Humanitarian innovation for NGOs - Field test

De-mining Chad is not over! After a first trip last year. Claire Hurbin and Guillaume Ducretet are back on mission with Handicap International - Humanity & Inclusion with the aim of carrying out field tests, one more step for innovation in the service of humanitarian aid.

The genesis

In 2018, more than 7,000 people were victims of antipersonnel mines, i.e. 20 people every day, the majority of whom were civilians. Every day, teams of deminers face this global battle to enable the securing of territories and the acceleration of the release of land to local populations.

Since 2018, Dynergie has been fortunate to accompany Handicap International in its challenge to rethink demining processes and answer the following questions:

• "How do I make a success of my innovation project in a sector as complex as mine clearance?"
• "How do I secure my investment by bringing maximum value to the land?"
• "How do you manage a project under extreme uncertainty?"

View from above the city of Fada.

Capture of critical pain points in the field

In February 2019, we therefore went on a first field trip to Chad, to Faya Largeau, in order to immerse ourselves in the demining ecosystem and thus identify their main pain points. Back in France, we and the Handicap International team selected two critical issues with strong potential for innovation:

💨 How do you work safely on the job site when it is windy and you can't hear the detector signal properly?

📣 How can we optimize feedback between residents and community liaison groups regarding areas at risk (suspected presence of mines or explosive remnants of war)?

This strategic choice to select only the issues with the highest potential is necessary at the end of the first phase of this type of innovation project in order to be able to concentrate its efforts during the next phase: the search for relevant solutions to address them.

Ideation

To carry out this ideation phase and to bring out a maximum of ideas, we used several methodologies in parallel:

• Elaboration of solutions by Dynergie's innovation teams through several brainstormings with Dynergie's teams.
• Organization of a hackathon with engineering students from INSA Lyon. During this event, more than thirty of them were able to work in teams on selected topics, with the support of mine clearance experts. The event ended with a pitch competition in the plenary session, during which they presented their concepts. A fabulous experience, for the students, for Handicap International and for Dynergie.

Pitch of INSA Lyon students during the Hackathon organized by Dynergie.

Armed with all this material to exploit, we then developed solutions to best respond to the two problems identified upstream. We were ready to test these concepts in the field with end users!

Testing of solutions in the field

In order to do so, we went back to Chad in February 2020 to meet deminers, technical advisors in demining and the inhabitants of Chad. After a few days in N'Djamena, we flew and then drove in a 4×4 to Fada, a town located in the North of Chad in the Western Ennedi region.

Our passage at the airport of Abeche on the way to Fada.

Being put in very good working conditions by Handicap International, we were able to carry out our tests with, in particular, work sessions with deminers and technical advisers on a demining site, in real conditions:

• Presentation of the solution: a new generation of detectors that combines two technologies, sound transmission by bone conduction and simple vibration, to maximize the perception of the signal by deminers in case of presence of a metallic object (mine or other)
• Test in use
• Evaluation of the relevance of the solution in response to the problem to be solved
• Recovery of feedback, fears and questions
• Highlighting of possible use constraints

All this feedback is very valuable. If the solution is accepted, it is used directly to feed the specifications of the product that can be developed tomorrow. It is important to note that at this stage of the project, the solution is not yet developed and industrialized, it is conceptualized, mocked up in order to allow the users to project themselves in its use, its strengths and limits. Indeed, as we saw in a previous article, it is very important to be able to validate the relevance of a solution concept before developing it in order to secure the maximum investment. We are typically in this situation here.

Test of our solution on the demining site in Wadi Ewou.

Balance sheet

At the end of these field tests, on the two solutions that we had taken with us :

• one proved not to be adapted to the organization on site and to the constraints of use. Attempts to pivot on the solution were made during the trip but without success. It was therefore discarded for the rest of the project.
• the other, the new generation of detector, has met with 100% positive feedback and all testers have expressed their enthusiasm for using it.

What's next?

The next step is to study the economic viability of this solution for Handicap International before embarking on its technical implementation. To do this, we are working in parallel with Handicap International to seek funding to participate in the continuation of the project.

A very rewarding experience

The challenge was met with flying colors and a solution with great potential emerged! We have come out of this experience stronger and more versatile in terms of our vision of innovation, and we are delighted with this experience with Handicap International. We would like to warmly thank the teams in Lyon, N'Djaména and Fada for having given us this opportunity and for having welcomed us so well on site.

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