Design skills for children in rural Kenya

News - 14 April 2021 - Communication

For his graduation project, Design for Interaction MSc student Marten Westerhof developed a toolkit for Sustainable Rural Initiatives (SRI). With it, SRI employees are able to organise workshops in which children can playfully develop their design skills. The creative process and the diversity of outcomes keep the children motivated and engaged.

Thanks to the long-distance cooperation with Jowi, Ken and the children of Okana, Marten was able to develop a successful toolkit.

SRI is an NGO located in Okana, a rural community in Western Kenya. As Marten explains in his video, “SRI aims to provide the community members with opportunities to develop practical skills, such as carpentry or tailoring.”

Marten will present his project at the 38th ‘Pupil’s Attitudes Towards Technology’ conference on 28 April. This year’s theme is “Technology in our hands – Creative pedagogy and ambitious teacher education”, which acknowledges the importance of physical objects, experiences and activities in the creation and application of technology.

To find out more about Marten’s graduation project, you can read his thesis via TU Delft’s Repository.