Nestled within the challenging terrain of the Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement in Uganda, a beacon of hope is meticulously emerging through the collaboration of Gulu University, the Response Innovation Lab (RIL), and Save the Children. This unfolding narrative, generously backed by Innovation Norway under the Local Innovations for Nutrition Solutions (LINS) project, unfolds against the backdrop of two critical issues plaguing refugee-hosting communities—malnutrition and limited access to diverse, nutritious foods.

Under the support function, the Uganda Response Innovation Lab (U-RIL) supports innovators and implementers to maximise their ability to deliver successful innovations in a specific humanitarian context. One of these support avenues is seed funding to test prototypes or conduct pilots. The seed funding is open to entities registered in Uganda (Uganda-led or refugee-led) and with an existing proof of concept.

On Friday, 29 September 2023, Uganda's Response Innovation Lab (U-RIL), in partnership with Startup Uganda, hosted an event to disseminate the findings of the Landscape Analysis of the Uganda Innovation Ecosystem and to launch SMILE, an interactive ecosystem map.

In Uganda, refugee-led organizations (RLOs) are developing innovative solutions to everyday problems found throughout their settlements and host communities. In this blog post we shine a spotlight on 13 RLOs creating, testing, and providing new solutions for refugees and others.

Read about the experience from innovator Saul Kabali with Response Innovation Lab developing SafeBangle Technologies for the past two years, a wearable technology for immediate reporting of violence attempts against women and girls.

Check-in on the innovators who won the cash award from the Uganda Response Innovation Lab in 2020. The innovators submitted their innovations in prevention and response, continuous learning, livelihoods, and refugee-led innovations that were already proving effectivness in the fight against COVID -19.

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.

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.

In partnership with the Dutch Relief Alliance, the Uganda RIL is excited to announce the DRA Innovation Fund’s third call for proposals. The DIF 3 Local Call aims to promote humanitarian innovation as locally as possible. The focus of this call will be on local humanitarian innovations in Uganda. The deadline to apply is 25 Oct 2020.

Startup Uganda and UNCDF have joined forces to promote a competition of ideas in response to four challenges: 1) Leveraging Last Mile Distribution Networks 2) Citizen Engagement 3) Financial Health for MSMEs 4) Digital Literacy. The submission deadline is Sept 30, 2020.

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.

In response to these challenges, Engineers Without Borders - USA, in partnership with the Response Innovation Lab Uganda, is launching a call for Innovation on the design of a solid soap dispenser for public hand-washing stations.

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.