The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB) announced the winners of the 6th edition of the "Development Superheroes 2023" Competition which rewards lessons learned and the implementation of creative and innovative solutions during the execution of development projects that are financed by the IDB Group in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Juliano Seabra, Head of the Knowledge, Innovation and Communication Sector, emphasized that "The IDB Group is committed to the creation and transmission of knowledge as a path to improving the standard of living in the region. The winners are good examples of the implementation of projects that adapt to an increasingly changing reality and that generate knowledge that can be reproduced in other fields or by other teams."

The 2023 competition received 141 proposals from 25 countries in the region, almost double that of 2022. The winners of this edition, which were announced during the IDB Group Knowledge Week, are Haiti and Peru.

Haiti:

Social security network for vulnerable people (Haiti). Unit responsible for implementation: Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES) of the Government of Haiti.

This initiative was designed to provide cash and in-kind transfers to the most vulnerable groups (such as young people and pregnant or lactating women). Haiti experiences high levels of vulnerability, with nearly 4.9 million people suffering from hunger. In addition, Haiti is the third country in the world most exposed to extreme weather events.

The promoters of this project faced many challenges. Among these was the lack of databases making it possible to identify the direct beneficiaries of the projects or the low level of banking integration to carry out the transfers. To overcome these obstacles, the project chose to carry out transfers through mobile telephone operators. The large-scale partnership between FAES, NGOs and UN agencies has made it possible to reach at least 3 million people, notably covering areas of the country that could not be reached before.

HL/ HaitiLibre