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The Social Innovation Lab is a partnership between Field Ready and Kudra, a maker space that provides an innovation area for start-ups, social entrepreneurs and the humanitarian sector to develop their own solutions and products. The lab is based in Gaziantep, Turkey.
Kudra, an NGO that implements effective and sustainable comprehensive developmental programs, brings the experience in working with communities, particularly building skills in entrepreneurship, design thinking etc. and running accelerator programs (among other activities), the physical space, and will operate the center on a day-to-day basis. Field Ready harnesses its technical expertise in digital and appropriate manufacturing and product development in difficult environments to form a strong partnership with Kudra.
The Social Innovation Lab will both serve the local community of 'maker's and entrepreneurs, allowing them to prototype and test product ideas to create livelihood opportunities - starting with the cohort of Kudra's current accelerator program for refugees and host community, Start. It will also provide aid organizations, and local manufacturers who supply or wish to supply them, with the ability to develop new products and solutions to meet the very immediate needs within Syria.
The opening event took place on Friday, September 22. The two-hour introduction session was an open house for members of the humanitarian and development community in Gaziantep. This served as a time to show people the space and learn about the type of work it can support. The workshop took place after the open-house and was geared towards makers and engineers and people with prior experience. We introduced participants in how they might use this space and future ways to get involved.
With the disproportional number of young people out of work and looking for livelihood opportunities we are eager to see how this space will be used to transform people’s lives to develop skills to further advance business ideas and make useful items.