Design Communication Award presented by Artellix
and the Sustainability Award presented by Design1st
Hazina: Learning Through Play Using Found Materials
“Public schools in rural Tanzania currently face a stark lack of resources and learning materials due to chronic underfunding. These classrooms—typically little more than rows of deteriorating desks facing a blackboard used for rote learning—represent a truly challenging educational setting for young students, especially considering the numerous other difficulties they face, such as long walking distances and food insecurity.
Hazina aims to address this by bringing elements of Western play-based pedagogy into alignment with the existing context, curricula, and classroom dynamics of Tanzanian primary schools, while also incorporating the use of found materials from the local environment. In doing so, Hazina eases the burden of learning by drawing inspiration from childrens’ natural tendencies, offering a fun, interactive, engaging and affordable learning and teaching platform for students and educators alike.”
About the Designer
Benjamin Chinn, Carleton
Design is my way of telling and retelling stories—introspective reflections of the world around me, the places I’ve been, the people I’ve met, and the experiences that have shaped my journey as a designer. Outside of design, I find joy in life’s smaller moments: playing the piano, collecting plants, folding origami, cooking and baking, and learning about different cultures.