COVID-19

Our context specific response

On-going response

Innovating is the only option.

 

The world is responding to COVID-19 in an unprecedented manner. The nature of global, run very deep as COVID-19 takes hold across the world. Traditional humanitarian mechanisms, don’t fit a global pandemic context. Humanitarian aid workers can’t use known methods to raise awareness to sound the alarm and support behavior changes, Supply changes are disrupted around the world. Humanitarian responders, their families and homes, are also being effected, along side the very countries we are being called to respond too.

Innovation is our alley in responding to COVID-19.

Our local humanitarian innovation ecosystems are already engaging in ways that either directly related to their work, or adjusting to fit the immediate need. And it’s powerful! Where global supply chains are disrupted or in short supply, local production and innovation is taking stage. Where door-to-door communication in refugee camps is now a danger, digital platforms and communication are taking their place.

HIghlights from our labs

The Response Innovation Labs are responding to the Covid-19 health crisis in four country lab – Somalia, Uganda, Iraq and Puerto Rico. Below are the identified challenges in each response, the innovation selected to match solutions, and activities being undertaken in support. To get notified of updates, please subscribe to our newsletter – click here. 

The RIL connected with an animation company that was sponsored by the San Francisco Marin Medical Society. They developed a video on Social/Physical Distancing and then were providing free translations in different languages. Click to see.

The RIL connected with an animation company that was sponsored by the San Francisco Marin Medical Society. They developed a video on Social/Physical Distancing and then were providing free translations in different languages.

Click to see.

 
 
 
 

Somalia

 

IDENTIFIED CHALLENGES

  1. Quickly and effectively disseminating public health and other messaging to all population segments

  2. Reaching rural populations with messaging

  3. Hygiene for children and elderly

  4. Bridging the continuum of relief to recovery and economic resilience

  5. Gathering evidence around best practices in the COVID-19 response to know what interventions are effective

INNOVATIONS BEING ACTIVATED

  • Public Health videos

    RIL is working with the Somali health tech company, OGOW EMR, who translate WHO guidance and work with a public health expert at John Hopkins’ School of Public Health to develop localized messaging on Covid-19 prevention through animated videos. To date, the Ministry of Health in Somalia has endorsed and shared these videos, and there has been widespread dissemination. Several videos are targeted generally, but the vast majority are targeted to user-groups or topics that warrant specific messaging, such as health care workers, children, those working with the elderly, the topics of burials, and daily tasks. View the videos here: responseinnovationlab.com/somalia-covid-19/

    In addition, the RIL is also working with Poet Nation Media and Grit Partners Consulting, who have developed a pilot episode for a children’s entertainment program in Somali called Geedka Mooska. Several episodes have spoken directly on COVID-19 prevention for children and developed through a series of puppet super-heroes on their neighborhood adventures.

    The videos have been co-created and co-distributed with a range of key partners in Somalia.
    The RIL is also disseminating messaging across radio and established health hotlines. To date the following partners are the Ministry of Health, Somali NGO Consortium, the Nexus Consortium, the SomReP consortium, World Vision, Save the Children, Oxfam, the Cash Consortium, IRC, WOCCA, Shaqadoon, iRise, HarHub, Hanaaqaad Hub,  M2A, Radio Ergo, the Cash Working Group, the BRCiS Consortium, DFAT, SIDA, SDC, and USAID.

    Funding support this far has come from GlobalGiving, RIL, and SomRep Consortium, of which World Vision is the lead, and includes Oxfam, Care, Action Against Hunger, ADRA, COOPI, DRC.

  • Surprise Soap

    RIL is working with a global innovation product called Surprise Soap to contextualize the innovation down to Somalia and develop distribution channels. An additional aspect is being investigated on local manufacturing of the soap.  

  • Radio Drama

    RIL is partnering with International Media Support (IMS), who run the Radio Ergo platform in Somalia. This short-wave radio broadcast covers the entire Somali speaking region, and their partnership with 18 local FM partners rebroadcast their programs. Together we have developed a radio drama that will entertain listers and address COVID-19 related subject matter. Poet Nation Media will also visualize a select number of episodes so that they can be used to help engage children.

  • Early Warning Committees (EWC) Pilot

    In an effort to combat miss-information and rumors, the RIL is partnering with the SomReP consortium to equip trusted local leaders with the right tools. In this project, 44 EWCs, made up of trusted local leaders, will be equipped with tablets that have pre-loaded public health material.

ACTIVITIES

  • Using the local Somali Ecosystem, the RIL conducted a mini-assessment focused on understanding the needs and priorities of the humanitarian actors in the COVID-19 response. Click to view results.

  • Coordination between different implementing agencies in Somalia to distribute and roll out the messaging across multiple media channels, including adapting it for frontline workers to use and disseminate at the household and community level.

  • Advocacy with donors and government

  • Networking and leveraging innovative actors to develop content and creative means of distribution

  • Networking with the private sector to scale up distribution (radio, Tel Cos…) and Subject Matter Experts, such as public health, child protection, religious leaders and experts,  to ensure content is credible and contextually appropriate

  • Contract management by seeking waivers and approvals for sole-source procurement, issuing contracts, etc. to respond and implement activities quickly.

The Somalia RIL is actively looking for continued funding to support the development of these videos. Additionally, if you have a channel to promote these videos in Somalia, please do so. 

Please contact somalia@resposeinnovationlab.com if you have an innovation that responds to this challenge or would like to connect directly.

 

Iraq

 

IDENTIFIED CHALLENGES

  1. Access to protective gear

  2. Lack of adequate handwashing facilities, and little micro-manufacturers around Iraq for production

  3. Awareness messaging

INNOVATIONS BEING ACTIVATED

  • Awareness Campaign

    The Iraq RIL has developed an awareness-raising animated video based on WHO guidelines to educate the Iraqi population, and those that work in Iraq, on the risk and protective measures to take in regards to COVID-19. It specifically focuses on protecting the elderly population. The animated video is a part of the broader Oxfam BIBI and is being disseminated on all local social networks, such as radios, TV, in addition to Oxfam and RIL’s media channels.

    “BIBISays” is a public health awareness campaign, with grandmothers leading the way and imparting essential advice and guidance on how to protect yourself, loved ones, and the communities from COVID-19.   Click to view the video.

  • SafePad

    A challenge has been identified that women and girls in refugee camps do not have menstrual hygiene pads. The global supply chain has been disrupted, and they are unable to source needed materials into camps. The innovation of SafePad – a reusable, anti-microbial pad, is available and funding is needed for the sourcing and dissemination. These have been piloted with great success last year in Iraq.

  • PPE Micromanufacturing 

    Another global supply chain disruption has been the availability of PPE products in Iraq. The lab is looking into micromanufacturing of PPE materials through local makerspaces. Face shields are affordable durable, re-usable and cost-efficient, and can be manufactured quickly. In addition, they can easily be disassembled for sanitization, thus increasing their usability. Face shields are generally not used alone, but in conjunction with other protective equipment and are therefore classified as adjunctive personal protective equipment.

  • MicroManufacturing of a Foot Operated Handwashing Unit 

    The lab is looking into local micromanufacturing of the foot-operated handwashing units, which is characterized by its simplicity, easy installation and maintenance, and low cost. The innovative design allows people to wash their hands by opening the tap with their feet instead of using hand, in doing so preventing the possibility of infection through repeat touching of many hands to the tap handle in public wash facilities.

 

Please contact iraq@resposeinnovationlab.com if you have an innovation that responds to this challenge, or would like to contact the lab directly.

Uganda

 

IDENTIFIED CHALLENGES

  • Alternatives to in-school education for children using low-tech options; adapting digital learning programmes to social distancing

  • Sensitization, training, and continued communications with refugees and communities in remote areas, without relying on traditional community mobilization options (mass-gatherings) 

  • Health Call Centers being overwhelmed with the frequency of calls

  • Maintaining food assistance to refugees and extension services to farmers while respecting social distancing rules to avoid crises

  • Overall COVID-19 misinformation and numerous rumors circulating on social media and through oral communications

  • Increase in gender-based violence and family violence during lock down

  • Increase in child and teen pregnancies

  • Insufficient access to or use of WASH facilities and protective equipment

  • Adapting assessment and monitoring methodologies to preventive measures

  • Identification methodologies (bio-metrics with fingerprints or cards with pins) for accessing humanitarian services can increase risks of transmission of COVID-19

INNOVATIONS BEING ACTIVATED

ACTIVITIES

  • The Uganda RIL launched a COVID-19 Innovation Fund to support local innovations with seed-funding, coaching and business development support for the humanitarian sector. If you are interested in contributing to this initiative, please contact uganda@responseinnovationlab.com for further detail.

  • Under the U-Learn Uganda programme, Uganda RIL is supporting the Ministry of Health with a COVID-19 Response Info Hub that will respond to emergency stakeholders (from Government, donors, NGOs, UN) needs in terms of information, best practices, and innovations and serves to connect responders with learning, innovators and potential partners.

  • The innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Uganda is vibrant and in these times of crisis response to COVID-19, several innovation & incubation platforms in the private sector are trying to coordinate and support individuals and entrepreneurs in the development of practical solutions to the crisis. They have reached out to RIL for support in connecting to the humanitarian and response community. However, sometimes their suggestions or innovations are not addressing real concrete challenges faced by humanitarians today, thus the Response Innovation Lab proposes to form a core group of the principle COVID-19 humanitarian response stakeholders (NGOs), support them in articulating core concrete challenges to the current response and supporting them to engage with those innovation and incubation platforms.

    Actions to be taken by the RIL to help innovators/entrepreneurs frame their solutions and contribute to the development of a cohort of tailored innovations for NGOs responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

      • ensure innovators and entrepreneurs receive relevant insights in terms of the challenges faced both by

        • The most vulnerable groups and

        • The NGOs trying to serve these groups

      • provide ethical guidance and the framework on the Core Humanitarian Standards to the innovators while they are developing solutions

      • ensure that solutions focus on most pressing needs, and use appropriate approaches rather than looking at the easiest needs or shiny-tech solutions

      • Beyond the initial design sprint and mentorship, a small amount of prize money could be attributed to the best ideas to make a direct investment in refining their social-impact solution

    This work has begun with the support of Ours Africa ideas competition.

 

Please contact uganda@resposeinnovationlab.com if you have innovations that respond to these challenges or would like to connect directly.

Yemen

 

IDENTIFIED CHALLENGES

  1. Quickly and effectively disseminating public health and other messaging to all population segments

INNOVATIONS BEING ACTIVATED

  • Public Health videos

    RIL is working with the Somali health tech company, OGOW EMR, who translate WHO guidance and work with a public health expert at John Hopkins’ School of Public Health to develop localized messaging on Covid-19 prevention through animated videos. Thes videos have been translated into Yemeni Arabic, to fit the local context, and disbuted through social media, as well as local partners. Click here to vidw the videos.

  • In addition, the RIL is also working with Poet Nation Media and Grit Partners Consulting, who have developed a pilot episodes for a children’s entertainment program called Hiddo and Hirsi. Several episodes have spoken directly on COVID-19 prevention for children and developed through a series of puppet super-heroes on their neighborhood adventures. Click here to view the videos.

  • Several videos are targeted generally, but the vast majority are targeted to user-groups or topics that warrant specific messaging, such as health care workers, children, those working with the elderly, the topics of burials, and daily tasks. Click here to view the videos.

  • The videos have been co-created and co-distributed with a range of key partners in Yemen, including Save the Children, Oxfam and World Vision.

ACTIVITIES

  • Using the local Yemen Ecosystem, the RIL conducted a mini-assessment focused on understanding the needs and priorities of the humanitarian actors in the COVID-19 response. Results are forthcoming.

  • Coordination between different implementing agencies in Ymen to distribute and roll out the messaging across multiple media channels, including adapting it for frontline workers to use and disseminate at the household and community level.

  • Networking and leveraging innovative actors to develop content and creative means of distribution

TheYemen RIL Pop-Up is actively looking for continued funding to support the development of the preventative messaging campaign videos. Additionally, if you have a channel to promote these videos in Yemen, please do so. 

Please contact info@resposeinnovationlab.com if you have an innovation that responds to this challenge or would like to connect directly.