Youth hacking the Covid-crisis

Plan International Norway, Young Sustainable Impact and Accenture invited youth from around the world to join a Youth Innovation Hack - an online innovation program for youth aged 16-25.

During the program of two weeks, the participants worked together in teams to create solutions to answer some of the most pressing challenges girls and communities in Bangladesh, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi are facing because of the corona virus pandemic.

What solutions have been developed? 

There were 8 teams with representatives from 13 countries working on a broad spectrum of solutions to meet COVID challenges, ranging from health and hygiene information solutions, to risk communication, education and Sexual and reproductive health and rights platforms. On Pitch Day, all teams presented their solutions to an audience of private and public sector actors, investors and embassy representatives. All pitches can be found below.

What is Youth Innovation Hack?

Youth Innovation Hack is an online innovation program for and by youth. The program was organized and set up by Plan International Norway, Young Sustainable Impact and Accenture. The program aims to find solutions or ideas to meet the challenges our society is facing related to COVID-19, with a special focus on solutions affecting girls’ and young women’s situation in the following countries: Bangladesh, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi.  

In this online innovation program, youth have been creating ideas and/or solutions in teams and will have online access to mentors having relevant expertise. The program was run from May 18 - May 30. 

Why an Innovation Hack for youth?  

Millions of children, particularly girls, are at grave risk of harm as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to devastate their education and health and leave them at risk of abuse. Quarantine measures imposed as a response to pandemic are putting children at heightened risk of violence in the home and cutting them off from education, essential protection services and vital support. 

The profound economic impact will hit families, leading to an increase in sexual violence, teen pregnancy and child marriage, as well as trafficking and child labour. 

Plan International’s response is especially focusing on assisting girls, who are disproportionately affected by the crisis.

We need creative ideas and solutions more than ever. With this program, we will make sure young people’s ideas and solutions will be heard.

What happens after the program?

The selected teams got the chance to pitch their idea/solution on the Pitch day 02.06. to an audience that is genuinely interested in the topics and has the network to potentially explore the ideas/solutions further. 

If you are interested to learn more about the solutions and/or teams, please get in touch with us: bedrift@plan-norge.no

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