The FEMALE INNOVATION LAB was born in the aftermath of the 2017 flood and mudslide, that destroyed many houses and lives. Many young women found themselves homeless as a result of the natural disaster. In this moment the need for change was eminent. While the young females who lost their family members, were forced to become innovative entrepreneurs, to earn an income and support themselves, Freetown needed to be cleaned from the plastic that clogs the gutters and causes flooding year after year during the raining season.
Ever since the FEMALE INNOVATION LAB birthed many beautiful ideas, that have impacted communities and above all gave birth to the FREETOWN INNOVATION LAB.
MOBILE SOLAR
CHARGING STATION
The solar powered mobile phone charging stations were made of recycled materials such as old car cigarette lighters, collected from the junk yard. Each charging station can charge up to 50 phones and tablets, providing remote communities with electricity and as a result connectivity. The women who built and operated their own mobile phone charging stations, many of whom had lost their families and homes in the Freetown mudslide, were able to generate an income to support themselves and their household.
ENERGY X CHANGE
ENERGY X CHANGE is a female led community project, where female wisdom and skills are exchanged for solar powered energy across the village. In Sierra Leone, where only 20% of the nation have access to electricity, lack of access affects the majority of the population. While women have traditionally made black soap for thousands of years, they typically make it in small batches for their families or to sell in the market. Here women of the village come together to make the black soap in larger quantities from naturally occurring resources, that is then exported and sold internationally. In exchange the FREETOWN INNOVATION LAB, installed a solar powered energy grid in the remote village, that previously relied on sunlight for light. Now children can study after sunset and families can perform other tasks after sunset. Honoring age old female wisdom is innovation in a world that is returning to organic, natural skin care and beauty products. Leveraging female wisdom changes lives.
FURNI°TIRE
The FURNI°TIRES were designed to tackle Sierra Leone’s plastic waste management problem. Discarded tires usually end up in landfills, by the road side or are burnt, all of which result in environmental pollution.
FURNI°TIRES present a sophisticated and practical solution, that reintroduces tires into homes, conferences, offices and schools, as a comfortable and chic piece of furniture.
PRO°CYCLE: For the inner frame we upcycle used wood, while we mainly use 2nd hand clothes, such as Jeans and Corduroy pants, or traditional natural fabrics for the upholstery. The result are beautiful chairs and coffee tables, made up pf 90% recycled materials.
LILI ANTENNA
The FEMALE INNOVATION LAB oversees the design and the sustainability footprint of all innovations. In the case of the LILI ANTENNA, we assured that the design would recycle maximum plastic and aluminum waste, while also enhancing the look and feel for consumers. Many females were trained to install LiLi Antennas in low-income households across Sierra Leone, opening a job segment females were traditionally excluded from.