Safe, inclusive and digital innovation spaces

Young girl participating in a 3D FabLab activity in Burkina Faso

The Resilience Innovation Facilities (RIF) builds upon Terre des hommes (Tdh) use of Fabrication Laboratories (FabLabs), which facilitate access to digital technologies and fabrication tools. Tdh is taking the concept further and aims at building digital innovation spaces that combine access to resources found in FabLabs with a focus on protection and psychological wellbeing.

Young girl participating in a 3D creation FabLab activity in Hungary
Young girl participating in a 3D creation FabLab activity in Hungary

Our impact

21'000

visitors each year in our RIFs and FabLabs

70%

of the visitors are young people

50%

of our RIFs and FabLabs visitors are female

What’s a Resilience Innovation Facility?

The RIFs are safe spaces for children and youth to learn, build connections and grow. Its services are built for and with its beneficiaries, aiming at strengthening their agency, empowerment, and resilience. This is done by providing access to digital tools, learning material, activities, and experiences enabling them to better tackle adversity, seize development opportunities and unleash their own potential and creativity. 

A RIF is a physical innovative space equipped with the latest digital equipment and technologies for children and youth to use. Empowered by the experience of making something themselves, children and youth connect and mentor each other. 

Our objectives 

The purpose of these facilities is to enhance the agency, empowerment and resilience of children and youth through providing them with educational, innovation and protection resources. On one hand, it is designed to be a room full of advanced digital manufacturing technologies allowing the creation of projects. On the other hand, it represents an innovative non-formal education tool providing children and youth with practical digital skills while contributing to improve their resilience. 

The RIFs offers a collaborative open space and provides users with the required initial knowledge and assistance for the creation of personal and participative projects. Workshops are offered regularly, allowing youth to enhance their creativity and to implement their own projects and designs. This promotes their protection, education, employability and entrepreneurship skills. The RIF approach of Tdh encourages empowerment by allowing youth to decide on their projects and have the satisfaction of bringing their ideas to life through tangible creations. The four axes of the approach are technology and digital inclusion, protection and psychosocial wellbeing, innovation and entrepreneurship, and education and vocational training.

Hungary RIF

From 2019, Tdh has been implementing activities in Győr as part of the Fablab project, using innovation to bridge inequality gaps amongst children and youth and supporting inclusion. Various actors from the city (teachers, social workers, psychologists, etc.) work together with disadvantaged children to enable their integration and development in a safe space. The know-how they get is an important factor for their future employability and supports their empowerment by using an innovative environment of creativity and skill-building. With the arrival of unprecedented numbers of refugees from Ukraine in the city, the RIF Győr saw the need for targeted inclusion of children and youth affected by the war in Ukraine in its activities. For this reason, shorter workshops focusing more on wellbeing and basic use of digital and fabrication technology were developed

RIF GYOR

After the start of the war in Ukraine, in November 2022 Tdh opened its second RIF in Hungary, this time located in the capital city of Budapest. Teachers, animators, and social workers offer developmental activities for children of different age, with a special focus for refugees from Ukraine. The innovative centre is designed to promote inclusion, psychosocial well-being and digital technology skills-building. The centre provides a space where children can feel safe and where they can feel part of the Hungarian society, while being given the opportunity to interact with fellow refugees in their own language. Besides digital innovation and creative skills building workshops, the RIF in Budapest offers after school activities, catch up education and cultural activities for children and youth affected by the war in Ukraine.

“I designed and printed a phone holder using a 3D printer. I found the whole process fascinating and was proud of my creation. We also had an exclusive program where we made lamps for children who couldn't have done it otherwise, and I liked it very much because there was some electronics involved”. - 15 years old girl

Romania RIFs

As part of the Emergency Response Programme, three RIFs were set up in Romania, in the cities of Bucharest, Brasov and Constanta, where most Ukrainians have settled. The centers were opened in March 2023 and offer innovative and creative thematic workshops, skills building activities, introduction to technology and games. 

The objective is to support the integration of children and youth from Ukraine and to nurture their emotional wellbeing. By using a mix of technological means and psychosocial activities, the RIFs ensure a safe space where children and youth can feel empowered by developing their soft and hard skills. Participants creatively explore their talents and develop their digital skills together with their peers in workshops that are designed to challenge children and young people to address topics relevant to them, such as friendship, tolerance and expressing emotions. “I really liked that we met other children from Ukraine and talked together. I didn't expect that I could 3D print my drawing on the sheet. I want the lessons to be even longer and to stay at the center more every day”. - 9 years old boy

Guinea RIF

In January 2022, Tdh and its partners set up the first RIF in Conakry, Guinea. It was set up with the objective of strengthening the resilience of children and young people on migration. The workshops offered at the RIF in Conakry focus on providing computer and IT skills; coding and digital problem solving and fabrication through a FabLab model. Over 70 children and youth have participated so far in cartographic and geolocation workshops. Through the workshops they were familiarised on digital geolocation tools, how to determine their position, identify routes and produce maps themselves, facilitating the travel in their migratory process. Other thematic workshops include digital fabrication to design, create and produce items that can open up entrepreneurship activities in the future.

Currently inactive RIFs and FabLabs

Greece

The closure of the Balkans route in 2016, followed by the Turkey-EU deal, led to more than 60,000 refugees being stranded in Greece in 2017 for an indeterminate length of time and with few future perspectives. Young people lacked the opportunity to put their energy and enthusiasm to use. There was an urgent education need for displaced children who have lost their access to school. To tackle this situation, Terre des hommes created the innovative FabLab project as a pilot in the Ioannina community centre. Refugee youth got the possibility to improve their skills while interacting with the host community.

18-year old Yazan explains: "Tdh staff introduced me to the FabLab, in which I am now creating a car model. This 3D printer will print it in 39 hours. I will need to start my studies, I want to study mechanical engineering and design. My dream is to be a car designer." It’s far more than just 3D printing. The digital know-how they get in the FabLab is an important factor for their future employability.

Young man participating in a 3D FabLab activity in Greece
Young man participating in a 3D FabLab activity in Greece

Ukraine

In December 2018, we established the first FabLab dedicated to children and youth affected by the conflict in Ukraine. With the aim to be sustainable, it was implemented in the East-Ukrainian National University “Volodymyr Dal” and is open to students, school groups and any interested person from Luhansk Oblast. In this innovative environment of creation, children and youth can access modern technology and materialise their own ideas in fields from education to art and science while developing their social and professional skills. "The children and teenagers in this region have less opportunities to engage in social interactions and the conflict is reducing their mobility and development opportunities. We are grateful to the Voldymyr Dal University for providing the space and committing to maintain the FabLab’s functioning while ensuring access for the public," says Ionut Raita, Director of Tdh Ukraine.

Burkina Faso

The FabLab in Burkina Faso was put in place to give exploited children working in gold mines a place where they are protected and can build their skills. It is placed in a social protection centre of the government in a market town close to an artisanal gold mine. Even though these non-official mines are volatile places, children go to the market town one to five times a week to buy things and therefore have access to this space. FabLabs are regrouped in a global network with more than 1000 spaces worldwide. In Switzerland, Innokick Master students are working in collaboration with Tdh and the GHL on the use of FabLabs in different humanitarian contexts.

Documents en lien

Media library
FabLab - un espace d'innovation pour les réfugiés
Media library

With the support of

Enabel

Enabel

Enabel manages development projects on behalf of the Belgian government and other donors. In this way, it contributes to global efforts for sustainable development.

Go to Enabel website
FabFoundation

FabFoundation

Established in 2009 to facilitate and support the growth of the international network of fab labs and the development of regional capacity building organisations, the Fab Foundation is a US 501(c) 3 non-profit organisation that grew out of MIT's Center for Bits & Atoms Fab Lab programme.

Go to FabFoundation website
Enabel

Enabel

Enabel manages development projects on behalf of the Belgian government and other donors. In this way, it contributes to global efforts for sustainable development.

Go to Enabel website
FabFoundation

FabFoundation

Established in 2009 to facilitate and support the growth of the international network of fab labs and the development of regional capacity building organisations, the Fab Foundation is a US 501(c) 3 non-profit organisation that grew out of MIT's Center for Bits & Atoms Fab Lab programme.

Go to FabFoundation website
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