Lessons learned on integrating innovation into the Uganda refugee response [ Devex ]
As originally published on Devex (10 Feb 2021) - Through the establishment of RIL in Uganda, our team has learned a few lessons on integrating innovation into the humanitarian context that we are sharing in a supportive effort around localization.
RIL & The Humanitarian Grand Bargain
A founding principle to RIL has always been the focus on strengthening local ecosystems to build resiliency and contextualized support for the response.
RIL's work in Iraq and Uganda highlight in DIIS's COVID-19 Report
The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) produced a report in November 2020 on the future of technology and innovation from the COVID-19 response. The Response Innovation Lab’s both in Iraq and Uganda were highlighted.
The Refugee Engagement Forum in Uganda as an innovative approach to AAP
The REF is an innovative Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) mechanism in the Uganda refugee response. The study showcases REF as a good practice for community engagement in a refugee response setting and hopes to inspire other countries to do the same and attracting more support for the REF in the country.
Innovation During Crisis
The world is counting on innovations in virology, epidemiology, and other medical fields to deliver a vaccine for the novel Coronavirus and treatment for Covid-19. These breakthroughs are likely to be made in labs from the world’s leading economies. However, there is a critical second tier of issues whose solutions are already emanating from much more diverse contexts. NGOs in resource-poor settings are trying new methods of sharing information through multi-media channels and new forms of content. While these types of innovation may not lead to a cure for the disease, they are addressing critical problems in its transmission and spread; in addition to the direct implications of this pandemic, the long-term impact on the well-being of individuals remains obscure and will inevitably add another layer of challenge to people’s lives
Partnership Potentials: Investigating Uganda business attitudes to partnerships with INGOs to co-create community-based innovations
Written by Jodi Ashley Fleming, University of Copenhagen.
Collaborative private sector-INGO partnerships allow both organizations to combine their valuable expertise and create contextual innovative solutions for a humanitarian and community-based response; something more essential than ever as new types of crises emerge globally. This qualitative study investigated Ugandan private sector attitudes towards partnerships with INGOs to co-create community-based innovations.
Building Evidence for Scaling
Research conducted by Fiona Mwenda and Lydia Tanner at The Research People for the Response Innovation Lab.
The paper begins with a short discussion of what we mean by scaling and why it is not appropriate for every innovation to scale. The paper then outlines the different types of evidence that are important to different audiences, and some of the factors that innovators should consider in prioritizing evidence.
World Refugee Day: How innovation is solving access to financial services for refugees in Uganda
A challenge faced by many refugees and rural community members in Uganda is the safety of saving money and the opportunities to access loans. Refugees frequently do not have access to banks, nor are they able to open bank accounts due to a lack of credit history or collateral. Not having a secure place to store money, makes saving challenging and risky. Akaboxi is tackling these problems straight on and transforming opportunities for financial service providers across Uganda.
Behind the Digital Attendance App Pilot in Somalia
The challenge of understanding school attendance within Somalia has been ongoing for quite some time due to several reasons such as displacement of communities due to recurring disasters and lack of correct information regarding school children. There are some additional complications to this in cases where children may have similar names, or variations such as Muhammed or Muhammad. Although there is some record keeping, it is done sporadically and is inconsistent. In order to understand the causes of dropouts and the dynamics of variables like gender, there needs to be a more efficient and effective way of capturing and storing this data.
Op-Ed: Leaving the Valley
By Max Vieille, Global Director, Response Innovation Lab
RIL’s Global Director dives into the difference between innovation in Silicon Valley, and in the humanitarian space, and how we can better solve identified challenges with a different playbook.
Case Study: Innovation M&E Toolkit on the Digital Attendance App Education Pilot in Somalia
A short video to showcase RIL’s M&E tool in Somalia gathering evidence around an educational pilot case study of the Digital Attendance Application (DAA) education pilot with World Vision.
Somalia COVID-19 Rapid Assessment: Priorities & Concerns of Humanitarian Actors
Somalia RIL conducted a rapid mini-assessment survey in April 2020, focused on understanding the needs and priorities of humanitarian actors in the COVID-19 response. These results are being shared openly to foster learning, improve coordination, and prioritize resources to areas of need.
Response Innovations for Somalia Emergencies (RISE) Report
The report presents the findings from the RISE innovation ecosystem mapping study which seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the key actors, factors, and relationships within Somalia’s humanitarian innovation sector.
Frontier Economy Spotlight - Scaling Partnerships in Somalia for Innovation
On February 27th, 2020, the Response Innovation Lab (RIL), along with the SomReP and BRCiS consortiums co-hosted a session at the Sankalp Forum’s 7th Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. The session showcased that despite the challenges in Somalia, there are many opportunities for innovation, partnership, and investment.
Mapping EdTech in Uganda
Response Innovation Lab has collaborated with Briter Bridges to visualize the state of educational technology across some of the major African technology ecosystems.