Paper details

Paper authors	Smith, Amy, Thompson, Martha
In panel on	Reimagining Humanitarian Action: Innovations and Knowledge Infrastructures Driving Transformation
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

In humanitarian innovation, there is strong agreement that increasing participation of crisis affected population is key to improving outcomes but there are still relatively few examples of engagement. D-Lab has pioneered an approach to participatory design in humanitarian work using three modalities: increasing participation in designing for affected populations, carrying out co-design with affected population and enabling design by affected populations. This paper describes D-lab’s experience since 2019 in supporting design by affected populations, working with partners to develop and build local innovation ecosystems in Rhino and Imvepi refugee settlements in Uganda, and in conflict zones in South Sudan. Refugees and displaced learn the design process to build appropriate technologies that improve their lives and livelihoods, unlock their creativity, increase agency, transforming how they see themselves and how others see them. In addition, participants in these trainings used their design skills in co-creation workshops with NGOs, demonstrating the importance of their contextual and cultural expertise. In South Sudan, the local innovation ecosystems helped build community cohesion across age and ethnicity. This paper explains how an ecosystem geared to the needs of the affected population is necessary to support user led innovation by and describes both the tangible and intangible benefits.

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