an idea worth sharing

8/13/2019 An IDEA worth sharing.

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Ofce of Innovation and Development Alliances

An IDEA

worth sharing.A year in review.

hoto Credit: AFP/Marc Hofer


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hoto Credit: Patrick Baz

There is no escaping our obligations:

our moral obligations as a wise leader

and good neighbor in the interdependent

community of free nations

our economic

obligations as the wealthiest people in a

world of largely poor people, as a nation

no longer dependent upon the loans from

abroad that once helped us develop our

own economy

and our political obligations as the

single largest counter to the

adversaries of freedom.

John F. Kennedy


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Dear USAID Colleagues,These words spoken by President John F. Kennedy are truer today than they were in 1961

when he established USAID as the singular point providing U.S. foreign development assistance

From the American People for social and economic development.

In 2010, President Barack Obama echoed President Kennedys words by signing the Presiden-

tial Policy Directive on Global Development (PPD), marking the rst time a U.S. Administration has

formally signaled international development for U.S. national security as a strategic, economic,

and moral imperative for the United States. The PPD emphasizes new trends of game-changing

innovations and development technologies, elevates locally sustainable systems and higher lev-

eraged partnerships with the potential to solve long-standing development challenges.

The Agency embodies the PPD principles and reforms in USAID Forward. New trends in inter-

national development are emerging and showing strong potential for improving the everydaylives of people around the world. With this in mind, USAID leadership founded the Ofce of

Innovation and Development Alliances (IDEA) in 2011 to build on our collective experiment-ing, create systematic approaches for catalyzing these trends, elevate and integrate these new

trends in the Agencys fabric. The IDEA Ofce specically addresses four systematic approaches

Local Sustainability-Strengthening local solutions to local challenges by building capacity

for sustainable development. Global Partnerships-Building partnerships with the private sector for sustainable, cost-

effective development. Mobile Solutions-Capitalizing on mobile technology for development.

Development Innovation Ventures-Testing and scaling cost-efcient development solu-

tions

In the work that we all do, were taking advantage of these trends, applying them in unique and

complex environments, and drawing lessons. Diverse alliances across many sectors and areas of

expertise are needed to advance local needs for lasting change and locally sustainable solutions.

After one year, there are shining examples of innovation, partnerships, local sustainability, and

mobile technology for development happening all across the Agency that the men and women ofUSAID in Missions around the world deliver every day. It is our pleasure to share just a handful

of these impactful stories with you.


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Photo Credit: People to People Humana Indi

Local SustainabilityLocal solutions to local challenges: Building capacity for sustainable development

In Indian villages without power, light often comesfrom hazardous kerosene lamps. Ten year old Divya*of Uttar Pradesh burned herself badly when a lampspilled fuel on her clothes, catching re. To offer a safe,

clean, and affordable alternative to kerosene lamps,the nonprot organization Humana People to PeopleIndia (HPPI) - with funding from the demand-drivenIDEA/LS Development Grants Program - set up 100

community-based solar charging stations for 6,000solar-powered lamps to serve thousands of non-electried households like Divyas. To secure nancingfor individuals to purchase lamps, over 300 womenscommunity savings groups were created to poolresources. These collective funds have nanced other

local efforts, including the establishment of groceryshops run by female entrepreneurs.

IDEA/LS funding is intended to create sustainable pro-gramming capable of meeting local needs without de-pending on donor support. After the grant had endedin 2011, the HPPI program continued to grow throughpartnerships with private companies that have led tothe creation of mini-grids small, solar-based powerunits capable of providing basic household electric-ity to 40 households at a time. This year, HPPI and an

Indian energy company partnered to set up 80 gridswith up-front capital investments coming from villageentrepreneurs.

There is a strong - and growing - consensus amongglobal donors on the importance of supporting sus-tainable development through the empowerment oflocal actors and responding to local demands. Build-ing partnerships with local organizations requires

time and investment, yet the payoffs can mean localstakeholders increase their capacity and ownership ofdevelopment solutions. IDEA/LS works closely withmore than 50 Missions, offering a variety of resourcesto strengthen local partners, from supporting cooper-ative development to providing risk capital to nanceand learn from demand-driven local solutions. Thedivision encourages Mission partnerships with local

actors intimately aware of the context-specic chal-lenges facing their communities, in order to foster thedevelopment of local solutions to local challenges.*Name changed to protect identity.

Partner with IDEA/LS.We offer ve programs de-signed to strengthen the capacity of local organizations torespond to development challenges. IDEA/LS is fosteringthe conditions for sustainable development by supportingNGOs, voluntary organizations, and cooperatives; expand-ing the reach of Missions through the Peace Corps; andconnecting local organizations with the equipment neces-sary to achieve their goals. Find more information aboutthe Local Sustainability Division or contact our team [email protected].


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Global PartnershipsBuilding partnerships to achieve sustainable development outcomes

Seven hundred thousand people die each year fromcounterfeit TB and malaria drugs. This is the challengethat Sproxil, Inc., a technology company in Kenya, set

out to tackle with its prescription medication veri-cation and tracking system. Sproxils solution wassimplea scratch card on each pack of medicationrevealing a numerical code that, when texted to aphone number veries if the drug is genuine or fake.Today, Sproxil has introducedits products in ve countries,where it reaches over 1 mil-lion consumers.Sproxil was a winner of the

African Diaspora Market-place (ADM), a businessplan competition designedto harness the dynamismof Africas diaspora com-munities. USAID and Western Union partnered to

provided seed capital and technical assistance tojump-start businesses back home that also focusedon local development outcomes. ADM seed capitalhad a multiplier effect, often spurring investment fromother sources. First round winners leveraged their

$100,000 matching grants on average 10 to 1.The ADM model is an approach increasingly usedby USAID Bureaus to engage and scale partnerships

between diaspora communities and private sectorcompanies. With our involvement, the Africa Bureaupartnered with Western Union to build ADM II in

2011. Additionally, the LAC Bureau created a partner-ship to support Latin American small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs in July 2012 launched at the

Global Diaspora Forum. As Secretary of State HillaryClinton said, Were going to nd the best ideas andhelp them grow into successful businesses that createvalue and jobs throughout the hemisphere.

The Global Partnerships(IDEA/GP) Divisionfocuseson advancing partnershipsthat align business interests

and capabilities with devel-opment objectives, and that

are cost-effective, scalable,and sustainable in the long-term. We champion theAgencys partnership ef-forts in two primary ways-

-building Global Development Alliances (GDAs) to

address key Agency priorities, and supporting Missionsand Bureaus by providing advisory services, tools, andtraining to help build impactful partnerships.

Partner with IDEA/GP Division: We welcome op-

portunities to work with Missions and Bureaus to identifyways to strategically leverage partnerships with the privatesector and support our shared core development goals.

More information about our tools and technical assistanceare at www.usaid.gov/idea/gp. Contact our teamor emailus at [email protected].

Photo Credit: The Coca-Cola Company

Photo Credit: USAID African Diaspora Marketplace


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Highlighting Agencys Innovation, SustSelect the image below to learn more.

USAIDandInte

lpartnerfor

technologyand

education

inAfrica.

PhotoCredit: HearlyG. Mayr,PADF

PhotoCredit:In

telCorporatio

n

PhotoCredit:IBM

PhotoCredit:KendraH

elmer

ScalingInnovative

SolutionsInHai

ti

MedicalEquipmentFromWalterReedHospitalHeadstoLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean

USAIDandIBMbringcorporateexpertisetodevelopingandemergingmarketinAfrica


7/12Photo Credit: AFP/NASA Earth O

ability and Alliances

PhotoCredit:Sanergy

TurningPoopintoPowerinKenya

Fightingexploi

tationand

humantrafck

ing.PhotoC

redit:MTVExit

CashingOutofCorruption

inAfghanistan

PhotoCredit:JanChipchase

hanistan

nceforFoodandtionSecurity

PhotoCredit:Sanergy

PhotoCredit:U

SAID


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Photo Credit: Manpreet Roman

Mobile SolutionsCapitalizing on mobile technology for development

Hakimas family took refuge in Iran during Afghani-stans brutal civil war. At the age of 10, she movedback, aspiring to help rebuild her country as a teacher.

Now a student at Kabul University, Hakima is one of

eight winners of the mobile app design competitionsupported by USAID, and her entry will help Afghanbusinesswomen get easy access to their money. Mo-bile money will give women better control over theirown money to support their businesses and families,Hakima said.Hakimas story is just one example of how the Mobile

Solutions (IDEAS/MS) team is leveraging the powerand reach of mobile technology to accelerate USAIDs

development goals. Over the last year, MS helpedlaunch the Better Than Cash Alliance,which aims tomove the world toward a more transparent, efcient,inclusive cash-lite society, partneredwith Citigroupto spur the adoption of mobile money in ve coun-tries, and supported the mWomen Design Chal-lenge, which aims to develop a more intuitive mobileuser experience for illiterate populations, particularlywomen.

IDEA/MS is working with a number of Missions to

launch mobile money programs in their countriesas part of the USAID Forward Initiative. Over thelast year, nearly 300,000 Afghans can now pay theirelectricity bills via their mobile phone, over 5 million

transactions have been conducted via mobile moneyin Haiti, and soon, the Scaling Innovations in MobileMoney (SIMM) program in the Philippines will gener-ate 1.3 million active mobile money users. The Phil-lippines is one of six countries that signed up for theUSAID Forward Indicator for Mobile Money, whichaims to increase mobile money usage to 20 percent ofthe mobile subscriber base by 2016.In the year ahead, IDEA/MS will expand its work inmobile money, mobile access, and launch its mobiledata collection strategy to support evidence-baseddecision making and empower local populations tohold donors accountable.

Partner with IDEA/MS:If you want to develop aprogram in mobile money, mobile data collection or mobileaccess, want help integrating mobile technology in existingprograms, want to learn more about our existing partner-

ships or pitch an idea, we would love to hear from you.More information about Mobile Solutions is at ourweb

pageor contact our team at [email protected].


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Development Innovation VenturesTesting and Scaling cost-effective solutions

14 Killed in Crash is an all too common headlinein Kenya, where minibus rides are notorious perils. In

the next 20 years, Africas deaths from road accidentsare set to be double those from malaria, and already

cost the African continent $10 billion annually.

A pair of Georgetown researchers devised an experi-ment to see if simple messaging could help save livesaboard Kenyas minibuses. The researchers pilot study,which involved 2,400 vehicles, showed striking results:

inside a random selection of the minibuses, stickersencouraged passengers to chide dangerous drivers.Compared to rates for buses without stickers, road

accident insurance claims fell by half, and claims in-

volving injury or death dropped by two-thirds.Thecost of the pilot was a diminutive $8 per disability-adjusted life year. With $290,000 from IDEA/DIV, theresearchers are expanding the pilot to reach approxi-mately 10,000 minibuses in Kenya.

This example is just one of many innovative approach-es seen over the past year. IDEA/DIVrecognizesthat good ideas can come from anywhere, and holdscompetitions open to any organization with innova-tive solutions to core development priorities. DIV

tests these approaches and helps scale those that candrastically improve outcomes at a lower cost than

standard development practice, and that could poten-tially reach millions of people. Through DIVs model,USAID has invested in around 40 projects across 17countries and 9 sectors. 23% of DIV winners are so-cial enterprises and others in the private sector, 41%

are non-prot organizations, and 34% are academicsand research organizations.

Partner with IDEA/DIV: Discussing forthcomingprojects in Haiti, USAID/Haiti Program Ofcer Rebecca

Jones notes, Weve been thrilled at the diversity andingenuity of proposed solutions to some of Haitis most dif-cult development challenges. Were seeing that DIV is not

just another opportunity but an inspiration to our Haitian

partners and our own staff to think beyond the traditionalapproaches.

We welcome Bureaus and Missions assistance spreadingthe wordto local organizations operating in-country, espe-cially qualied non-traditional partners, about how to applyto DIV. We reach out to Missions and Bureaus for feed-back on all nalist applications, and welcome opportuni-ties to discuss co-funding and/or co-managing awards. Weare glad to brief Missions with a DIV 101 session, and to

disseminate lessons learned from the successes and chal-

lenges of particular approaches. More information aboutIDEA/DIV is available at www.usaid.gov/div.The IDEA/DIVteam can be contacted at [email protected].

Photo Credit: AFP/Romeo Gaca

Photo Credit: Georgetown Univers


10/12hoto Credit: Jon Hrusa

We need to be bold in how we think about partnering, and

not be afraid to set audacious goals for what we can achieve

when we work together, as such

audaciousness is what can inspire new

partners to take action.

USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah June 19, 2012

Special Thanks to following contributors: Cynthia Jasso-Rotunno, Nicole Emmett, Thomas Carter, Gina Volynsky, Elvira Felix, Charley Johnson, Carolyn Edelstein, D

Grant, Matthew Corso, Ricardo Michel and Kat Townsend.


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Action Call for Ideas.

Todays USAID is accelerating and elevating development solutions in ways unimagined when

President Kennedy established it in 1961 thanks in part to President Obama and Secretary Cli

tons solid global development policy, the bold leadership of Dr. Shah, and over_x_ dedicated mand women of USAID around the globe.

The Ofce of Innovation and Development Alliances aims to increase USAIDs ability to leverag

new partnerships, innovations, and platforms that accelerate and amplify sustainable develop-ment outcomes. The four stories depicting innovation, partnerships, local sustainability, and mobsolution approaches represent a small sample of work delivered by the IDEA Ofce. Together w

colleagues across the Agency, we strive to bring more cost effective, innovative solutions to som

of the most intractable development challenges. Crowd sourcing diverse ideas from anywhere a

encouraging new partnerships helps ensure that USAID interventions have a lasting impact.

After 51 years delivering humanitarian assistance and promoting social and economic develop-ment, our USAID workforce and culture continue to serve as a reection of core American valu

-values that are rooted in a belief for doing the right thing. Yet, we should constantly ask, Are w

doing our best to seek and nd the most creative solutions that will help the worlds poor? Are

investing solutions in developing countries that will have the long-term benet for the American

people? These questions can be answered if we bring all our collective energy, resources andknow-how to the table and share learning across sectors and regions.

That is why the IDEA Ofce needs your help. We take the alliances part of our name serious

We want to learn together and disseminate what we learned in our rst year, especially rst-of

kind development approaches. In year two, we will continue sharing stories of innovation, partnships, local sustainability, and mobile solution trends through our IDEA E-zine. Look for our rst

E-zine [insert link] edition on Global Partnerships in mid-December.

Together we can accomplish so much more by working in close collaboration with our fellow of

cers, stakeholders, traditional and non-traditional partners alike. Join us as we look forward toanother year of great ideas, new partners and lasting change. We also encourage you to share

your story with us at [email protected]. [Ofce1]Hyperlink Story Guidelines.


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