Learning from Dhaka: Insights from grassroots innovations

The Disasters Emergencies Preparedness Programme (DEPP) Innovation Labs are composed of national and international humanitarian organisations under the Start Network and CDAC that support innovation emerging from communities in times of crisis. The Bangladesh DEPP lab is one of four labs recently supported by UK Aid for a two year period (2017-2019). This network of labs also extends to Jordan, the Philippines and Kenya. While each lab followed the core principles of lean innovation each adopted their own approach to applying this methodology.

The Bangladesh DEPP lab named the Udhvabani1 Innovation lab is led by the Dhaka Community Hospital Trust (DCHT) in partnership with SEEDS India, the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), University of New South Wales, Australia (UNSW)2 and the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN).