A toolkit to increase the participation of crisis-affected populations in humanitarian innovation
There is a consensus in the humanitarian sector that increased participation of crisis-affected populations in humanitarian innovation leads to significant benefits, including improved and more relevant outcomes, as well as higher adoption rates. However, within the sector, there is a lack of a shared understanding of what exactly participation means. Despite the availability of a wide range of participatory approaches, there is a need for more clearly defined pathways to increase stakeholder participation during the humanitarian innovation process.
The MIT D-Lab Participation Toolkit aims to address this issue. While these materials were created for the humanitarian context, they may also prove to be useful in the development context or any situation where project planners or implementers are interested in engaging with the users.
The following sections contain frameworks, activities, presentations, teaching notes, and selected articles for teaching students about the different levels of participation and how they are and can be applied in humanitarian innovation. Many of the elements were created for the D-Lab class on Humanitarian Innovation, and some were developed in collaboration with the Humanitarian Innovation Fund.
1. Introduction to Participation
An annotated presentation that introduces the concept of participation and participatory design and presents a framework for participation in the context of humanitarian innovation
- Presentation
2. User-Led Design in Humanitarian Innovation
- Paper
3. Participation Toolkit Paper
Presented at the iCERi conference in November 2022
- Paper
4. The Participation Matrix
A tool for understanding the different levels of participation and the stages where participation can be applied in an innovation process.
- Participation Matrix Presentation (with notes)
- Participation Matrix Guidance
- Participation Matrix (empty)
- Participation Matrix (filled in)
- Participation Matrix Activity
- Cookstove Case Studies
- Participation Matrix Explanation
- Participation Matrix Activity Teaching Notes
5. The Participation Compass
A tool for navigating the participation landscape
- Participation Compass Teaching Notes
- Participation Compass Presentation
- Participation Compass Guidance
- Participation Compass Cards
- Participation Compass Sorting Mat
- Participation Compass Canvas
- Participation Compass Learnings and Next Steps
- Participation Compass Project Briefs
- Lighting in Kutupalong, Bandgladesh
- Fuel-saving cooking in Kakuma, Kenya
- Community radio in Rhino Camp, Uganda
6. The Participation Quality Advisor
A tool for ensuring the quality of a participatory design process.
- Quality Advisor Presentation
- Quality Advisor Guidance
- Quality Advisor Activity
- Quality Advisor Activity Teaching Notes
- The Co-Creation Planning Workbook
Contact
Amy Smith, MIT D-Lab Founding Director
Martha Thompson, MIT D-Lab Humanitarian Innovation Specialist