iF Design supports projects that help to solve social challenges by finding new answers to our problems.

The iF International Forum Design GmbH in Hannover has been offering an award for projects that help to find new answers to our social challenges - the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE. Last year, iF awarded EUR 50,000 to nine exceptionally impressive projects and initiatives. In addition to promoting good design, the world’s oldest design institution has now also taken up the cause of supporting social projects all over the world – especially when design plays a role.

More than 520 social projects were registered and published in the iF WORLD DESIGN GUIDE for the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE 2018 by companies, design studios, NGOs, foundations as well as public and private institutions. An international iF team has decided which of the most eligible activities will be supported with a total of EUR 50,000 so that they can continue and develop further.

iF Managing Director Ralph Wiegmann: “The ideas that can help to solve our social challenges are decisive for our commitment. This award is our contribution to the common good. For us, it is important to make the diverse social activities and the commitment of people and organizations visible, to recognize them and to support them financially. It is important for us to show what role design can play in solving urgent social problems.”

EUR 10,000 went to:
HAMAMI – Give a Smile | Treatment of facial malformations | Ngaoundéré, Cameroon

EUR 6,000 went to:
HOPE Schools | Education for Syrian refugee children | Bekaa, Lebanon

EUR 6,000 went to:
InHouse Records | Record label for the resocialization of prisoners | Brighton, Great Britain

EUR 3,000 went to:
Solar Cow and Power Milk | Education and electricity for families | Pokot, Kenya

EUR 6,000 went to:
Girls Not Wives | Girl education and empowerment | Kaduna, Nigeria

EUR 6,000 went to:
Garbage Clinical Insurance | Social enterprise, health services | Malang, Indonesia

EUR 5,000 went to:
Conflictfood | Trading for peace | Afghanistan

EUR 4,000 went to:
Rescue Foundation | Rescuing trafficking victims | Mumbai, India

EUR 4,000 went to:
x-runner | Container-based sanitation solutions | Lima, Peru

The iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE has already started again:

The initiative continues: In 2019, iF will donate another EUR 50,000 to social initiative and projects. Anyone can publish their commitment on the iF website and apply for funding. The deadline for the next selection is 6 June 2019.

The categories correspond to those of the “UN Sustainable Development Goals”:

End Poverty • Zero Hunger • Good Health & Well Being • Quality Education • Gender Equality • Clean Water & Sanitary • Affordable & Clean Energy • Decent Work & Economic Growth • Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure • Reduced Inequalities • Sustainable Cities & Communities • Responsible Consumption & Production • Climate Action • Life below Water • Life on Land

Project:                        HAMAMI – Give a Smile | Treatment of facial malformations in Cameroon

Category:                    Good Health + Well Being

Initiators:                     HAMAMI – Schenk ein Lächeln e.V., Rottweil / Germany

HAMAMI means “Give A Smile” in Gbaya – a language from the north of Cameroon. This is a German-Cameroonian association whose aim it is to help children with cleft lips, jaws and palates, congenital facial malformations, NOMA and thyroid diseases. In the medium term, three treatment centers are to be set up in existing hospitals in Cameroon. In the long run, HAMAMI wants to train local doctors, therapists and specialists in Cameroon to ensure the continuous treatment of those affected.

Jury Statement: “HAMAMI fights against a medical malaise and enables people with cleft lips and palates to participate in “normal” life - without restriction and rejection - both at school and at work.”

Winner Statement: “We are grateful for the great support from the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE and are sure that the benefits will have a very positive impact on patients and their families! We look forward to developing and expanding our project with the help of iF! Thank you very much!”

Project:                       HOPE Schools | Education for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon

Category:                    Quality Education

Initiators:                     MAPs - Multi Aid Programs, Beeka / Lebanon

The HOPE Schools are the heart of the Education Program Lebanon (EPL) – a project of the international organization MAPs (Multi Aid Programs). The main objective is to provide Syrian refugee children with access to quality education. In this way, the future chances of the children not only increase, but also the competences of the teachers are expanded. Since their foundation in 2013, the HOPE education centers have played an important role. More than 3,200 pupils and about 140 teachers have already benefited from the centers.

Jury Statement: “Freely accessible education is indispensable for the restoration of Syrian society. Children are the basis of sustainable social development and have the right to learn and develop to their full potential. The HOPE Schools have made this principle their task in order to make it easier for young Syrians to find their way into a positive future.” 

Winner Statement: “We are overjoyed to be able to achieve even more with the support of iF. Because our work is now and never ending. “Social impact” will always be our main task and strategy for a better future – education is the key. We are very grateful that in the future we will be able to achieve even more and give even more children access to education.”

Project:                       InHouse Records | Record label for the resocialization of prisoners in Great Britain

Category:                    Reduced Inequalities

Initiators:                     InHouse Records, Brighton / Great Britain

Violence in British prisons has increased by 88 percent in the last two years. Additional security measures and personnel cost the government £15 billion a year. This is where the record label “InHouse Records” comes in: Prisoners can get to know all the different aspects of music production, apply their skills or learn new ones – from marketing to performance. More than 100 people are currently working for the record label in four British prisons. As a result, InHouse has succeeded in reducing violence in prisons by up to 36 percent, reintegrating former prisoners into society, and thus drastically reducing the number of repeat offenders.

Jury Statement: “This special record label manages to open up new perspectives for prisoners and supports society in the resocialization of those released. It’s a great project – because it’s so diverse and appeals to the skills and interests of many people – from art to business.”

Winner Statement: "With the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE, we can close an incredible year for Inhouse Records! It is an honor to be supported by such a prestigious institution. Everyone at Inhouse Records is proud of this success!”

Project:                       Solar Cow and Power Milk | Education and electricity for children and families in Kenya

Category:                    Quality Education

Initiators:                     YOLK, Uiwang-si / Republic of Korea

Child labor often denies children access to education in Africa. Solar Cow and Power Milk is a project that on the one hand provides children with education and on the other hand rewards their parents with free electricity. The Korean organization YOLK has installed solar charging stations in front of schools and equipped families with power banks for home use, which can only be charged in front of the schools. By using this “trick”, parents inevitably send their children to school, because the children spend the charging time with lessons. And the families receive electricity for the entire household at the same time.

Jury Statement: “YOLK has precisely identified the problems of these African regions and is solving two problems at once with this sustainable measure: lack of education and lack of electricity in the households. In addition, it has a playful charm that is fun for everyone”.

Winner Statement: “Thank you for the great support provided by the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE! We think that the jury has recognized the potential of our project and supports its further development. We feel obliged to develop the project in further regions and to help as many families as possible. The prize money will be used to set up a new Solar Cow program.”

Project:                       Girls Not Wives | Girl education and empowerment in Nigeria

Category:                    Gender Equality

Initiators:                     Wadi Ben-Hirki Foundation, Kaduna, Nigeria

Girls Not Wives is a major project run by the Wadi Ben-Hirki Foundation. They are tackling the challenges that face marginalized, less privileged and disadvantaged young girls around the world: child marriage, female genital mutilation, rape, trafficking, etc. The project also provides a platform for girls-child education, gender equality and empowerment.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYHmO3z-GSs&feature=youtu.be)

Jury Statement: “This project is a powerful example of how important it is to take immediate international action on gender equality. The Wadi Ben Hirki Foundation will provide insights that help change and improve international aid programs. It identifies the weaknesses and recommends actionable measures that provide information on specific educational programs for gender equality.”

Winner Statement: “The Wadi Ben-Hirki Foundation is very excited to be one of the winners of the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE 2018. It is really a dream comes true for us and we are encouraged to go the extra mile. We thank iF for this rare honor and promise to make much more of an impact in the near future!” Watch the video: https://youtu.be/lo4_zsx6n4o

Project:                       Garbage Clinical Insurance | Social enterprise, health services in        Indonesia

Category:                    Good Health + Well Being

Initiator:                       Indonesia Medika, Malang, Indonesia

Garbage Clinical Insurance is a micro health insurance program which uses garbage as a financial resource. With this program, the community pays for health services by using garbage in an insurance scheme. This could make the community mobilize their own unused resources to improve their access to health-care services and breakdown the barrier between health facilities and the community. This program is able to solve two problems at once, the health-care problem and the environmental problem. Garbage Clinical Insurance can also be used as a social vehicle to increase public awareness and community willingness about waste management from the household level. (https://youtu.be/WC5KwT2GePA)

Jury Statement: “A very good approach to solving two problems at once: the health-care problem and the environmental problem. It demonstrates a meaningful way of making health care available to a broad public. The project also offers a lot of potential for other countries with similar problems.”

Winner Statement: “Involving Garbage Clinical Insurance in the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE is an honor for us as a company with the goals of opening doors for access to health care, making a meaningful impact on the Indonesian society, and breaking down the barriers between the health-care system and the community. The iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE will support our replication program, which includes increasing the productivity of our clinic to reach a greater number of insurance participants. We hope that Garbage Clinical Insurance will become a solution for health problems and for pursuing waste management in the community, because we believe that good health is a fundamental human right.”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW4J8Kppw_c&feature=youtu.be)

Project:                       Conflictfood | Trading for peace in Afghanistan

Category:                    Responsible Consumption & Production

Initiator:                       Conflictfood GmbH, Berlin, Germany

The team around Salem El-Mogaddedi and Gernot Würtenberger has been traveling into conflict regions regularly since 2016 to find the best local agricultural products on site and to trade directly with small farmers. In the long term, they want to create a perspective for people, strengthen local structures and combat the root causes of flight. In addition, the profit is invested in educational projects in the countries of origin. Conflictfood promotes self-initiative and shows people in emergency situations how they can remain independent despite conflicts and crises. (https://youtu.be/FaBxetEzlnM)

Jury Statement: “A very well thought-out project: The co-founders of Conflictfood travel to crisis areas to find the best agricultural products on the ground and to trade directly with small farmers. Back in Germany, they have the goods packaged by people with disabilities. The proceeds from the products sold (online shop) are invested in educational projects in the country of origin. A flyer enclosed with each product is intended to help consumers understand life in crisis areas.”

Winner Statement: “What a great honor to win the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE 2018! We are very thankful and happy that iF is joining Conflictfood’s journey – literally: the support we have received helps us to make this year’s trip to farmers in Afghanistan. Through fair and direct trade we can open up new markets to them and tackle poverty at the root. Thank you, iF!” (See blog: https://conflictfood.com/en/conflictfood-if)

Project:                        Rescue Foundation | Rescuing Trafficking Victims in India

Category:                    Gender Equality

Initiator:                       Rescue Foundation, Mumbai, India

The Rescue Foundation’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and repatriate girls who have been forced into prostitution or slavery through Human Trafficking. Officially established in 2000, the Rescue Foundation has been instrumental in freeing more than 5,000 girls. During the rehabilitation period, the girls are treated for STDs, HIV and other diseases; they are consistently provided with the best health care and nutrition services. The foundation also provides psycho-social counselling, vocational training, yoga classes, self-defence classes, beautician training, tailoring classes, computer classes, etc.

Jury Statement: “In contrast to government remand and protective homes, the Rescue Foundation helps the victims with all their essential needs and encourages them to make a new beginning in life. Incredibly important work that helps to rebuild the lives of victims of human trafficking and regain their lost trust.“

Winner Statement: “We are ecstatic at having been chosen as one of the recipients of the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE. We feel really humbled that the iF team chose us for this award, it reinforces our belief towards the cause that we are fighting for and empowers us to keep moving forwards. We will invest the winning funds in our existing budget, which covers the running costs for our shelter homes in Mumbai.”

Project:                        x-runner | Container-based sanitation solutions

Category:                    Clean Water + Sanitary

Initiators:                     x-runner Venture Switzerland GmbH, Küsnacht, Switzerland + Asociación Sanisol, Lima, Peru

x-runner is a certified social enterprise with the mission of providing sustainable sanitation solutions that adapt to the needs at hand in any context. In Peru, x-runner collaborates with the association Sanisol, which supports the project families. The project aims to provide access to safely managed sanitation, which is often sadly lacking in low-income households in urban spaces. Our sanitation system offers an immediate, effective and reliable solution in the form of the installation of a waterless toilet, the collection and the responsible management of the organic waste generated with the aim of improving the health and the quality of life of the families.

Jury Statement: “The solution presented is very effective in an environment of poverty. The concept of human-centered design was very well tailored to fit the situation and solve the sanitation problem of this community.”

Winner Statement: “It is a great honor to receive the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE for our year-long commitment to creating a positive change in the low-income urban areas of the Peruvian capital, Lima. We were thrilled when we received the confirmation that we had been selected. This kind of recognition motivates us to keep on doing what we do and to attain even better performance by optimizing our processes, so that we can have an even greater impact, improving the quality of life of more families.”

https://ifworlddesignguide.com/collection-if-social-impact-prize