As part of our commitment to decentralizing innovation, these products were created at the local branch of our social innovation lab, the Social Digital Lab
At Suara Cooperativa, our mission is to transform the social environment. To achieve this, we subsidize 10 projects every year aimed at transforming realities. Among this year’s selected initiatives are "Mirades del Senegal" (Gazes of Senegal) and "Torres de vida" (Towers of Life). Both projects are carried out by vulnerable youth in Lleida who are part of our supervised housing and job insertion programs. Using 3D printers at the local Social Digital Lab (SDL) branch, they have manufactured ophthalmic products and vertical gardens.
To bring "Mirades del Senegal" to life, we collaborated with Ocularis, a non-profit NGO specializing in eye health founded by Dr. Joan Prat. Ocularis works with ophthalmologists and optometrists to improve access to eye care in the Global South, including Senegal, where they train local personnel in Dakar to perform eye exams and diagnoses.
Through this partnership, Suara Cooperativa met with Ocularis to understand their technical needs and explore how 3D printing could offer solutions. As a result, the youth in Lleida have produced lightweight, low-cost ophthalmic tools to be used in eye exams, enabling early detection of vision impairment.
Al detall, s’està treballant amb la creació d’oclusors estenopeics, oclusors per operats de cataractes, oclusors transparents, plaquetes d’ulleres transparents, subjecta ulleres minimalistes i ganxos antilliscants per a les ulleres. Aquest projecte es troba en la fase inicial i, de moment, s’han elaborat els prototipatges de cada un d’aquests productes. Un cop s’hagin fet els retocs pertinents, s’acordarà amb Ocularis el nombre d’unitats que necessiten per cada un d’aquests, que són els materials que s’enviaran al Senegal.
Specifically, they are prototyping pinhole occluders, cataract surgery occluders, transparent occluders, transparent eyeglass nose pads, minimalist glass holders, and anti-slip glass hooks. The project is currently in its initial phase. Once the prototypes are refined, the required quantities will be agreed upon with Ocularis and shipped to Senegal.
"This collaboration has been vital because the young participants not only acquire digital and technological skills, but also realize that their work is meaningful and directly benefits others," says Álex Fernández, Social-Labor and Digital Fabrication Technician at Suara Cooperativa in Lleida.
Ocularis stated: "This partnership with Suara Cooperativa proves that innovation and cooperation can transform realities. The components created by the youth in Lleida will help improve eye care in Senegal, while the participants gain tech skills with real social impact. It is a prime example of how talent, solidarity, and networking can generate opportunities and improve lives locally and globally."
Towers of Life
Fernández also leads "Torres de vida," a project that expands participation to youth from the CRAE Noguerola residential care center. This initiative focuses on 3D-printing vertical gardens to promote a more sustainable agricultural model.
Several of these vertical gardens are already operational next to the SDL local headquarters, where the youth manage them and share daily tasks. This endows them with digital skills while building responsibility and empowerment through decision-making.
Additionally, one of the vertical gardens will be installed at the School of Hospitality and Tourism (Eschotur), with plans to extend the initiative to other schools and care homes. This fosters social inclusion for these young people—many of whom arrived in Lleida alone—by helping them build social connections through sharing their experiences.
Another goal of "Torres de vida" is exploring how to create 3D printer filament from recycled plastic bottles, furthering a circular economy model to make the project even more sustainable.
Decentralized Innovation
Innovation is a core value at Suara Cooperativa, placed entirely at the service of people and the community. We aim to foster decentralized innovation across Catalonia to bridge the territorial digital divide. To this end, we have opened SDL centers in Girona, Amposta, and Lleida.
Beyond geographical reach, these projects harness innovation to create multi-faceted impact:
- Senegal: Improving vision care through affordable tools that assist ophthalmologists in diagnosis.
- Lleida Youth: Building tech skills to improve employability.
- Community: Manufacturing lower-cost, accessible solutions for all.
- Environment: Reducing production footprint and driving a circular economy.
This is not the first 3D printing initiative by Lleida's youth; they recently manufactured medical supplies for earthquake victims in Venezuela, demonstrating how technology can serve humanitarian needs.
Projects built for and with the community
Both "Mirades del Senegal" and "Torres de vida" are among the ten community transformation projects funded this year. Reaching its tenth anniversary next year, this initiative embodies Suara Cooperativa’s mission and core values.
As a non-profit cooperative guided by social responsibility, we reinvest our surpluses back into community initiatives. Our cooperative members directly submit and vote on the funded projects, ensuring local relevance, social impact, and person-centered innovation.
At Suara Cooperativa, we know we are stronger together. Achieving our mission relies on inter-cooperation with partners like Ocularis and Eschotur to drive lasting social change.
Learn more about our environmental transformation projects in this interactive presentation.
