Case Study: UNHCR sparks global innovation and pilots tablet-based language learning for refugee children with Planview IdeaPlace

Innovating To Ease The Plight Of Refugees Worldwide

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) protects and assists millions of displaced people worldwide, operating in more than 125 countries with a staff of over 7,600. To better serve the growing number of refugees and break through bureaucratic barriers, UNHCR needed new, scalable innovations to improve access to information, services and learning opportunities for displaced communities.

UNHCR launched the “UNHCR Ideas” community on the Mindjet Spigit platform to crowdsource solutions across staff, partners and field sites; an initial six-week challenge attracted 318 participants, 114 ideas, 430+ votes and 1,200+ comments. A follow-on challenge, sponsored by the IKEA Foundation, selected a winning proposal to distribute tablets pre-loaded with language-learning apps for refugee children — a pilot funded through a €2.5 million IKEA Foundation grant that aims to expand educational access and improve language skills.

UNHCR

Jonathan Spampinato

Head of Strategic Planning and Communications