Industrial Design and Humanitarian Relief

First of all, the lecture on Monday made me really think about what a convenient world I was living in. I have lost the sense of appreciation towards water, food, and shelter that we think of so obvious but others don’t. I became very conscious of using water and every time I turned a faucet on, I thought about the lecture.

We are exposed to media all the time. We know the newest trends in fashion or the latest celebrity gossips. I’m surprised by how our attention is easily swayed by media such as Internet, televisions, magazines, and advertisements. However, most of us are ignorant of what is going in the third world countries where the attention is mostly needed. To be honest, I, myself, try to be attentive, but frankly, I don’t know a lot about natural disasters, wars, and consequent life of refugees either.

These problems are so big and vague that we as students who live in a convenient world it is hard to understand or connect with them. We can vaguely guess what the refugees are going though and what they need, but since our lives are so distant from theirs that it is hard to realize and embody the big problems and feel them as though they are ours. Also, the problems can be seen as overwhelming. As much as I want to be involved and use my power to release their anxiety, it could be overwhelming information to take in all at once.

Also, as Dr. Becker also mentioned, preliminary assessments are not done properly, and sometimes help is given in a disorganized, inefficient, and poorly monitored way. Enthusiastic donors donate products that are not really needed there. This was also evident in the “Design that Matters” lecture. For instance, incubators were donated to the third world countries hospitals; however, the cost of owning one was too expensive for them. Also some of the incubators were just stored but not used because instructions were written in French and they didn’t know how to operate the incubators. Small mistakes like this can be easily fixed or considered. When donating things like an incubator, one must consider about the cost of owning one, and the cost of fixing it and maintaining it, and how to utilize it.

Even though it seems hard to really relate ourselves to the refugees in the third world countries, we should at least attempt to pay more attention. We can read about articles or news of what happened and the help that is wanted in the other countries. Moreover, people can start attend lectures and meet people who have witnessed and experienced disasters and met people who really need others’ attention and care. This is only a starting point for everyone, and there are so much more potential opportunities to learn and help others and connect with people who need help.