30 June 2016

WFP Innovation projects are supported from inspiration to implementation. Boot camps are the first stop on the innovation journey for many projects, where a team of start-up and innovation experts, guide WFP staff members through a journey of user understanding, exploration and concept design. 

Bringing ideas to life

In June, the Innovation Accelerator welcomed 10 teams from across WFP's global operation for an intensive 10 day boot camp. 

Transformers, led by Diana Carter from the WFP East Africa Regional Bureau in Nairobi, was one of the standout projects to participate.

The project is turning food destined for landfills into nutritious school meals for thousands of children in Kenya, where diversified school meal diets are often very expensive. At the same time, some 25 percent of all export produce are wasted for purely cosmetic reasons. Transformers saw an opportunity to transform the rejected food into cost-effective, nutritious meals for school children.

The Accelerator's team of experts, along with external partners, worked with the team from Kenya on understanding the heart of the problem; how can we make sure no good food goes to waste.

 

Boot Camps are the first step

For the most promising ideas, the journey continues beyond the end of the Boot Camp. WFP's Innovation Accelerator continues to provide financial support and mentorship, bringing projects to 'proof of concept' in short three- to six-month periods. 

"Innovation lies at the heart of every successful organization and it certainly matters for WFP," said Bernhard Kowatsch, Head of the Innovation Accelerator, which was set up in August 2015 and is run by the Innovation and Change Management Division.

"Natural disasters, protracted conflict and an ever-growing funding gap makes finding new, more effective ways of tackling hunger an urgent priority. At the same time, innovations such as low-cost smartphones, new financing models and big data are transforming the world we live in."