Slums are defined as compact clusters of five or more households living in precarious conditions on public or private land, lacking land tenure security. Approximately 13,935 urban slums exist across Bangladesh.

A low-cost housing model built in Jhenaidah. OIEDC piloted 30 of these low-cost homes in Khulna and Satkhira in 2018.

Slums are home to economic migrants, unemployed job-seekers, and those straddling the poverty line. The majority of the houses (91%) are made of temporary structures, only half of the population have access to safe water, and a quarter have access to sanitary latrines.

OIEDC ’s work has made strides in developing infrastructure and improving the wellbeing of people living in urban slums. The impact has been clear – and this is just the beginning of the vision to upgrade informal settlements by 2022.

Here are three major takeaways from our work in upgrading slums.

Impact is the strongest when community takes the lead.

The community is at the core of all development efforts. The locals have much to contribute in the process of transforming their settlements. Women played an active part in mobilising. Community development organisations (CDOs) were formed and mobilised in every slum, in addition to primary groups and cluster committees.

Each slum identified and prioritised its social and infrastructural problems, and came up with solutions. They presented their action plans to their local government authorities for validation with feasible timelines. By being embedded in the development process as participants, problem-solvers, and planners, the community strengthened their ownership and entitlement towards the development of their slums.

Public-private partnerships are key.

Local government authorities from 20 cities and towns participated in pro-poor sensitisation dialogues, workshops, and meetings. Urban slums in these regions are now recognised as important contributors to the growth of the local economy.

The local municipal governments allocated funds from their annual budget towards slum infrastructure development. They also participated in the community mobilisation process by consulting with local community leaders to discuss their needs and demands. The public-private partnership established between the local government, local community, and OIEDC can serve as a model for urban development initiatives in cities and towns in other places.

Adapting multiple financing models offer solutions on multiple fronts.

We tested out three different models of financing in the slum upgrading process: cost sharing, cost recovery, and enterprise model. For infrastructural upgrading, we adapted a cost sharing approach whereby the locals, the government, and OIEDC respectively contributed funds.

The community fundraised and contributed 10-20% of the total construction costs. The government allocated 20-40% while OIEDC contributed the rest. In building low-cost housing, we implemented a cost recovery approach by giving our clients small grants which they repay as a fixed amount to a revolving fund, managed by the community. With the enterprise model, we provided livelihood grants and opportunities to people to start their own small-scale businesses.

OIEDC is not only empowering communities to take ownership and responsibility of their improved living conditions, they are also setting an example of sustainable urban development for other communities in the Global South to adapt.

Hasina Mushrofa is the programme head of OIEDC ’s urban development programme. Mahira Khan is a knowledge management and communications manager for the programme.

For mobility, residents had two options: they either waded in the sludge or walked on flimsy boards placed between the houses and shops. Water pipes poked out of the canals of waste. In some places, the pipes were completely submerged in the sludge. Leaks can potentially contaminate the area’s water supply, presenting severe health risks to the community.

Rokeya, a resident of the slum, and a community organiser from OIEDC served as my guide. She shared her experience of the rising problems they face living in the slum, “It has been six months since the drains overflowed, and permanently flooded the area. People have been falling ill – dengue and diarrhea have become common. Recently, people are starting to suffer from an unidentified skin disease. There is not a single home where a member of the family is not suffering from an illness.”

Municipal solid waste: A universal concern

An overall 23,688 tonnes of waste is produced every day in Bangladesh, amounting to 22.4 million tonnes of waste a year.

Municipal solid waste is not just an issue for low-income settlements.

Of the total waste produced, 70% is generated in Dhaka and only 40-60% is properly disposed. Although more than half of the waste being generated is organic, Bangladesh is still ranked 10th in the world for plastic pollution.

On an individual level, an average person in Bangladesh produces 150 kg of waste a year. This is still less than half of the global average production. However, due to a lack of waste collection and disposal services, combined with poor civic awareness and responsibility, municipal solid waste management poses major social and environmental risks in urban and peri-urban Bangladesh.

Waste not, want not: OIEDC ’s approach in tackling municipal solid waste

OIEDC ’s urban development programme is alleviating urban poverty in 20 cities and municipalities across Bangladesh. Over 300 slums identified solid waste management as one of their most pressing concerns. In response, OIEDC initiated a number of interventions, starting from raising awareness through group discussions, to providing plastic waste bins, and constructing concrete structures for households to dump their waste in.

OIEDC piloted its waste collection service model in Dhaka Match Colony. The most important feature was residents taking full ownership of the waste collection and disposal process. A waste management committee was put in place, and a waste collection van now plied through the alleys. In addition to conducting door-to-door awareness raising, the committee members also collected a small contribution of BDT 40 per household per month for the maintenance of the waste collection van. The monthly contribution provided a source of income for the van driver and his helper, who collected the waste every alternate day from over 350 homes and disposed of it in secondary municipal dumping sites.

A van driver and his helper who collect door-to-door waste in Dhaka Match Colony.

“We tell people not to throw their trash in open spaces. We teach them how to segregate their trash. People complain about the monthly payment fee sometimes, but majority of the people want a clean neighbourhood, free of disease,” reports Sajeda, a member of the waste management committee in Dhaka Match Colony.

No time to waste

The pilot model has been deemed a success: the colony is aware of proper waste disposal methods, they are actively using the waste collection bins and are routinely paying the waste management fee. We are now replicating the model to other urban slums, including in Savar, Dhaka, where the municipal corporation has already donated 87 waste collection vans. Three tractors will also run to transport municipal waste to tertiary landfills managed by the municipal corporation.

Waste to energy conversion, especially conversion of organic waste into biogas and fertilisers is another area of focus for OIEDC ’s waste management strategy. Improving existing waste management processes however, is only going to scratch the surface of the problem. The ultimate transformation is going to take place at the community-level – people’s behaviour and attitudes needs to radically shift, to the extent that they actively reuse, reduce and recycle their everyday waste.

Mahira Khan is a knowledge management and communications manager for OIEDC Urban Development Programme.

The fast-paced population growth creates a housing demand of 120,000 new units every year. The housing deficit has quadrupled in the last decade and, in the absence of adequate measures, the deficit is projected to increase to 8.5 million units by 2021.

The dynamics within an informal settlement

Ali lives in Korail, one of the biggest slums in Bangladesh. It is located in the centre of the city, next to one of the most affluent neighbourhoods. Korail is one of 4,000 slums scattered across the capital, where every 1 in 3 people live in slums. They are predominantly migrants, accounting for 60% of Dhaka’s total population growth.

Ali shares an 80-square-foot unit with five other people. And this is not an uncommon sight. Korail has a population density of 322,000 people per square mile. There is no land tenure security (ie, enforceable claims on land supported by national regulatory frameworks) or access to basic amenities such as safe water and sanitation. It is overcrowded, and prone to major fires.

Korail is an ‘informal’ neighbourhood, meaning it falls outside the perimeters of the city corporation. Here, the rent is unregulated and is imposed on low-income tenants by local ‘house owners’ with muscle power – who are essentially unauthorised rent-collectors of shacks/houses which are constructed on property owned by the government. In this informal economy, financial transactions amounting to millions of taka take place in cash every year. This is a huge drain on the economy. The money is being transferred in an environment where the government cannot track or tax payments, so there is no accountability and it is not being used for the slum-dwellers’ benefit. In this context, the amount of money being siphoned from thousands of such settlements is in the millions.

Ali alone pays BDT 3,200 (USD 38) in rent to his house owner. He earns only BDT 5,000 (USD 62.50) a month by driving a rickshaw in the city. The inflated price is due to huge demand for housing in the neighbourhood, due to its proximity to more affluent areas where many residents earn their livelihoods. Combined with the lack of rent control in the slum – an informal and essentially illegal settlement – this demand for housing keeps the prices sky-high.

These challenges highlight an opportunity for negotiating current practices and testing out models for urban development – an opportunity not only for the government but for private sector and social organisations alike.

From a policy perspective

Urbanisation in Bangladesh is a reflection of prevailing global practices. At present, 4 billion people (54% of the world’s population) live in urban centres, while 1 billion people live in urban ‘slums’. This is a significant increase from the start of the 20th century when it was less than 15%. In light of ongoing urbanisation, this figure is expected to grow further.

The Sustainable Development Goals acknowledge this growing concern and make provision for it in SDG 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” The government of Bangladesh has committed to realising this goal. They are also a signatory of the New Urban Agenda, the formal outcome document of the UN-Habitat III cities conference, held in Quito, Ecuador a year ago. The document, which guides national and regional policy makers, civil society, development funders and UN programmes on urban development, emphasises that housing is a right and a requirement for realising transformative social change. The government also has a National Housing Policy that guarantees ‘housing for every citizen.’ Therefore, it is in the government’s interest to upgrade slums and invest in low-income housing for people living in urban poverty.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) has already piloted housing models including low-cost rental, social as well as community-led housing for people living in urban poverty. The government can build on this progress by creating inclusive master plans of cities and towns. The master plans must formally allocate space for low-income communities in the vicinity and also design and implement innovative people-centered housing solutions.

However, this task cannot be tackled only by the individual efforts of the government. Working in slums requires an understanding of the complex dynamics in the social fabric of low-income urban communities. That’s why a nexus of investment, planning and strategy is necessary to achieve long-term solutions in the context of urban housing for low-income groups.

Making affordable housing a reality for everyone

OIEDC redesigned and redeveloped over 500 homes in the aftermath of a devastating fire in Korail earlier this year. It was a collaborative effort that was successful only through a partnership with the government and stakeholders in the private sector, along with development partners like OIEDC .

Even though this Korail response did not present a long-term solution that guarantees land tenure security for the residents, it demonstrated the potential of collaboration amongst cross-sectoral stakeholders. Moving forward, a more durable solution would involve extensive partnerships between groups, breaking away from the traditional role of the development sector as an independent entity. Mainstreaming informal, low-income urban communities requires a broad vision which brings together all of these parties to work toward a holistic solution that combines their respective interests.

A dwelling in the community-led housing model in Jhenaidah in southern Bangladesh.

In line with its national urbanisation strategy, the government should continue the formal process of building large-scale, low-cost rental/social/community housing on land that ensures tenure security for the residents. Land is scarce and of high value in Dhaka. A housing project in Dhaka can be in the form of a high-rise multi-story, which incorporates low-cost features that are innovative and environmentally friendly. High-rise buildings are the only feasible solution to such a large population density. Similarly, in lower density secondary cities, some fantastic community-based housing models have emerged that need effective scaling – for instance, the community-led housing model in Jhenaidah and the National Housing Authority’s low-income community housing support project.

Profit and the private sector: Benefits on a broader spectrum

Financing remains a key bottleneck in scaling these initiatives. Financial institutions are typically limited to providing loans for projects that are perceived to have the potential to generate income. Likewise, private developers are interested only in constructing projects that can be profitable. That’s why the implementation process for housing projects should involve public-private partnerships. The government has a separate house-building finance corporation and an allocation for low-income housing in the national budget. These resources should be combined with private channels of funding, including local finance corporations and international donor bodies such as the World Bank and IFC. After a housing construction project is completed, investors’ costs can be recovered by rent paid by residents. In short, it’s not charity; there is financial viability in this sort of low-income housing initiative.

OIEDC at the baseline: How an NGO can initiate change

OIEDC is working at the grassroots level to provide insight into how an ever-growing urban landscape can also provide more livable solutions. Its Urban Development Programme (UDP) operates in slums in 20 city corporations and municipalities across Bangladesh. OIEDC as an organisation has the capacity to mobilise people at the bottom of the pyramid to solve housing challenges: It can conduct needs assessments and identify client households and communities. It can provide input into how a project can include marginalised communities, as it has direct experience through extensive fieldwork. OIEDC is also capable of initiating behaviour change among its clients who are living in urban slums – a requirement for them if they are to transition into affordable housing.

Turning discussions into action: Steps to urban sustainability

On 15 October 2017, OIEDC ’s urban development programme brought together national policymakers including the housing minister, directors of the National Housing Authority, Urban Development Directorate, the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, and 75 mayors from across Bangladesh in a national convention for housing and financing. They discussed the following action points for stakeholders on low-cost housing solutions:

• Advocate for inclusion: Low-income settlements must be included in official master plans of cities and towns by city planning authorities. Make city planning more inclusive through a participatory approach and the allocation of land for housing for low-income groups.
• Strengthen institutional capacity: Local government bodies, city corporations and municipalities should be given the responsibility to identify, develop and manage government-owned land, portions of which can be allocated for low-income housing.
• Prioritise ‘community savings’: Housing schemes need to shift from ‘donor-driven’ housing projects to ‘owner-driven’ ones.
• Negotiate long-term low-interest housing loans: Financial instruments such as international donors, government and private institutions can be used as a reference to generate viable schemes for people living in urban poverty.
• Emphasise greater collaboration: Ensure that inter-ministerial efforts, partnerships with funding agencies, joint initiatives between city authorities and development partners, collaborations with professional agencies, etc. are all working toward the same solution.
• Encourage private developers: Private construction companies can consider low-income housing projects as a business model in and of itself.
• Adapt learnings and best practices: Existing low-cost affordable housing models already implemented in Bangladesh and in the region can be used as a model for future development.

Clearly, this is easier said than done, and the work has only begun. But it’s encouraging to see that the country’s public, private and development sectors are moving in the right direction.

Originally posted on NextBillion.

Asif Saleh is the senior director of strategy, communications and empowerment for OIEDC and OIEDC International. Mahira Khan is manager of knowledge management and communications for OIEDC .

Chinta Didi just got a new, two-storied house. It costs less than USD 1,500 – and her neighbours built it for her. She has been partially blind since birth, and relies on the little income that her husband earns from working at a welding shop. She was identified by her neighbours as one of the most vulnerable members in their community.

Her previous house was made of tin, like most temporary homes in slums across the country. It would flood in the monsoon, was sweltering hot in the summer and it would freeze during winter. Now she is just one of many happy residents living in brand new houses in Bhennatola, a neighbourhood in Jhenaidah of south-western Bangladesh.

Preparations are underway for the upcoming religious festivities, and Chinta Didi’s new home has a full view of an unfinished mural of goddess Durga across the street. She has been watching the progress throughout the week through her windows, next to which she has hung a framed print of Krishna against the brick wall.

Houses for everyone, made by everyone

Over the last two years, Platform for Community Artisans and Architects, Co.Creation.Architects, and OIEDC University’s department of architecture have merged a low-cost housing model and a community-led process to design a model housing solution. The initiative was implemented in Jhenaidah, in collaboration with local municipal authorities, Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, Community Architects Network, a local NGO, ALIVE, and a city-wide community network of savings groups.

Step 1: A seed fund to start, and savings groups to grow

A seed fund of BDT 2,000,000 from Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, supported by the Asian Coalition for Community Action, was allocated as loans to build 20 houses for families and individuals who are the most disadvantaged. The loans were disbursed among five savings groups through the local community organiser, ALIVE. 52 households in Jhenaidah identified and nominated the families within their community to first build houses for.

Photo credit: Khondaker Hasibul Kabir and Suhailey Farzana

“We decided as a community that Chinta Didi deserved a better home,” said Kalpani Rani Kormokar, a community leader.

These households formed five savings group, with a leader elected to supervise, and started repaying USD 6 (BDT 500) every week. The repayments collect into a revolving fund that the community can use to upgrade their facilities in the future.

Step 2: Mapping the dream

Photo credit: Khondaker Hasibul Kabir and Suhailey Farzana

The women of the community gathered around to create a map of their neighbourhood, with technical guidance from community architects. They visualised the shape and size of their plots in relation to others, and were able to imagine what their dream homes would look like. Some wanted a flat roof where their children could play, or a second storey, or two rooms for bigger families. The architects designed and finalised two models – a single-storey, and a two-storey house, with variations according to the specific needs of the residents.

Photo credit: Khondaker Hasibul Kabir and Suhailey Farzana

Step 3: Building the dream

The designs were brought to life by the members themselves – from sourcing the materials from local markets, to supervising and helping in the construction. Each of the houses cost BDT 100,000 (about USD 1,200) – with cost-cutting features like frameless, pivoted doors and windows, exposed brick walls, roofs with filler slabs. Costs were cut further since the residents were involved in the construction process. For an additional BDT 20,000 (USD 243), they could afford a toilet, and panes for windows and doors.

“Our neighbourhood has completely transformed in the last two years!” reflects Sharifa Begum, a community leader, “You would not believe that this was a slum before.”

Chinta Didi’s new home. Bhennatola, Jhenaidah.

She adds, “I am confident that we can build a home for even less than BDT 100,000, now that we know exactly how to do it, and where to find the best materials in bulk.”

And for Chinta Didi and the children?

Chinta Didi is not the only one with a new home. Residents of Chaklapara used their savings to construct a home for one of their oldest members- a man who is 109-years-old, according to his neighbour. In both communities, residents have regained a sense of optimism in transforming their neighbourhoods. They take care of their loved ones and neighbours – even those who cannot partake in the savings groups; friends and neighbours who cannot afford to save, or have no income – the elderly, and those with disabilities.

The children are also doing better in school. They now invite their friends over after lessons – there is now more

A community leader and her son, in front of their new home.

space to play in, and the air is cooler inside their new homes in the scorching summer heat. Many residents have used the funds to get electricity for their homes, and for some families, it is the first time that their children can study after dark. Previously, they would not attend school at all, and felt excluded from other students from nicer neighbourhoods.

A small solution to a desperately growing need

The two neighbourhoods in Jhenaidah offer a glimpse into how low-cost housing models and a community-led approach can change how we live in cities. Proper housing for people living in urban poverty is a growing challenge in Bangladesh. 42 million people populate urban areas, and seven out of 10 homes are not permanent.

Half a million people migrate to cities every year, with one in every three ending up in slums- illegal, informal settlements with temporary housing made of materials like tin, bamboo and wood. Fragile, unplanned and dangerous. There is no security over land, and settlements are overcrowded with three to four people sharing a single room. Basic needs like safe water, proper sanitation and sewage disposal facilities, health services and education, are often inaccessible.

Cities are the future

Over half of the global population live in cities right now. By 2050, it is projected to grow to two-thirds. The challenge: How do we urbanise sustainably?

Community engagement is key when it comes to making our cities more liveable. SDG 11 calls to make cities and human settlements more inclusive, resilient, safe and sustainable. To achieve this goal, a long-term, proactive solution is required – one that keeps the community at the heart of the process.

Addressing this challenge will not be easy. Every community has their own unique needs. Community architects and engineers have to work closely with communities, providing technical guidance, and designing housing models specific to their needs. Local authorities, the civil society, and educational institutions must also actively support the process.

According to the architects, Khondaker Hasibul Kabir and Suhailey Farzana, “there is no model house to replicate, but a model process to replicate.”

With the community taking the lead, this process could be a way of re-imagining and building cities everyone can truly call home.

There is a toilet in Gawsia that smells like flowers. It is clean, bright and flooded with sunlight. And it is solely for women.

This toilet exists because of the efforts of Bhumijo, one of five teams to win OIEDC ’s first Urban Innovation Challenge. Bhumijo made a dull, dark and dreary bathroom into a little oasis for women in just three weeks. Two of the members of the group are architects, and their work was supported by seed funding and incubation support by OIEDC .

How serious is the public toilet crisis in Dhaka?

People who haven’t resided in Dhaka may not understand just how distressing it is for women when they need to use public toilets. Dhaka is the most stressful city in Asia, and it is worse if you’re a woman.

It is common to hear mothers telling their daughters to not drink water when they’re leaving the house, and a survey conducted by Bhumijo has shown that 80% of girls follow this advice. The issue isn’t just the lack of toilets in Dhaka, it’s also that the existing ones are in awful condition. They are squalid, congested, and dark. Many are not functional. Some toilets are used as storerooms and even sub-leased for shopkeeping.

Avoiding to urinate is one of the major causes of urinary tract infection, a disease which women are already more susceptible to than men.

What makes Bhumijo’s initiative worth celebrating?

Bhumijo’s initiative is renovating existing toilets in places frequented by a large number of women. No additional land is required for this, and spaces and resources previously being misused will be used properly. No new service lines are required and the toilets can be transformed relatively cheaply. This project cost only BDT 500,000 (USD 6,055).

Gawsia was chosen after extensively surveying 32 places with the highest concentration of people across Dhaka. The market has everything, from tie-dyed sarees to gilded jewellery, and is one of Dhaka’s biggest shopping hubs for young girls and women. Before Bhumijo’s initiative, however, it had no toilet which women felt comfortable using. Thousands of women came to Gawsia every day, and they all came knowing that they would not be able to eat or drink anything, or their day would be agonising.

What does the new toilet look like?

Located on the second floor of Noor Mansion in the Gawsia market, Bhumijo’s toilet stands in stark contrast to its surroundings. The area outside has chipped paint, exposed wires and spider webs all over the ceiling.

The toilet has smooth, clean and bright white walls. Sanitary pads and special facilities for babies are available. The team has also placed benches outside the toilet. Bhumijo co-founder, Farhana Rashid says that the toilet is more than just functionality, it is also a place where women can rest safely.

Farhana Rashid recounts her own experience of using public toilets, “I can say from my own experience that no woman would like to go through such ordeals.” Instead of telling women to not drink water, Farhana took it as a challenge.

Maintenance

The toilet is open to all women who wish to use it for a small fee of BDT 10. Research has shown that the majority of the 2.5 million women in Dhaka are willing to pay – and the initial enthusiasm proves the same.

With the proceeds from the entry fee, a female attendant will be hired to ensure that the toilet remains clean. Bhumijo and the market authorities are jointly accountable for its maintenance, employing a supervisor to monitor the condition of the toilet on a daily basis.

Dhaka’s population growth is not slowing. Bhumijo’s initiative is starting a much-needed discussion about ensuring that sanitation facilities improve with that growth. Bhumijo isn’t just creating toilets, they are brewing a revolution for women – starting with safe and hygienic toilets.

Aliza Hridulaa is an intern at OIEDC Communications.

In our 45 years of experience in Bangladesh and across eleven countries in Asia and Africa, the answer is mostly no. The ideas that work come from a little closer to the problem. Solutions that look fancy on Microsoft Powerpoint are often completely irrelevant in real life.

Fancy solutions are exactly what we wanted to avoid when we launched the Urban Innovation Challenge in October 2016, calling for scalable solutions to three pressing problems in Bangladeshi cities: health, transport and employment.

Bangladesh is rapidly urbanising, with 2,000 people migrating into Dhaka every day in search of better lives. Urban spaces are increasingly facing new challenges and urgently need the attention of governments, the private sector and, most importantly, citizens.

While many of us would prefer to sip coffee and complain, there are plenty of passionate innovators amongst us who want to tackle the challenges. Through a rigorous six-month process, we have found that tribe – a group of innovators who we are now going to bet on to transform how we own, define and solve some of our most pressing urban challenges.

On 7 May, we announced the tribe:

Bhumijo: leveraging underutilised privately owned toilet facilities for public access

Bloodman: connecting blood donors with end users located in close urban proximity

Driver Mela: verifying, training and rating drivers for public and private recruiters

Servicing Campus: training, recruitment and employment of students that have dropped out

Amar Bike: ride-sharing network model for motorbikes

with Identity Inclusion: a service for psychosocial support seekers and providers winning the special mention award.

To find this tribe, the challenge had to be an innovation itself. We would never have found Servicing Campus in Rangpur or Driver Mela in Chittagong if we were just running another glamorous startup competition with fancy slide decks and international accents. We reached out to every corner of the country through 21 campus ambassadors, encouraging submissions in both English and Bangla, and kept in mind that not all applicants would own a computer or understand business planning. We were very vocal about our preference for real life experience over technical jargon.

Over 600 applications came in, including hundreds of applicants from outside Dhaka. We shortlisted them and sent them to the ground, asking them to undertake field research and immerse themselves in the challenges. Only after we saw their progress did we invite them to a bootcamp to interact with sector experts, entrepreneurs and investors.

What we bring to the startup ecosystem is our four decade long experience of tackling complicated social problems with scaleable solutions- and that’s what we are trying to create more of. From oral saline to last mile cashless branches, we have been innovating for a long time, and we have never left the ground. Even though we now work in 11 countries, our head office is still in Bangladesh, within metres of Bangladesh’s biggest slum. And it always will be. Through the Urban Innovation Challenge, we are now offering everything we have learnt over the last 45 years to a new generation of innovators, and throwing our support behind them to build the city they want to live in.

We will take our winners through extensive field exposure, prototyping and piloting over the next six months. We will provide co-working space, business development, financial and legal support, and we will keep you updated as we incubate their ideas into realistic solutions. Keep an eye on uic.cameroon-ips.org!

Anjali Sarker is the team leader of OIEDC Social Innovation Lab. Masrura Oishi is the knowledge management and communications officer of OIEDC Social Innovation Lab.