by Iffat Ara Sharmeen,
September 24, 2024
Six development organisations joined hands in a groundbreaking partnership geared towards propagating innovation in the development sector.
Innovation has been a hot topic in Bangladesh since the advent of the ‘digital Bangladesh’ era. Unfortunately, innovation could not be incorporated as a staple in the development sector. Traditional approaches towards their projects and programmes are still the norm, leaving little room for new ideas. The ‘Innovation for Development’ (I4D) forum has been created to solve this exact problem, founded by six partner organisations who have been at the forefront of innovation in the sector for years.
In an event held on September 23, the initiative was launched by World Vision Bangladesh, along with five other organisations – Friendship, Save the Children, Sightsavers, Jhpeigo, and Shastho Shurokkha Foundation. The six NGOs founded the forum as partners through an MoU devised earlier. The event also featured the unveiling of an ‘Innovation Book’ that details the innovative measures taken by the six NGOs over the years. The leads of all six organisations unveiled the ‘Innovation Book’ together in a symbolic moment.
The I4D forum will serve as a common platform for NGOs, relevant government agencies, non-profits, private sector entities, and other like-minded organisations to bring together innovative, sustainable, replicable and scalable solutions that improve the lives of vulnerable communities. The platform will ensure sharing, co-creating and learning opportunities in the process. Chandan Z. Gomez, senior director of Operations at World Vision Bangladesh began the event with a welcome note, sharing that innovation has long been talked about but not in the development sector, which was still behind in understanding and implementing it. He hopes that the platform will help increase the momentum of innovation.
During the event, each partner organisation shared their respective innovation journeys followed by reflections and feedback, bringing valuable perspectives to the table and new avenues of collaboration. Speaking on the forum challenges, co-chair of Friendship International Marc Elvinger pointed out, “We really need to ask how much time we will decide to push our own experiences and innovations and how much time we must be ready to dedicate to harvest the experiences and innovations from others. We always show what we do and how we do it, but we find it very difficult to share and learn and replicate. So, I think this is a challenge the forum needs to address.”
Friendship founder Runa Khan proudly presented the innovations led by Friendship, i.e. mHealth app and cluster village plinths. The mHealth app supports Friendship Community Medic-aides (FCM) in diagnosing conditions, tracking medical records, and patient referrals. Friendship’s raised plinths are also innovations designed to protect the lives and livelihoods of flood and natural disaster victims. These elevated cluster villages are powered by solar energy to ensure continuous operation and safety. Apart from households, the plinths also have school spaces, farming and gardening areas, safe drinking water, sanitary latrines, and community centres so that the affected communities can rebuild and continue their lives.
Speaking on innovation, Runa Khan emphasised on three key points – the use of IT to scale and sustain innovations, understanding the environment where the innovation is to be implemented, and the voices of youth. She further added, “Innovation is about finding practical solutions to real challenges. The best innovations are those that are simple, adaptable, and community-driven. But innovation alone is not enough. Without kindness, humility, and tolerance, we cannot build a nation where people live with dignity and hope. True change happens when values and innovation go hand in hand.”
The event was graced by the presence of its chief guest Dr. Shuchita Sharmin, chair of the Department of Development Studies at Dhaka University and newly appointed vice chancellor of Barisal University. Sagor Marandy, senior director of Operations and PDQA Director at World Vision Bangladesh offered powerful closing remarks to the event and marked the beginning of this new collaboration. Representatives and officials from various national and international organisations were also in attendance.
