Field Ready's Fiji program has been working with the Frank Hilton Special School in Suva to assess the needs of the students and develop relevant items to make.

One of the items that they created was a drinking straw holder. Each of Field Ready's four technical interns designed and printed their own model. The children, caregivers and teachers provided their feedback and were delighted and many said the device would be helpful to them.

In the end, Karthiyani's design was judged the most effective and will be the standard model to be scaled and distributed. But all the work was a high standard and everyone learned a lot.

Iraq faces a critical time in its turbulent recent history. Different areas of the country face a myriad of humanitarian, reconstruction and stabilization challenges. At the same time, this situation presents an opportunity to propel on-the-ground initiatives that can have a lasting impact for the country. A primary example are makerspaces, collaborative spaces where learning and skills development lead to making and fabrication which in turn result in entrepreneurship and improved job prospects, as well as activities that directly contribute to peacebuilding and stabilization.

To make the most out of this situation, Field Ready has partnered with GIZ and two partners in Iraq, to nurture internal talent and create an enabling environment that contributes to Iraq’s innovation eco-system. The goal of this program is to improve the stability and future viability of youth in Northern Iraq through the support of the makerspace ecosystem.

Through this proposed program, Field Ready will help establish and support a Mosul Space makerspace and one in center managed by Re:Coded in Erbil. These will consist of state of the art tools and equipment that enable high-quality learning, exchange and skills-development. The result will be a network of makerspaces within innovation hubs providing youth with the opportunity to gain practical digital fabrication skills. This will in turn boost their future employability, opportunities to engage in entrepreneurship, and prospects for peace.

To achieve the above goal, three objectives will be realized:

Start-up a minimum of two makerspaces (i.e. Mosul Space and Re:Coded) through the provision and equipping of needed suppliesEnsure the capacity to deliver programming of two makerspaces through recruitment, training and mentoring of qualified staff membersIncrease the long-term viability and quality through the provision of technical assistance including guidance, mentoring and the implementation of a range of programming activities

When the program is completed in 12-months’ time, the following outputs will be achieved:

50 people using coworking spaces with makerspace facilities220 young people complete training in digital fabrication specializations (including 15 People with Disabilities)300 people attend digital fabrication related events

Moreover, the program will contribute to a number of critical outcomes as well to address the basic needs of people in targeted locations and thereby contribute to stability and reconstruction. These include:

Increased economic opportunities for Iraqi youthImproved interaction in the burgeoning makerspace ecosystemEnhanced synergies between the makerspace ecosystem and aid programmingImproved stability in target areas

Please watch this space for more good things to come.

Localization is one of the topics of the day in the development sector. This was a key outcome from the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, we’re thankful for that. It is overdue and simply makes good sense. At Field Ready, this mindset and way of working are “cooked in, not bolted on” to our everyday work.

Traditional or old fashion aid is typified by “outsiders” making all the decisions and doing all the important jobs. It separates the privileged outsiders from the “destitute” and “powerless” locals. In disaster assistance, it casts affected people as “helpless victims” who need to be rescued by outsiders.

Localization seeks to improve this situation by moving decision-making, resources and key points of emphasis on those who are closest to the problems. The concept is defined in different ways but it has to do with vulnerable and crisis-affected people taking the lead in determining how aid is used. This means that outside groups have a supporting, not leading role, where and when aid is requested. In short, localization is embodied in the phrase “nothing for us without us.”

We believe humans are underrated. As Horace observed, “adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.” So, our approach emphasizes empathy paired with action. We systematically engage with the people-on-the ground. We seek different perspectives and triangulate facts. In each case, we seek first to understand and, then, be understood. We are upfront about what we can and cannot do.

We also emphasize learning, first within our team and then we those we work. Our assessments are the focus on identifying local capabilities and assets. We try to make something immediately that’s useful. This may be a simple demonstration or finished products, as long as they have an instant impact. Finally, we share what we have made and the knowledge of how to make it openly. Part of our bigger vision is having others adopt what we do so we are pleased to see others replicate our solutions.

So, imagine you are in one of these real-world scenarios:

• An elderly person has had to evacuate their home because of an ongoing natural disaster. Thanks to other aid groups, they’ve been deposited in a safe but empty building with hundreds of other people. The basic essentials – food, water and health care – arrive but they have to sleep on concrete. There is no privacy, no dignity, as each day passes. • A search and rescue worker is digging to find people trapped in a collapsed building. Backhoes, shovels and finally hands are used to find a child who is alive. Yet, with the limited resources at hand, tons of rubble are impossible to move and keep them trapped. If only there were an easy and readily available means to bring the child to safety.

• A physician who is providing care to a terminally-ill patient. The health facility has the equipment needed to save the person, or at least significantly reduce their suffering, but it’s been broken for months and the spare parts simply aren’t available.

• A young mother has been forcibly displaced because of recent fighting. After a harrowing escape, and with nowhere else to turn, she ends up alone in a refugee camp with her two-year-old child. It seems safe but the door to their room has no lock and there are few things for her baby to do.

In traditional assessments and program design efforts, these situations could be missed. The problems could be deemed “too small,” “not important,” or, most likely, “impossible” to do anything about. Moreover, the information so painstakingly gathered and analyzed could be dated and no longer relevant by the time specialist “outsiders” arrive to move the program forward. But in fact, doing something is what aid work is all about and something needs to be done to address these challenges urgently.

Localization can address these issues…and have. We put in place the capability to solve these problems and many more. In a recent response to a volcano in Vanuatu, we provided beds and privacy screens to displaced elderly in a matter of two days. In Syria, our rescue tech equipment has directly the lives of dozens of people. And in numerous countries, we’ve addressed health and protection needs that have been ignored or simply overlooked by other aid groups. This is not only more efficient (i.e., faster and cheaper), it is better than alternative solutions, as it also provides a means of dignity, empowerment and resilience. Despite its impact, our way is still an unusual way of working. So, we ask our partners and donors to understand the difference of our approach. We do our best work in a nimble, localized fashion and supporting us can make all the difference in the world.

MakerNet is an initiative providing systems and tools that connect makers and makerspaces to local markets and manufacturing infrastructure. While the pilot program took place in Nairobi in November of 2016, since then MakerNet has had a number of exciting projects and initiatives.

What is Field Ready's involvement in MakerNet? As one of the partners, we work on in-country programs, designing and manufacturing humanitarian supply items which are appropriate and delivered more quickly and more cheaply than the alternatives. We have demonstrated that this is possible in a few countries so far, using various manufacturing techniques and by making a range of item types identified by local practitioners.

In the past year, MakerNet and Field Ready have been working on an initiative supported by Cisco Foundation, GIZ and IBM.

Here is an executive summary by Naiomi Lundman of Humanitarian Makers and Ana Sera Lowe from MakerNet:

This project built lean and iterative MVPs and furthered partnership development towards a sustainable digital humanitarian production system. It had the goal to develop online platforms to make humanitarian supply production better, faster and cheaper. This project undertook various strategies to do this:

-Analyzing, developing and iterating design file sharing platform(s) to better understand item and user requirements (previously referred to as “Makepedia”)

-Piloting an item testing engagement to advance items towards a usable and reliable stage

-Analyzing marketing efforts to understand and grow engagement

-Conducting interviews to explore three systems proposed to help agencies buy from local manufactures in countries and communities where they work (referred to as “Makernet”)

To read the full report here.

As our program in Fiji progresses, Field Ready has recently hired five new team members, helping to further build out our local capacity and bringing the team up to seven staff.

Jean, Krishneel, Karthiyani, Luke, Taufa - (Red Cross Coordinator), Ade, Laisa (L to R)

Jean Matthias is the new Executive Administrator. She is tasked with continuing to help build our operations in the region. She is highly skilled management professional with extensive experience and will be a huge asset to the team.

We recently hired four technical interns who possess a diverse set of skills. Laisa Meo is the newly appointed Intern Technician, completing her studies at Fiji National University with a degree in Architectural Technology. Peni Qio is a General Technician Intern and graduated with a trade certificate in Fitting and Machining from Fiji National University. In addition to having worked as a fitter machinist, boiler operator, he is also a firefighter!

Krishneel Singh is Field Ready Fiji's Digital Fabrication Intern Technician. He is a final year Electrical and Electronics Engineering student at the University of South Pacific. Karthiyani Nambiar is a graduate engineer in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of South Pacific and is the Electrical Intern Technician.

We are eager to see all of the skills that our new team brings to Field Ready!

Reuf (pictured left) is the Technical Advisor to our Iraq project. He is originally from Sarajevo, Bosnia. So he is intimately familiar with the realities of modern conflict, the process of reconstruction and what it takes to locally make solutions using partnership, ingenuity, technological know-how and hard work.

Reuf has extensive experience in making, engineering and training based in part on having his own company, HIVE Creative Agency, where he is a 3D print lab owner and instructor. Prior to his work in the 3D printing industry, he worked as a supply specialist for international peacekeeping forces and than as a supply analyst.

As a Technical Advisor, one of his main roles is to help establish the Mosul Space and improve on their skills and help with healthcare facility repairs.

Reuf has previously helped with medical repairs, but he was specifically drawn to this project because of the extensive damage to Mosul. Having lived through the war in Bosnia, he wanted to help local health facilities by training the local population to become more equipped to respond to a range of issues.

When asked why he wanted to work for Field Ready, he said “I know what it is like during the war and this type of support is more than welcome because people in such situations are missing the basics. Making things locally makes life easier, especially something being repaired that helps people suffering.”

While there are many exciting aspects to the project in Iraq, when asked what excites him most, he said, "what excites me the most is the young engineers working so hard and making a big impact. Many of them learned through the internet and are incredibly devoted to learning new things. Even though I teach them new skills, I find that they have taught me by giving me a new perspective. I know how hard it can be in war, and I want to show them the way to build a better future."

Reuf expressed the positive impact the space has already had in the city, especially after the occupation. With much of the social life and opportunities missing, Mosul Space has served as a place for young people to find community, share ideas and make things that are valuable.

Stay tuned to hear more about our project in Iraq!

When establishing the Scouting movement, Sir Baden Powell devised a brilliant motto “Be Prepared.” For more than a century, this has provided good stead for millions of Scouts. Many, however, stress the importance of planning instead.

There is a tendency, sometimes even a “default position,” toward planning for planning sake. This is based on a belief that the future can be predicted and controlled. After all, this is a standard “manager’s approach” that works well in the right situations. It assumes stasis and linearity. It is typified in detailed strategic plans, the kind that lasts for years. In product development, it is seen in the “waterfall” approach. In travel, it is the itinerary. In architecture, it is the blueprint.

But there are many situations that defy this common mindset. These situations, especially emergencies and disasters, are typified by their high levels of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, planning isn’t always possible. In fact, it can be detrimental where it seeks to control, be comprehensive and limit the challenges posed by ambiguity and change. So we need to rely on good, old-fashioned preparation.

This leads to a few questions we ask ourselves: If we’re really prepared, do we need to plan every detail (i.e., can our planning make it so that the “perfect is the enemy of the good”)? Conversely, if we aren’t really prepared, are we able to effectively deal with rapid change, ambiguity and unknowns that are ever present in the field? What if a situation changes rapidly and an assessment’s data is no longer correct? If we’re prepared, we can easily respond and make a real difference.

To ensure that we’re always prepared, we follow a few basic tenets:

We start with the right mindset: Disasters are by their very nature hard to predict. But can be dealt with through preparedness. We often think in nonlinear ways and use systems that anticipate change. This idea is also captured by the tool known as the Eisenhower Matrix, popularized by Stephen Covey. In that framework, the quadrant that is important but not urgent focuses on preparation so that when something is both urgent and important it can be dealt with effectively. Simply put, we “expect the unexpected.”

We train, have actionable guidelines and flexible systems: We have an effective and growing emergency response capacity staffed by professionals and volunteers from a diverse set of backgrounds. This team is vetted and undergoes immersive training that stresses working in constantly changing situations of high ambiguity. The Field Ready approach they learn is easy to understand and simple to implement. Checklists and other tools help ensure consistency but also don’t constrain how our teams work.

We encourage creativity and disagreement: We orientate our management toward the “field” (this in our name after all). This is based on high levels of trust. We follow ways of working that emphasize constant feedback and improvement (e.g., kaizen and lean methods are two examples). Our weekly calls allow those close to the action go first while the rest of us listen for ways we can provide support. If someone is working on an idea in one program while someone else in another program can offer a counter idea, it is discussed. Others not immediately connected might be consulted as well. In the end, the “cream rises to the top” and the best ideas win. This would be next to impossible to plan from the start so instead we are prepared to work this way throughout.

We do strategic planning in a modern way: Instead of a detailed strategic plan, we have a long-term “roadmap” which is put together through a consultative process and in a way that leaves it as a “living document.” This follows Winston Churchill who was to have said: “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.” This prepares us to be responsive to change, adopt new technologies and ways of working, and pivot when appropriate.

To see more about how we work, please get involved and order Managing Humanitarian Innovation: The Cutting Edge of Aid (Practical Action 2018).

Following three years of occupation by ISIL and intense fighting to remove them, the healthcare system of the Northern Iraqi city of Mosul has been left in shambles. Many healthcare facilities were destroyed as they were used as safe havens, yet they face increasing demand as displaced population return to the region.

At the same time a community of young techies gathered to find ways to improve the lives of their compatriots through building the capacity for innovation and technology uptake, particularly among local youth. They have formed what is called Mosul Space,

Field Ready teamed up with Caritas Czech, which was looking for innovative projects in healthcare, to bring their experience fixing and making for healthcare systems in complex environments across the world to Mosul and Ninewah Governorate.

This project allowed Mosul Space to established a physical presence as the first makerspace in Mosul, not only proving immediate technical solutions to the healthcare sector, but also providing youth in Mosul with a safe place to gather, learn more about technology and innovation and to meet like-minded people.

Field Ready worked closely with the young engineers of Mosul space to build their skills in 3D modeling and 3D printing through intensive, tailored training and mentorship. As the rest of the makerspace is equipped in conjunction with Caritas Czech, Mosul Space staff and volunteers are learning about the full-range of workshop tools.

Most crucially this training included how to sensitively carry-out assessments in a health-center and identify the key items to fix or make which have a real impact on staff and patients. Field Ready's team in Syria and the Caritas' bio-medical engineer in Mosul combined experience is a valuable combination in kicking off this program and ensuring it starts on the rights note.

Hospital visits have only just begun, but already a hinge, a door and a door lock have been made to replace broken parts for a couple of different incubators (a common problem we have found across the globe) and an axle wheel stand for an ECG cart is under development.

Over the coming weeks and months, more visits will be made to health centers to scale this assistance. As we build health worker confidence by providing quick solutions to the first problems they bring to us, we expect to have many more repairs and new supplies developed.

Field Ready is honored to announce that Mr. Usamah Shamma, Field Ready's team leader in Syria, is the inaugural winner. Without a doubt he embodies the very best of what this award is all about. During the past year, Usamah has displayed extraordinary commitment, unusual talent and extreme resilience in facing a multitude of risks in creating life-saving things in Syria.

For the individuals, institutions and governments that support and contribute to the humanitarian cause, take a long proud look at this year ‘s recipient. He is the embodiment and proof of their commitment in action. The staff, leadership and Board of Directors of Field Ready are truly honored to recognize his accomplishments.”

"His work is amazing. People say good things can’t happen in Syria, but he and his team prove them wrong.”

-Eric James, Field Ready Executive Director

“Our Humanitarian of the Year award goes to those who truly demonstrate the vision and impact our founders have set out in transforming international aid for better.”

-Conrad Nowak, Field Ready Board Member

Usamah was instrumental in successfully implementing Field Ready’s project which creates life-saving devices used in search and rescue, firefighting and other situations where people at immediate risk. More can be found here and here. Dr. James added, “He is not only a credit to this organization and those around him but to humanity everywhere.”

For more information please contact Tessa at:

tessa.lavdiotis@fieldready.org

The African Cross Roads Conferencetook place beginning on December 11, focusing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The conference took place in Marrakesh and brought together a community of future-oriented African thinkers and doers.

African Crossroads is a community of future-oriented African thinkers and doers which meets annually to exchange and critically reflect on the most cutting-edge entrepreneurial, scientific, artistic, and technological developments anchored in African intellectual and technological traditions.

Susan Long, Field Ready Innovation Advisor to the Middle East was one of the participants and speakers at the program. The conference included presentations, workshops, multi-media art exhibitions. Susan presented on the panel, “Connecting Hubs to Value Chains”, here is the synopsis:

This roundtable discussion will bring together the managers of hubs, ecosystem actors, entrepreneurs, and more to discuss how collaborative spaces in Africa can effectively address value chain gaps with specific sectors relevant to their communities. Specifically, this roundtable will discuss whether spaces should tailor their services to specific industries or types of members, as sector-focused hubs, and how contributes to spaces’ sustainability and/ or impact on their local environments.

In November, Field Ready's Andrew Lamb, Ben Britton and Ram Chandra Thapa went on an action assessment in Bhutan. The trip's aim was to get a strong sense of the capabilities and opportunities to support these on-the-ground and to share Field Ready's approach through training and demonstrations.

Bhutan is a small Himalayan country in South Asia, sandwiched between India and China. The country has less than a million people. It is widely known for its Gross National Happiness Index.

Our team was invited on behalf of FabLab Bhutan. The Royal Bhutan Government’s Ministry of Labour and Human Resources and the FabLab plans to move into schools and support over 10,000 young learners to develop their design and making skills over the next few years.

The country is also looking to increase their disaster response initiatives. While on the assessment, Field Ready facilitated a number of workshops and met with a number of government officials and potential donors. Some of the other activities that took place include, facilitating a 3DP workshop for disaster preparedness, leading workshops with teachers and students and visiting the College of Science and Technology. Field Ready is actively looking at how we can further support this.

Overall, it was a successful assessment and we are excited to see Field Ready reach new places.

Ben Savonen is part of Field Ready's emergency response team and was previously deployed in South Sudan. Ben is currently working on his Ph.D. at Penn State and is the Founder of Kijenzi, a social venture focused on using low-cost 3D printing to address critical supply chain gaps.

In October, he represented Field Ready in the Lake Victoria Challenge (LVC) in Tanzania. The Lake Victoria Challenge Trial & Symposium, brought together 280+ policymakers, drone manufacturers and operators, designers, entrepreneurs, local stakeholders and global thought leaders in Mwanza, Tanzania.

The LVC asks what could happen if Africa can unlock the lower skies as a resource for mobility. This unique event explores the emerging transportation technologies that can leapfrog Africa’s infrastructure deficit and address the continent’s infrastructure, public health and mobility challenges with a visionary, safe and scalable solution

While Field Ready doesn’t explicitly work with drones, there is a lot we can do to collaborate and work we can do with drone ports.