Partos Innovation Festival 2023

Combating misinformation and bringing awareness through songs.

By Mercy Corps & African Radio Drama Association 

In a world plagued by misinformation, where rumours spread like wildfire and hate speech fuels violence, a group of dedicated individuals in Nigeria embarked on a mission to combat the dangerous tide. Mercy Corps and the African Radio Drama Association (ARDA) joined forces, recognising the power of social media both as a catalyst for misinformation and as a potential tool for change.

Long-Term Lens: Project Impact Evaluation

By The Hunger Project

It can be a scary idea: really evaluating the impact that your organisation has had after you’ve left. What if your project did not bring about the intended results? The Hunger Project took the risk, spending time and money, to truly know how lasting their impact actually is. They hired research consultancy MDF to evaluate the impact of their projects in village communities in Ghana and Malawi, where they had left three years before. The research looked into what was left of their activities, and came up with unexpected results…

From Risk to Resilience in Combatting Female Genital Mutilation

By Amref Flying Doctors

Since 2008, Amref has been working with the Masai community in Kenya and Tanzania to prevent circumcision. How are the girls who participated doing right now? Are they still going to school? Are they still uncircumcised? Do they marry and become mothers later in life? This important information from as many girls as possible is collected digitally. Making it possible to intervene when they are at risk, as well as to optimise our approach to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and make it financially sustainable.

The 100% Fair Work Monitor

By CNV International

Working long days, with lots of overtime, in an unsafe environment… Unfortunately, this is the reality of millions of women who work in clothing factories in Asia and hundreds of thousands of sugar cane workers in Latin America. Despite all this, both groups do not make enough money to get by. The status quo should not and cannot go on! Labour unions like CNV International try to intervene, but often they don’t have a strong enough position during negotiations to secure safer working conditions, shorter hours and a living wage for workers. Enter CNV International’s 100% Fair Work Monitor.

Body Talk: Empowering Disabled Youth for SRHR

By Liliane Fonds

Discussing sex with your parents or caregivers isn’t exactly a topic most people look forward to. What’s even more concerning though, is avoiding that conversation altogether. For most young people with a disability, sexuality and relationships can be difficult experiences and their needs and desires are often overlooked. The Body Talk program by the Liliane Fonds in collaboration with Rutgers addresses this issue by informing disabled youth about their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Empowering people with disabilities, so they can make their own informed decisions.

The toolkit for resisting extraction projects

By Mama Cash

In the unyielding struggle for justice, women human rights defenders (WHRDs) valiantly protect ancestral lands, waters, and territories. They are also the ones most at risk. Standing up against complex and well-sourced large-scale extractive projects exposes them to alarming dangers – from threats and criminalization to sexual assault and even lethal violence. Mama Cash and the Count Me In!* consortium (CMI!), created a unique toolkit to support activists and land defenders in unraveling the complex web of investors responsible for these extractive projects.

From conflict to win-win: 10 years of building social dialogue in Peru

By Mondiaal FNV

Looking at innocuous blueberries, avocados and asparagus in our supermarkets, you wouldn’t expect they originate from a workplace full of strife in Peru. Yet, that was the stark reality. The country has a history of mistrust and confrontations between employers and employees, often resulting in conflicts, even violence. It took over 10 years of support and facilitations by Mondiaal FNV to build a social dialogue between trade unions and employers. This effort was so effective that it even succeeded in bringing employees who had been fired for unionizing back to the negotiation table. How did they turn this struggle into a win-win situation?

Boosting entrepreneurship in the Kurdistan region of Iraq   

By CINOP & Cordaid Iraq

Imagine this: You are a young man or woman living in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. You finished your education a year ago. And since then, you have been eagerly looking for a job. But that is not an easy task, and you know that. The public sector -which is the main employer in the region- is unable to absorb all the young graduates that enter the labour market each year. You start to worry about your future. What can you do to improve your chances of finding a job?

Adaptability in action: responding to changing politics in Colombia

By NIMD

As we’ve seen recently in the Netherlands, the political landscape can change drastically at the drop of a dime. Which leaves those dependent on political processes scrambling to adjust. A similar transformation occurred in Colombia following the 2018 national elections. The political winds turned: people, priorities and policies changed under the new administration. The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) quickly adapted and found a new way to promote peaceful, just and inclusive politics. Can’t beat the politics? Better join the politicians!

Impact Story 10: Theater drives change for people and nature in Virunga

By IUCN

Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is home to many (endangered) species, such as mountain gorillas, elephants, and hippos. The area’s inhabitants often depend on this biodiversity for their livelihoods, but people and wildlife also conflict from time to time. Armed groups, illegal activities, and population growth put more pressure on the national park. IUCN NL aims to reconnect young people with nature. But how do cultural activities create ‘Actors of Hope’?

Impact Story 11: Pioneering Social Change

By Plan International

Imagine living in a marginalised community in Jordan, where poverty, social exclusion, and high unemployment rates are a daily struggle for many. Perhaps you are a woman, a youth, living with a disability or with a refugee status – leaving you discriminated against, harassed and hindered from finding a (decent) job. Not an easy life. In 2019, Plan International teamed up with Ruwwad, Alfanar, and EURICSE to change this reality. They launched “Mubaderoon,” meaning “pioneers,” to support social enterprises, especially those led by communities, youth, and individuals with disabilities or refugee status, in their mission to combat poverty and exclusion in Jordan.

Street Children’s Path to Legal Rights

by Save the Children

In India, about two million children are living on the streets. Whether orphaned, runaways, or born to parents facing homelessness, nearly 70% of these children are forced to work for their survival, with no access to education. Their path to a brighter future is obstructed by a seemingly simple yet critical barrier: a legal identity. Save the Children stepped in to register these children and issue them with ID cards. The first step towards gaining access to education, healthcare, and essential youth services.