Covid-19 has hit the most marginalized groups hardest, in terms of sustaining their livelihoods, and maintaining education opportunities for their children. At the same time, undeniable creativity is being noted as the crisis also catalyzes innovations. Yet, we face challenges in rolling out those innovations. Listen to this session hosted by Charlene Cabor, RIL Uganda Lab Lead alongside representatives from the Social Innovation Academy, A Hand Uganda, GSMA, and Starthub Africa to learn more.

Amidst the challenges brought by the spread of COVID-19, one in particular has been the increased need for handwashing. The WASH sector has been working on access to hygiene for decades with some level of success; however six months into the global Coronavirus pandemic, nearly two billion people across the globe lack the soap and water needed to properly wash their hands. In Uganda, our partners at Engineers Without Borders – USA (EWB-USA) brought a challenge to the Response Innovation Lab:An effective soap dispensing solution was needed to accompany the handwashing stations in public spaces such as the busy Ntinda market.

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.

For World Refugee Day, the Pears Program for Global Innovation showcased an article on RIL’s work in developing a strong ecosystem for humanitarian innovations to survive and thrive in specific emergency contexts, as well as highlights local Uganda innovator Akaboxi.

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.

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.

See what each of the labs is doing to prevent and fight COVID-19 in their responses.

The catalog highlights green innovations in Uganda as compiled for the Green Innovations Prize.

Response Innovation Lab has collaborated with Briter Bridges to visualize the state of educational technology across some of the major African technology ecosystems.