Rethink Relief

Rethink Relief is a program that I co-founded in 2011 with the vision of creating innovative technologies and products to fill the gaps between the initial humanitarian response to a disaster or conflict, and the resettlement and recovery that follows. We use Co-creation to generate ideas for better design of humanitarian equipment.

After convening three international design summits that enabled humanitarian workers, engineers, and affected populations to build relationships and co-create technologies, programs, and tools, we have expanded our vision to develop a three-pronged approach to working with affected populations:

1. Training people in camps and displaced situations in the design process to build their capacity to create and develop technologies, products or services

2. Designing products that address immediate needs while simultaneously preparing people for future resettlement and transition, through an inclusive and collaborative process.

3. Developing an ecosystem of programs and partners to support refugee-led innovation, co-design between emergency affected populations and humanitarian organizations. This include on-going training and the implementation of Comunity-Based Maker Space.

Collaboration with

  • MIT D-Lab
  • TU Delft
  • MSF (Doctors Without Borders)