BUILD - Building equitable communities.
BUILD was a program created by en.v in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to support the development and implementation of innovative and user-centric initiatives effectively improving the lives of vulnerable migrant communities in Kuwait. The program aimed to strengthen collaboration and provide civil society organizations (CSOs), community groups and advocates working to improve the lives of migrant communities in Kuwait with the tools, networks and resources needed to develop initiatives that can lead to lasting behavior and systems change.
With a focus on lived experience and knowledge-sharing, the program provided participants with the opportunity to increase their know-how in participatory program design and effective multimedia outreach, as well as to engage a diversity of stakeholders and potential allies in a series of community events, including an Ideathon. Participants were also able to apply for funding to implement their innovative and collaborative initiatives. Our long-term goal was to contribute to build a community of practice amongst all those involved in the field to help spread the values of compassion and equity amongst the general population and key stakeholders..
Designing for Values
03 March 2022 (Kuwait City) : At the conclusion of the BUILD project activities in December 2021, we determined that a ‘lesson’s learned’ report from this dynamic project would be a valuable asset to others in the CSO community seeking to utilize asset-based, participatory, and ‘whole-of-society’ approaches in community organizing and project design. We reached out to Melissa Langworthy, PhD (a monitoring and evaluation specialist with experience working with intersectional and inclusive programs and familiarity with Kuwaiti civil society) to develop a public-facing report that would review the BUILD activities, capture best practices, and present recommendations to guide implementation of these approaches.
BUILD Community Projects - Where they’re at...
01 February 2022 (Kuwait City): Since the BUILD Ideathon wrapped at the end of November 2020, our community of migrant workers and community leaders, CSOs and activists, students, architects, developers, designers and corporate allies, have continued to develop their relationships and expand on their collaborations. It’s been inspiring and heartwarming to see this community of practice come together on the basis of mutual respect and appreciation, grounded in the understanding of our shared responsibility. Over the course of 2021, the three projects selected for funding following the Ideathon have been working alongside each other and en.v, achieving some truly impressive results.
This passionate and multicultural team has effectively created an online and offline community that brings together migrant workers across nationality, language and background to provide information, resources, workshops and community-building events. Baladna, Baldkum! Everyone belongs.
Following extensive research and field trips to the desert, the team has created a website which includes data, recommendations and lessons learned for those interested in promoting local shepherds’ mental and physical wellbeing. It includes a sample design for a sustainable, durable and cost-efficient dwelling prototype to be adopted by shepherds and their employers, as well as stories and images collected by the shepherds themselves that powerfully capture and share their lived experiences.
The eBuddy team has successfully developed, tested and launched this innovative application that enables case workers supporting vulnerable migrants to work more effectively, documenting and tracking their cases and facilitating coordination between teams.
BUILD Ideathon 2020
Reimagining our future together - We hosted a virtual Ideathon in November 2020 to promote the development of both tech and non-tech based solutions improving the lives of vulnerable migrant communities in Kuwait. 87 participants across 20 nationalities and 12 different time zones came together every day to listen, share and co-create. This is an insider view of our process and how it flowed.
