In December 2020, RIL held a week-long virtual global retreat to share reflections from the past year on each of the humanitarian responses and the challenges, successes, and plans for the upcoming year. Each session is about 30 minutes long.

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The Iraq RIL developed an awareness-raising animated video based on WHO guidelines for the Iraqi population and those working in-country, on the risk and protective measures in regards to COVID-19. The video specifically focuses on protecting the elderly population. The animated video is a part of the broader Oxfam program - “BIBI Says” - being disseminated on all local social networks, such as radio and 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.

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Response Innovation Lab worked with Save the Children’s Migration and Displacement Initiative (MDI) and their Predictive Displacement Project to host local Convener events - in Iraq and Jordan - around the development of a predictive analytics tool that will anticipate the scale and duration of conflict-driven displacement crises. At present, the lack of good data on the eventual scale and duration of forced displacement crises makes it difficult for humanitarian actors to efficiently and sustainably plan for early-stage interventions. Lack of demographical data also limits the efficiency and effectiveness with which they can plan for the specific needs of vulnerable groups within displaced populations. MDI seeks to use historical and contemporary data and machine learning to predict these characteristics of displacement, enabling better responses.

The use of predictive analytics in displacement work in the humanitarian sector has grown significantly amongst international organizations. However limited involvement or consultation has happened with field-level stakeholders. The convening events held with the Response Innovation Lab in Iraq and Jordan focus on identifying and gathering the perspectives and input of other potential end-users and other relevant stakeholders of predictive analytics tools, with Save the Children’s displacement model as an initial reference.

Particularly, the interest is in actors not well represented in typical discussions around predictive analytics in the humanitarian sector, such as

1. National and sub-national level actors working on displacement issues

2. Local and regional research and policy centers

3. Commercial actors with a stake in predicting population movements

The input of these actors will help shape the thinking for the third, external-facing phase of the project, and be a network through which to rollout other predictive tools. Learnings from the exercise will be shared with other humanitarian actors to similarly inform their work.

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Iraq's economy has its share of problems, and agriculture is one of the most significant challenges. Agriculture is often described as the backbone of the county, unfortunately, it is one of the most neglected sectors in Iraq. The country relies heavily on oil exports as a source of income, and other neighboring countries’ exports for agriculture. Yet fertile land and knowledge exist to make local agricultural production a source for the country. With imported goods entering the market at a low cost, local agriculture is not able to compete at the same margins and thus suffers. Agriculture is often seen as a separate entity from business, which leads to a lack of efficiency and innovation, which leads to many modern technologies, new advances, and environment-friendly practices to not be promoted.

With these challenges and more, the Iraq Response Innovation Lab launched the Agribusiness Incubator under the Go Green Initiative to support further developments in local agricultural production. The Incubator focuses on innovative ideas and adapting them to the Iraqi context with language and cultural expectations.

In 2020, the plan was to hold an extensive in-person training for innovators, however with the outbreak of COVID-19 the training moved online. Over the course of ten months, 12 projects were fully incubated, and five projects earned seedfunding of 20,000 USD each to support their launch. Some of the project highlights are using cost reduction methods through technology, reducing wasted water, introducing organic techniques, and knowledge and capacity building for local farmers.

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Iraq Response Innovation Lab has been working closely with two women-led social enterprises that tackle issues relating to employment and access to the market.

• Yalla Limited - One challenge in Iraq is finding service providers such as plumbers and electricians. Many times people need to ask around and wait for contacts, which isn’t helpful during an emergency. If you are starting a business as a service provider, there is the challenge of creating a customer pool with no formal marketing other than word-of-mouth. Two local Iraqi women, Ms. Ravan and Ms. Hala, launched the Yalla application which helps locate services through the app with a rating and pricing system. The app works to create a link between skilled workers and the needs of a household or other job.

• The Workshop - Supports youth and job seekers in their quest for employment, by offering a set of high-demand courses and integrated tools that support applicants in evaluating their skills, then offering training for areas where skills can improve. The platform is accessible on the web and mobile for ease. The entrepreneur behind the app, Ms. Sazan, sees the application a way for job seekers to find job vacancies, apply, and see how their skills meet the needs.

Both projects are expected to launch at the end of March 2021.

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One modality of the Agribusiness Incubator is focused on Social Enterprises in Iraq. As the first incubator in-country for local Iraqi NGOs, it launched in December 2020, with the support of SIDA. The incubator includes weekly group sessions and extensive one-to-one sessions with each participant on topics related to the social enterprise model, problem identification, and solution creation. The incubation continues until March 2021 where two of the participating 14 NGOs will be receive seedfunding up to 17K USD.

In Iraq, the training included in the incubation is important since the Social Enterprise model is a relatively new model in the country. The Iraq Response Innovation Lab proposed that capacitating local NGOs with knowledge and training around this model is the best way forward to support the NGO’s work on creating social impact. With a better understanding of business models and enterprise structure, these NGOs will be able to implement their projects and build sustainable revenue sources from their business models. All projects are focused on positively impacting vulnerable populations and sustainable revenue models.

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SafePad aims at tackling the lack of access to sanitary towels for women and girls in developing countries. Safepads are designed with a permanently bonded antimicrobial technology that efficiently reduces the concentration of fungi and bacteria - they are reusable and washable. The pad prevents infections while also helping to avoid the social isolation of girls and women in developing countries. One safe pad can be used up to 100 times. To date, 150 females have used the SafePad inside the Assyan Camp, and 350 females just outside the camp. The SafePad is tested and certified by The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
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Hand washing is said to take some crisis-affected people more than 12 hours a week, preventing some women and girls in charge of the task from pursuing education and straining their bodies, leading to chronic back and joint pain. Iraq RIL has supported the UK-based Divya hand-cranked washing machine with seed-funding and connections into the humanitarian ecosystem. The machine has three phases: wash, clean, and dry. All three phases run in 15 minutes and use less water than it takes to wash by hand. Iraq RIL believes the washing machine pilot is likely to improve the lives of displaced women and girls affected by the crisis in Iraq. To date, 200 people have been reached with The Washing Machine.
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The Iraq RIL has been engaged with PHARX by supporting them both technically and financially. In Iraq, there are challenges with the readability of doctors’ prescriptions, limited guidance on the use of medicine, and lack of transparency on prices at pharmacies. In response, a local innovator developed PHARX, a mobile application that provides information to patients about the availability and prices of medications in certified pharmacies around them, enabling patients to decide where to buy the products at the best price. The patient takes a picture of their prescriptions and sends the request to the mobile application. Within minutes, PHARX partner pharmacies that have the medication in stock can respond with the price and details. The patient is then able to choose the best offer. To date, Pharx has reached 170 pharmacies registered in the app, which is 4x its initial target!
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Iraq RIL is working with Lifeshelter, a new and innovative shelter and classroom solution for refugees and internally displaced populations. The Lifeshelter is a high-quality shelter solution that ensures better living conditions in refugee camps while respecting the environment and supporting local economic growth. Unique insulating panels are used to ensure a more energy-efficient and healthier indoor environment in all climates, which also makes it resistant to all weather conditions. The characteristic curvy design provides highly durable and stable construction, thus, restoring the sense of safety and privacy for people living in cramped and tense settings. Based on the piloting of Lifeshelter in the Iraq RIL, other organizations have utilized it in different responses.

>> Click here to see a short video.