Making Poverty History: Alerting Industrial Design Students to the Millennium Development Goals

摘要: ABSTRACT The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted by the United Nations as a blueprint for building better world in 21st century, with main strategy being poverty eradication 2015. To this end, third year Industrial Design students at University of New South Wales challenged to investigate issues and explore creative solutions address hunger, achieve universal primary education, empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat killer diseases, ensure environmental sustainability. Students chose remotely design peoples Africa, India Southeast Asia, working on such projects simplified educational equipment, drinking water safety, malaria HIV, minimizing childbirth risks. As part preliminary research they interviewed international aid volunteers relief workers who have had firsthand experiences indigent communities those countries. MDG studio project has been helpful introducing social responsibility cultural sensitivity, confronts typical designers’ approach targeting primarily end-users advanced markets. This activity follows growing trend among proactive groups regard vast majority world’s population “bottom pyramid” huge market that is under-served disadvantaged design.