitment to local leadership and inclusive innovation, this partnership marks an exciting step toward a stronger, more connected innovation ecosystem across Iraq and beyond.

Stay tuned as RIL and Rwanga Foundation co-design upcoming initiatives!

Learn more about the Rwanga Foundation here.