I started out searching for a solution on how to help members of my local community overcome the hunger crises brought about by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. I wanted to help farmers with a more cost-effective way of farming, of which the long term benefit would cut across their personal health and the environment at large.
Innovation Stories
“How can we create synergy between innovation, technology, public health, and building a better community?”
We asked ourselves what we could do differently to make an impact, and it was here that the idea of DOMPI was born: a synergy between innovation, technology, public health and the quest to continue building ever stronger communities free from violence and capable of cultivating emotional, physical and family wellbeing.
“We could actually see the impact! Over 5,000 young people have joined our online learning platform!”
Nobody tells you when to go and create impact in your community. Many times, you go out to create change because you have gone through the challenge or maybe, you have seen people experience the challenge first hand, and so it hits differently. For me,it is the latter. That has been the inspiration for my innovation journey with Vijana Tupo Initiative.
“Volunteer “Mental Health Activators” are already being trained to organize local mental health activities and distribute CareBoxes in their communities.”
In 2019, 800 Thai youths took their own lives, and over 10,000 calls from youth were received by the Thai Red Cross mental health support hotline. Mental health problems intensified due to challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The power of digital media allows youth to work with no limits. Our digital campaigns have reached more than 65,000 users.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, as a youth volunteer from the Indonesian Red Cross, I was seeing many young people in Indonesia having more and more digital activities, all day long, including online school, and they were scrolling social media continuously. Some of them were becoming less productive, and some started having mental health issues. Social media became the youth’s top activity in the digital space.
“And the numbers continued to rise! Today, over 100 youths are now freelancers and earning a decent livelihood.”
After I joined the Limitless Youth Innovation Academy, I was confident enough that my initiative would lead to a positive change in my community, and I launched Cyber Limitless.
“We came up with a handmade, reusable solution that reduces the cost of menstrual pads by 75% to 90% annually.”
Hello! Esther is my name, and I am a Uganda Red Cross youth volunteer. I’m excited to tell you about how our innovation project helped female teenagers in our community while also protecting the environment. Here’s our innovation journey.
“We couldn’t believe it, we saw depression and anxiety levels reduced by 80% among children and teenagers!”
Hola! My name is Darwin Carvallo, and I am an Ecuadorian Red Cross youth volunteer and one of the final winners of the Limitless Youth Innovation Academy. I’d like to share my innovation journey with you through our project, RUAH, and tell you how our innovation impacted and transformed our community!
“As raw materials, we used non-disposable manufactured products. The initiative was a tremendous success!”
Have you ever turned your small idea into a local innovation? Here’s my innovation journey with the IFRC Limitless program to promote employment opportunities and environmental protection in my community during the pandemic.
Tech for good — what does it actually look like?
New and emerging technologies have the potential to cause both great benefit and harm — yet the processes designed to develop and use these technologies rarely consider the humanitarian and social costs. How can technology be used for good? What does this look like? Who gets a say? These are some of the questions we are exploring at Humanitech, an initiative of Australian Red Cross, dedicated to harnessing the transformational power of technology for good.
Shamuk, reducing electronic waste by giving it a second life
Shamuk, leaving no one behind, is a project that seeks to reduce electronic waste by giving it a second life. Through repowering devices and delivering them to children in rural areas in Ecuador, it also reduces the digital gap and supports school reintegration. The initiative was designed and is led by volunteers from the Ecuadorian Red Cross, with funding and support from the IFRC Solferino Academy.
Brothers across Borders – Interactive film based on true stories
Brothers across Borders is an interactive film based on the true stories of Syrian refugees in Turkey. You are Ismaël, a 21 years old Syrian refugee on a mission to find his brother Muhammed. Muhammed, as the oldest brother, went to Turkey to find a new and safer home for the family, but never returned to Syria. Nor has he contacted the family since he left Turkey. Now it’s all up to you. The future of Ismaël, Muhammed and the entire family is in your hands.