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Published February 11, 2009 by Rebecca Matheson

Community builders and equations

church-2Despite Melbourne being decidedly cooler than last weekend, fires still burn. The wider region has begun to respond, with Singapore promising the use of helicopters stationed in Queensland, a woman in Paris doing the legwork to track down a missing person in Melbourne and people in Uganda praying for the state of Victoria. (*Yes that was a sad attempt at a too-clever-but-just-bad lead-up but I did think both former facts were fairly interesting, so bear with me…).

My father-in-law Ron, and brother-in-law Mark are currently overseas with a group called Hope Builders, working in Uganda to build houses for widows and orphans in an initiative to build a physical community that will provide mothers and children for each other -ultimately shared care and new families.

I finally managed to track down the blog of ‘Team 3’ which includes a bunch of people from YVV.

It would great if you could check out what they’re doing, laugh at the fact that Ron had to preach as soon as someone mentioned he was ‘a pastor’ (Preaching not his usual role, although I’m sure he did fine!) and pray for the team.

But jumping back to Victoria now…

I was listening to the Radio (774) yesterday and the presenter was beautifully tactful suggesting that perhaps we have something to learn in looking at how the community pulls together in a time of disaster. This community spirit – as it’s bizzarely called, is something that should occur more readily in the bland old every-day. I couldn’t agree more. There is a striking similarity and gaping difference here in the response to the fires to the physical implementation of building houses in Uganda. I think that places like Uganda are already close, if not there in getting the community thing right but simply lack resources where the disaster of poverty is the every-day – hence the need for outside intervention, or at least our assumed response of intervention. Where as our over abundance of resouces in the Western world needs the disaster to tease out the community. This I am sure is none-to an original thought.

Simply speaking:

Western World: Resources + Disaster (Fire) = Community

Third World: Community + Disaster (Poverty) = Resources

Naturally… the Third world equation does not always eventuate and here lies the rather huge problem that faces our world. Despite this, I think the Third world might be coming from a better position initally in at least they have community on the correct side of the equation. In many ways, Australia is very, very poor – as is my equation theory, but in the true spirit of being married to a guy who really likes his theories, this is mine.

Christianity Church Social Justice

bushfires community poverty social responsiblity uganda

Published October 15, 2008 by Rebecca Matheson

Blog Action Day – Intentions

Apparently I have to credit Geoff for this idea… because it is his, but as I am married to the man – I technically still own at least some of the IP (What?) so I’m going to write about it anyway.

My attitude to Blog Action Day is somewhat like my attitude toward poverty. In that I really would like to do something about it, but life gets in the way. It’s a crap excuse. As it currently stands, it is nearly 11pm and I have to finish this post, print out stuff for uni for an 8:30am class as well as fix up a cover letter, while still wanting to watch an episode of the West Wing before bed. My grand scheme of thoroughly researching and writing up about Design related approaches to poverty has fallen in a heap, and I am here with a lot of good intentions but not a lot of practical outcomes.

It saddens me that the most obvious, in your face experiences of poverty (at least as a western, middle class, train rider) when asked for money come first with a knee jerk reaction followed quickly, but not quickly enough by the guilt to do something about it when it’s already too late, the moment has passed.

We are not proactive about poverty and often do not have the right mindset about it even when our intentions are good.

This is my confession.

And here is as far as I got with my design/poverty based research (I would love to know of more):

  • LOVE – Lens of Vision and Expression
  • Visionary Images

Blogging Design Social Justice

apathy blog action day busyness Design poverty

Published June 26, 2008 by Rebecca Matheson

Poverty – the girl effect

Another video for you to watch today. It think I’ll let it speak for itself.

The Girl Effect Website

also, it is quite beautiful typographically (which is entirely not the point, but still interesting)

Design Social Justice

aid girls poverty the girl effect

Published April 2, 2008 by Rebecca Matheson

Engineers without Borders

My response to an interview in Dumbo Feather on Design Hub (A uni thing that could be written as a blog comment and I did it pretty quickly):

Does Engineers without Borders Give a Damn?

I was blown away by the impact of Engineers without Borders. I’ve heard a little about them through a friend (Susannah) but didn’t quite realise the vision and the heart behind what they do. Engineers without Borders goes so much further in considering humanity over the immediate environmental or surface level social issue. They approach issues of poverty and need willingly with their skills. Engineers without Borders design for the community, there is an interview with designer Cameron Sinclair and he talks about providing a soccer balls before shelter to meet the social and emotional needs of the people before treating refugees as simply numbers in need of shelter. Engineers without Borders present their own soccer ball yet in their own expertise, sometimes this is shelter, sometimes water but with people in mind before environment. They work collaboratively with young and old to harness passion and wisdom. This goes further into creating systems that established to meet great needs that cannot be as strongly impacted by one. Yet engineers without Borders is the brainchild of one dissatisfied person, Danny Almago and there is something to be said for the impact that one can have on others. From initial failure to see where his aesthetic and technical background fit with ethical issues, Engineers without Borders now exists to include students in a holistic approach to work and life and the world.

Design Social Justice Uni

design article engineers without borders poverty social sustainability

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