I D E A S

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About IDEAS

............skills for Sustainable Development...........

Innovation for Development through Empowerment by Appropriate Solutions (IDEAS) is a social-conscious-driven not for profit organization founded in May, 2009. It consists of a diverse cluster of intellectuals of diverse background such as graduates, students, professionals (Engineers, Accountants, Scientists etc) and community leaders. This richness of backgrounds makes IDEAS a special interest group determined to provide solutions to development problems in rural communities.  It isconcerned with the implementation of products developed through innovation and making them accessible by those who needed them most.

IDEAS is not an academic bloc but an Appropriate Technology (AT) hauler which seeks to bring development through the process of dialogue, design, develop and dissemination.

We want to emphasize development and implementation of prototypes not papers and records. IDEAS is part of the revolution that aspires to create evenhandedness in the distribution of research and development resources by focusing on the needs of poor communities in the developing world. We want to draw inspiration from several current models of innovations andcommunity empowerment through co-creation, cross-disciplinary collaborations and crowdsourcing to bring development to the door steps of poor people in rural communities.

IDEAS has a firm belief of getting things done now. It also believe sturdily in the idea of co-creation - the concept that it is better to provide communities with the skills and tools to become innovators, designers, developers and implementers of new technologies and enterprises themselves rather than simply providing them the technologies. Thus building the capacity for innovation and creativity is critical for long-term sustainable improvements in the quality of life in poor communities.

It is our expectation to inspire community members and transform them into dynamic inventors of these technologies and enterprises rather than being submissive recipients. This is the type of intervention that must take place in order for models of open innovation to be  successful and sustainable in the developing world context. It is better to teach them how to fish rather than giving them fish.

IDEAS also aims to provide the opportunity for its associates to meet and work together with like-minded people who are driven by similar aspirations to make an impact in the  world. By this we hope to create a diverse global network to empower individuals and communities to find solutions to those hard-hitting problems residing in the developing world.