Low Tech Humanitarian Innovation Project in Greece (planning phase)

Low Tech Humanitarian Innovation Project in Greece (planning phase)

I am planning a humanitarian innovation project in Greece with Field Ready and Soup & Socks (Habibi Workspace) starting in July. I am looking for contacts, networking opportunities, funding prospects and like-minded individuals who want to join. The short term goal is to build a lot of humanitarian items for refugees and poor people. While the mid-term goal is to build a sustainable presence for all the partnering organizations within Greece through a well funded humanitarian project. Find out more about me and our work in this Dropbox and here is a short video of our work in Jordan: If you have questions or would like to join the effort, kindly contact me at [email protected] ...
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iZone Hub has a new address

iZone Hub has a new address

We have finally found a home for iZone Hub in the city centre of Harare, Zimbabwe and we like to call it a 'makerspace' – a place where makers, innovators, creatives and small business people can become part of a community of like minded people. Our first activity was to start up a maker community through partnering with GIG hackers Cairo Hackerspace to help us learn about 3D printing. This initiative also included Design Hub Kampala. Check out the hashtag #3DAfricaTour.   #3DAfricaTour ended today, what a fantastic time! Congratulations to all who completed the workshops and are part of our new #Maker community We are sooooo excited to have what we think may be the first #3Dprinter in an innovation space in town! Let the creation begin! pic.twitter.com/K1bvV3tKB6 — iZoneHub 🇿🇼 (@iZoneHub) July 5, 2018 ...
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Building the commons and working social innovation from the bottom up

Building the commons and working social innovation from the bottom up

The year 2017 was the growth and consolidation of the Procomum Institute in Santos, on the coast of São Paulo, Brazil. We are working as a network in the construction and promotion of common goods and using citizen innovation and free culture to improve people's lives and solve local problems. Among other projects, we carried out the first edition of the LABxS Circuit  - our citizen innovation festival in which 13 ideas were selected in a public call and carried out actions to promote common goods in the Baixada Santista. The festival was marked by collective work and strengthening of citizenship. With all that we have learned, we have developed the Maral methodology so that the festival can be replicated in other territories and by other organizations. Have you considered promoting low-cost actions of citizen innovation? >> Read the full text in English at procomum.org/[…] Yes! We have a Lab The Procomum Institute has reached an agreement with a former Social Association and...
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Join the global alliance of makers and local manufacturers

Join the global alliance of makers and local manufacturers

In 2016, several GIG members came together to launch the MakerNet Consortium. Starting with a pilot project in Kenya, MakerNet explored how products needed for development and humanitarian purposes can be made locally by digital designers and hardware entrepreneurs, rather than being imported. From the work we’ve done so far, we know that this is both technically feasible and economically viable. MakerNet is now expanding into a broader alliance, to bring together people and organizations working on different aspects of local manufacturing worldwide to:  Share knowledge Connect with new partners and facilitate collaboration Design tools, norms and standards needed to help local manufacturers connect with market opportunities Do you work with makers and local manufacturers in your community? Get in touch with us at [email protected] or sign up at makernetalliance.org ...
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Building a living, collaborative Atlas of innovation spaces worldwide

Building a living, collaborative Atlas of innovation spaces worldwide

Thanks to a GIG meeting during re:publica 2016, Chinmayi SK and I met some folks from giz who funded the development of our Atlas of Innovation Spaces. With some mapping help from Bilal Ghalib, Lukonga Lindunda, Martín Restrepo, and Gabi Agustini, and beautiful graphics by Joséphine Lesaffre, we’re building a living, collaborative Atlas of all the community innovation spaces worldwide. We're finishing up development and plan to launch the platform officially in June. Our data is rather out-of-date, so we're currently recruiting regional moderators if you'd like to volunteer... Thanks! >> Contact Anna on LinkedIn or Twitter >> Link to the Atlas of Innovation Spaces...
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Human-Centered Design in Nepal

Nepal Communitere held a 2 day Human-Centered Design masterclass for our new I-Cube business incubation program cohort of young Nepali entrepreneurs on Dec. 19th & 20th. The launch and HCD workshop was developed by DSIL Global based in Bangkok, Thailand. SAVE the DATE: Nepal Communitere will be hosting the next Kathmandu Mini Makerfaire showcasing Humanitarian Makers to take place in Sep. 2018 - either the 22 & 23 or the 29 & 30. Let us know if you plan to be there and which dates you prefer. If you have leads on international sponsors/funders to help cover travel for global makers to share their work, let Bahar know....
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PitchDrive in Berlin: A visit from Africa’s top 14 Startups

PitchDrive in Berlin: A visit from Africa’s top 14 Startups

Africa is at the start of a technological renaissance. Last year, it was estimated that African startups raised a record-breaking total of $366.8 million in investment, with the top 10 destinations being Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia and Uganda. The PitchDrive competition selected 14 of Africa’s top startups to go on a tour through Europe to raise capital and awareness. PitchDrive is organized by the Nigerian innovation space CcHUB, powered by Google for Entrepreneurs. PitchDrive is a tour through exciting tech cities in Europe (London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Zurich and Paris) to pitch to investors, explore international opportunities and learn about frontier technology markets. On Wednesday August 23rd the startups came to Berlin to meet investors and actors of the local ecosystem. They were hosted by GIG the Global Innovation Gathering, an international organization that supports exchange between innovators from across the world. In cooperation with the PitchDrive team from CCHub, GIG organized the group's...
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GIG is the global network of social and technological innovators. WHO? Global Innovation Gathering (GIG) is a vibrant, diverse community of innovation hubs, makerspaces, hackerspaces and other grassroot innovation community spaces and initiatives as well as individual innovators, makers, technologists and changemakers. WHY? GIG is pursuing a new vision for global cooperation based on equality, openness and sharing. We aim to enable more diversity in the production of technology, and global innovation processes and support open and sustainable solutions developed by grassroot innovators. WHEN + WHAT? The GIG network has been growing steadily since its founding at re:publica 2013 and was registered as a nonprofit association in Berlin in 2016. HOW? With strong roots in the global south, we share, collaborate and work together globally. GIG provides a platform for meaningful exchange by fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration between its members. Members convene at different events throughout the year to create synergies among themselves as well as with other event attendees. In addition, the network maintains continuous exchange...
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