The Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme Innovation Labs Briefing Paper

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The Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme Innovation Labs Briefing Paper

Date added

26 February 2019

Summary

The Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme (DEPP) Innovation Labs is a two-year programme that aims to foster, and eventually scale up, innovations that address key problems faced by disaster-prone communities.

The programme has established ‘lab’ spaces in disaster-prone communities in Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya and the Philippines. Here, lab staff work directly with disaster-affected communities to identify, design and develop promising innovations in disaster preparedness. These labs have created the space for experimentation, community participation and new forms of interaction with external partners that may not be possible in traditional top-down programmes. Many of the innovators are from the community themselves, with limited experience and knowledge of developing and scaling innovations, but with knowledge of local issues and priorities. Lab staff have developed unique and comprehensive packages of support to help build capacity and to guide these innovators through the process.