Last year, SocialBusiness.org covered Red Button Design’s Midomo Bracelet, which was designed by Alex Monroe in order to fund delivering a Midomo water purifier to an African community. Well, after developing the project for three years, Red Button Design has written on their blog that the Midomo Launch in Mwinga, Kenya was a success.
Located in the Eastern province of Kenya, Mwingi is a district of about 304, 000 people -- 79 percent of whom don’t have access to potable water. The majority of the population source drinking water from surface water, which is an unsafe source that can cause water-related illnesses.
In order to address this problem, this is where Red Button Design’s Midomo comes in to help produce safe drinking water as well as make the trip to the dam and back less physically grueling for the women who often walk for at least an hour to get to the source. One of the philosophies behind Red Button Design is "Design Against Dependency," which, for this particular project meant not pushing any unneeded people, products and/or materials on the Mwingi community. Indeed, this is an approach that many development initiatives could benefit from taking into consideration, as there have been numerous failures when it comes to innovations not fit for local people.
The successful Midomo launch in Mwingi, Kenya goes to show that humanitarian product design coupled with grassroots initiatives can have buoyant results without disrupting a community's livelihood and way of life.
Contact Information:
Midomo Website
Jewelry-Funded Water Purifiers
The Midomo Launch in Mwingi, Kenya Will Bring Security
Trend Themes
1. Humanitarian Product Design - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop innovative products that address social problems and benefit marginalized communities.
2. Grassroots Initiatives - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Support and collaborate with local communities to implement effective solutions to social challenges.
3. Safe Drinking Water Solutions - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create new technologies and products to provide safe drinking water in regions with limited access.
Industry Implications
1. Product Design - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate social and environmental factors into product design processes and strategies.
2. Social Entrepreneurship - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore sustainable business models that address social and environmental needs while generating profits.
3. Water Purification - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop advanced water purification technologies to improve access to clean and safe drinking water worldwide.