MSF Innovation Newsletter August 2023
Finding and fostering innovations from 70+ countries
Some of the most revolutionary ideas start small and come from unexpected places. Finding and fostering innovative ideas from all corners of a global humanitarian organisation as large as MSF is no easy feat.
Responding to this challenge, the MSF Manson Unit developed the Sapling Nursery Programme. The programme aims to help MSF staff explore, develop and test early-stage innovative solutions for challenges in MSF’s projects, to ultimately improve access and quality of care. Going forward, the MSF Sweden Innovation Unit will provide resources and technical support to new Sapling Nursery Programme projects during the exploratory phase. Hence, we are extra excited to share that the Sapling Nursery call for Exploratory Grants 2023-2024 is open until the 15th of October!
In addition to that they can originate from diverse places, life-saving and/or life-changing innovations come in all shapes and sizes. Some innovations offer technical solutions to concrete issues, others come in the form of new or revised processes for promoting positive social change. This edition of the MSF SIU newsletter features examples of both.
In an update from Adré, Chad, we look at how MSF recently deployed a modular hospital kit made up of inflatable tents to cope with the influx of Sudanese refugees in need of medical care. In this edition, we also look at how one MSF staff in Abyei, South Sudan, developed a (for MSF) somewhat different activity to strengthen the relationship between MSF and the local community – a three-day football tournament.
We hope you enjoy the read!
Innovation updates from the MSF movement
Sapling Nursery: Call for Exploratory Grants 2023-2024 open
The Sapling Nursery is now open for applications for their Exploratory Grants.
The Exploratory Grants are aimed at the earlier stage of innovation – the idea and how to realise it. In addition to providing funds, the Sapling Nursery and its partners of internal and external experts will guide grantees through Human Centred Design workshops, connect them with an MSF mentor who can provide additional support for their personal development, and provide advice on taking the idea further should the exploratory phase produce promising results.
In 2023 the Sapling Nursery is encouraging applications for the Exploratory Grants that address the strategic topic of Person-Centred care and Person-Centred Approaches. This opportunity is open to all MSF staff (from OCA, OCB, OCBA and OCP) regardless of location.
Read more and apply here »
Hospital out of thin air
Since the sharp escalation of conflict in Sudan in April, hundreds of thousands of people have fled across the border to Chad. Many arrive in Adré with gunshot wounds and other war injuries that often require surgical care. MSF and Ministry of Health teams have been treating patients at Adré Hospital, but the needs are overwhelming. In response to this situation, MSF teams set up an emergency field hospital in Adré using a modular hospital kit made up of inflatable tents.
The tents are called “inflatable” because they are made up of arches, which, once inflated, create the structure of the building. They are made of weatherproof material that makes them quick and easy to set up and light for transportation. These innovative structures have been used to treat patients in the aftermath of natural disasters in countries like Haiti, the Philippines and Nepal, and in war zones in countries like Yemen and Syria. The one in Adré has a bed capacity for 170 patients, two operation theatres, various support services including X-ray technology, and space to extend the existing maternity wards at the hospital.
Watch how the inflatable hospital came together here »
Talking about soccer, not war
Abdulrahman Khaleel was two months into his role as MSF Project Coordinator in Abyei, South Sudan, when he saw a chance to strengthen engagement between MSF and the local community, which just a year ago was splintered by inter-communal violence. The idea was simple: a multi-day football tournament.
The idea of a soccer tournament between a recently formed MSF football team and the local community materialized with the help of local authorities and youth representatives. The tournament featured 12 local teams and provided a unique opportunity for MSF staff to engage with the community beyond its daily medical-focused activities. The scale of community involvement exceeded expectations.
“We were surprised by the number of people from the community who came out to watch each match," says Khaleel.
Learn more about the tournament and where it fits into MSF's broader work to improve diversity, equity and inclusion within MSF's work in Abyei here »
Resource highlights
Free online course: Humanitarian Action in the Digital Age
Are you a humanitarian worker interested in technology and how it can be used more responsibly? Then the new Humanitarian Action in the Digital Age MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is for you.
The self-paced 6-week course is open to anyone. No specific IT or technical knowledge is required beforehand. Part 1 is designed to give participants a holistic understanding of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The next part explores digital technologies through a humanitarian lens, looking at how to identify risks and opportunities when designing digital solutions.
The course was developed by MSF in collaboration with École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Read, watch, listen:
[MSF SIU] Prioritising people with lived experience as partners to co-create a diabetes Digital Therapeutic (DTx) in Lebanon
Engaging with people with lived experiences is non-negotiable to provide sustainable services which integrate their psychological, social and biological needs. An MSF SIU team is working with people living with diabetes in Lebanon to create a new digital patient support tool. In this blog, we outline the varied forms of co-creation and engagement being explored across the project pathway and showcase how the project is learning from existing information on participatory approaches to health services. Read here »
[MSF] Little Birds: Migrant children tell their stories from a shelter in northern Mexico
Drawing is one way that MSF's mental health workers help migrant children process their experiences. MSF Latin America teamed up with the audiovisual production company ¡Hola! Combo to produce Little Birds, a short, animated documentary. With visuals inspired by the children's own drawings, the documentary features the stories of seven migrant children living at the Senda de Vida shelter in Reynosa, Mexico. Read more and watch the documentary »
[WHO] 2023 Emerging Technologies and Scientific Innovations: A Global Public Health Perspective
A new publication by the WHO features +100 science and technology innovations that could help solve global health challenges. The publication explores opportunities and critical enablers of new health innovations. It also identifies a number of risks associated with some of the most promising emerging technological and scientific innovations and discusses how these can be mitigated. Read here »
[Elrha] Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises Case Studies
Elrha's Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) programme has supported more than 100 humanitarian health research studies since its inception over ten years ago. They recently launched a collection of impact case studies, featuring a selection of very different studies from the R2HC portfolio. The case studies explore the most successful strategies and contextual enablers for influencing humanitarian policy, practice, knowledge, and capacity with evidence. Read here »
In our headphones
Design Thinking Roundtable
Design Thinking for Health
In this episode, guest Bon Ku, an emergency physician and the Assistant Dean for Health and Design at Thomas Jefferson University in the US, talks about the role of design and prototyping in the development of products and services for better healthcare. Bon also talks about collaboration and co-creation and how this is essential to design a better health system. Listen here »
Trumanitarian
How change unfolds in the humanitarian sector
Raphael Gorgeu, Senior Research Associate at the Geneva-based think tank HERE-Geneva, has spent the past couple of years looking at how change unfolds in the humanitarian sector. In this episode of Trumanitarian, a podcast by Talk to Loop, Gorgeu presents his approach and discusses his findings with host Lars Peter Nissen. Listen here »
Until next time👋
As always we would love to hear of any global health innovation insights or thoughts. Anything you would like to feature in the next newsletter? Reach out with any questions or comments on comms.siu@stockholm.msf.org or simply reply to this email—we would be delighted to continue the conversation!
Best wishes,
The MSF Sweden Innovation Unit Team