Inspiration from the social innovation frontlines against COVID-19

The times of uncertainty we are all experiencing right now have presented a new set of challenges for many of us, both companies and communities. That is why social enterprises, such as those supported by the TRANSFORM initiative, are so important.

Projects such as these in Bangladesh combine local knowledge and experience working together with others to create much-needed solutions to the current COVID-19 crisis.

Through their understanding of local communities, these enterprises are able to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges with localised, on-the-ground, practical solutions. At the moment, they are adapting to broaden local support.

Projects like HappyTap, for example, are more relevant than ever before. The portable hand-washing solution, which recently scaled to Bangladesh, encourages behaviour change regarding hygiene and ensures more people are protected.

 

Supporting TRANSFORM’s mission

Several of these projects, and many more, were gathered and selected by TRANSFORM using Exago’s open innovation software. Through the platform, in two distinct challenge cycles, applicants were able to share their ideas and collaborate to solve challenges such as access to basic sanitation, last-mile distribution and consumer awareness for safe drinking water.

TRANSFORM is a unique collaboration between Unilever, the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and EY that provides funding and support to market-based solutions in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Its goal is to enable up to 100 million people in these regions to gain access to products and services that have been shown to improve health, livelihoods, the environment or wellbeing by 2025. Here are some of the projects in TRANSFORM’s portfolio, powered by Exago.