Humanitarian Innovation for NGOs - Field Test

Clearing landmines in Chad is far from over! Following an initial trip last year. Claire Hurbin and Guillaume Ducretet set out on another mission with Handicap International - Humanité & Inclusion to conduct field tests, marking another step forward for innovation in humanitarian aid.

The Origin

In 2018, more than 7,000 people fell victim to landmines—an average of 20 people every day—the majority of whom were civilians. Every day, teams of deminers are engaged in this global effort to secure these areas and expedite the return of land to local communities.

Since 2018, Dynergie has had the opportunity to support Handicap International in its effort to rethink demining processes and address the following questions:

• “How can I make my innovation project a success in a sector as complex as mine clearance?”
• “How can I protect my investment while maximizing value on the ground?”
• “How do you manage a project in a situation of extreme uncertainty?”

Aerial view of the town of Fada.

Identifying critical pain points in the field

In February 2019, we made our first field trip to Faya Largeau, Chad, to engage directly with stakeholders in the demining sector and identify their main challenges. Upon returning to France, we worked with the Handicap International team to identify two critical issues with significant potential for innovation:

💨 How can you work safely on a construction site when the wind makes it hard to hear the detector’s signal clearly?

📣 How can we improve the flow of information between residents and community liaison groups regarding high-risk areas (where landmines or unexploded ordnance are suspected to be present)?

This strategic decision to select only the issues with the greatest potential is necessary at the conclusion of the first phase of this type of innovation project in order to focus efforts during the next phase: identifying relevant solutions to address them.

Conceptualization

To successfully complete this ideation phase and generate as many ideas as possible, we used several methodologies in parallel:

• Development of solutions by Dynergie’s innovation teams, primarily through a series of brainstorming sessions with Dynergie’s teams.
• Organization of a hackathon with engineering students from INSA Lyon. During this event, more than thirty of them worked in teams to brainstorm ideas on the selected topics with the support of demining experts. The event concluded with a pitch competition in front of the full audience, during which they presented their concepts to us. It was a fabulous experience for the students, for Handicap International, and for Dynergie.

Pitches by INSA Lyon students at the hackathon organized by Dynergie.

Armed with all this material to work with, we then explored potential solutions in greater depth to best address the two issues we had identified earlier. We were fully prepared to test these concepts in the field with end users!

Field testing of solutions

To that end, we returned to Chad in February 2020 to meet with deminers, technical advisors on mine clearance, and local residents. After spending a few days in N’Djamena, we traveled by plane and then by 4×4 to Fada, a town located in northern Chad in the West Ennedi region.

Our stop at Abéché Airport on the way to Fada.

Thanks to the excellent working conditions provided by Handicap International, we were able to successfully complete our tests, which included working sessions with deminers and technical advisors at a demining site under real-world conditions:

• Overview of the solution: a new generation of detectors that combines two technologies—bone conduction and simple vibration—to maximize signal detection by bomb disposal experts when a metallic object (such as a mine or other device) is present
• Field test
• Assessment of the solution's suitability for addressing the problem at hand
• Feedback, Concerns, and Questions
• Highlighting potential usage constraints

All this feedback is extremely valuable. If the solution is approved, it is directly incorporated into the product specifications for future development. It is important to note that at this stage of the project, the solution has not yet been developed or scaled up for production; it has been conceptualized and prototyped to allow users to envision how they would use it, as well as its strengths and limitations. 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 to maximize the security of your investments. This is precisely the situation we are in here.

Testing our solution at the mine clearance site in Wadi Ewou.

Summary

Following these field tests, regarding the two solutions we had brought with us:

• One solution proved unsuitable for the on-site organization and operational constraints. Attempts were made to adapt the solution during the trip, but they were unsuccessful. It was therefore ruled out for the remainder of the project.
• The other, the new generation of detectors, received 100% positive feedback, and all of the testers told us how much they enjoyed using it.

What happens next?

The next step is to assess the economic viability of this solution for Handicap International before moving forward with its technical implementation. To this end, we are working alongside Handicap International to secure funding to help move the project forward.

A very rewarding experience

The challenge was thus met with flying colors, resulting in a solution with great potential! We have emerged from this experience stronger and more versatile in terms of our vision of innovation, and we are delighted with our time working with Handicap International. We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the teams in Lyon, N’Djamena, and Fada for giving us this opportunity and for welcoming us so warmly on site.

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