Humanitarian innovation
WASH entrepreneurs visiting Kyangwali settlement in Uganda – Pears Program for Global Innovation (2019).
Rationale:
Mindset-PCS places innovation at the center of its mandate, and is committed to work with partners to build effective and meaningful bridges between local/national/global innovation ecosystems and the humanitarian world. We place paramount emphasis on the needs not only to involve women, men, girls and boys affected by crisis, displacement and inequalities into the design of innovative solutions, but also in leading processes that concern them. We believe that humanitarian and development innovation should promote individual, community and systemic resilience, and focus on reducing risks and vulnerabilities. Our community-centered approach to humanitarian innovation therefore highlights communities’ potentials and opportunities.
Activities:
We provide comprehensive guidance to start-ups and NGOs looking to succeed in the humanitarian/development innovation space through adaptation of their solutions to specific contexts.
Technical support for market access and scale strategies.
Identification and introduction to best-suited field partners.
Development of community engagement strategies.
Matching with donors and investors.
Organization of field trips for delegations of entrepreneurs.
Development of co-design innovation strategies between diverse innovation ecosystems
Clients:
NGOs seeking to practically integrate innovation into their programs in accordance with global best practices.
Start-ups seeking to be connected with field organizations (NGOs, Community-based structures, UN agencies, etc.)
Start-ups seeking investments and/or institutional funding.
Investors interested to support social impact ventures.
Accelerators, incubators and venture-builders.
Highlight:
In 2019, we worked with the Pears Program for Global Innovation on designing and implementing a venture-builder program focusing on WASH humanitarian innovation. The finalists developed six WASH solutions that were further assessed and validated in Uganda and Philippines.