In times of crisis, solidarity takes many forms, and one particularly impactful way is through physical support. Toloka, a traditional method of demonstrating solidarity in Ukraine, has evolved into something remarkable – the Tolocar project developed by German and Ukrainian partners, with the backing of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Tolocar started just weeks after the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. This initiative aims not only to provide emergency relief, but also to foster a participatory innovation ecosystem for the socioeconomic recovery of Ukraine.

What is Tolocar?

Tolocar, at its core, is a fleet of mobile makerspaces deployed in Ukraine. These are convening spaces to unite makers, technical experts, and civil society organizations. Together, they strive to:

• Use Ukraine's digital innovation capacity to address urgent humanitarian needs.
• Strengthen decentralized production systems in partner locations, including displaced businesses, makerspaces, or community workshops.
• Support both new and existing stationary makerspaces.
• Develop the skills of Ukrainian makers and makerspace managers.
• Connect Ukrainian makers to national, regional, and global networks, expanding their reach and impact.

The Playbook: A Guide for Practitioners

Recognizing the unprecedented nature of the Tolocar project, the team authored a playbook to guide fellow practitioners. This serves as a collection of strategies, tactics, and lessons learned, not meant to be prescriptive but rather reflective of their iterative and pluralistic approach. A digital living copy of the Playbook resides on Appropedia.

What's Inside the Playboook?

• Why Tolocar: Introducing key concepts and terminology, including distributed manufacturing, and more.
• How To Tolocar: Detailed insights into the project's fleet, team, and checklist.
• Tolocar Stories: Illustrating the project's impact on Ukrainian makers and civil society through diverse interventions over the past year.
• Future Plans: Outlook on supporting Ukraine's innovation ecosystem for inclusive socio-economic recovery and inspiring similar initiatives globally.

Get Involved

The Tolocar playbook, available on our website as a downloadable PDF, offers a snapshot of the project as of August 2023. Moreover, thanks to the platform's open nature, the playbook is also a living document evolving alongside the project's progress. We encourage continuous learning, experimentation, and adaptation to achieve sustainable outcomes. We invite all makers and practitioners to contribute new ideas and projects.

Check out the incredible achievements of the Tolocar project in the latest video showcase! See how global participants, including Emilio Velis, Appropedia's Executive Director, collaborate on open hardware projects addressing sustainability, recycling, health needs, and more.