IDEO.org partnered with American Refugee Committee (ARC) to support the launch of a social enterprise providing health, water, nutrition, and agriculture services to rural, displaced communities in eastern Congo with the mission of reducing childhood mortality. IDEO.org’s scope of work centered around two goals—designing an integrated business and service model supported by a brand and providing a set of materials that ARC could utilize to acquire further funding and support.

Opportunities for Design

The IDEO.org team began with the question, how might we design a customer experience that is desirable, affordable, and meets the community’s fluctuating circumstances? During our field visits, we found that displaced families often have very little cash on hand at any given point and, in turn, often lean on each other for support in times of scarcity. Though most individuals are risk averse, new ideas (when adopted) are built up and maintained as a community. 

These insights led us to identify the opportunity for an integrated service, brand, and business model, rather than stand alone services. Seeing as communities are cautious to integrate new services, we realized that the success of the program came down to developing a strong brand and solid service model that would deliver on three core values—community, consistency, and clarity—while ensuring feasibility on the side of our partners. 

What We Designed

The IDEO.org team designed a comprehensive set of deliverables, from a service design and business model for enterprises—including water, health, nutrition, and agriculture – to a pitch presentation, brand, and video. The service design deliverable serves as a field guide, outlining brand and business recommendations for launch. The 2-minute video, on the other hand, can be used by partners to demonstrate the vision of the Asili brand once the program is launched, and can also be used by ARC to drive conversation with possible donors or investors.  

Impact Update

IDEO.org is proud to see Asili in operation this year, with over 500 patients already seen within the first three months of operation and 600 more participating in the agriculture program. Read the full update here.