Project H Design initiatives encompass product design, design thinking, entrepreneurship, business development, funding, and more. Here’s what we’re working on these days:

DESIGN FOR EDUCATION: MATH TOYS FOR KUTAMBA
Using the Kutamba School for AIDS Orphans as a case study, we’re designing math toys for elementary education in Uganda, with a sister product in the US. We have a great team of designers and strategists working on the projects, including Heleen De Goey from the Netherlands, Dan Grossman and Kristina Drury from New York City, and a team of Design Management graduate thesis from Pratt who are working on the project as part of their thesis. Check out our progress via the Flickr feed Design For Education album!

ABJECT OBJECT
Abject Object focuses on assisting the Los Angeles homeless in finding healthy, creative, and educational ways to move towards self sufficiency. Working directly with Los Angeles’ Downtown Women’s Center, and members of the homeless community who aim to improve their situation, the Los Angeles Chapter design team will collaboratively develop and produce functionally simple, easily made objects from inexpensive, recycled or readily accessible materials.

SAFE SPACES
For 115 years, Helping Hand Home for Children in Austin, Texas has provided a place to heal for abused, neglected and abandoned children. Project H Austin, in collaboration with Helping Hand Home for Children, is exploring how sensory experience and occupational activities can create safe spaces that help to encourage and shape pro-social behavior while helping children stop un-safe and high-risk behaviors.

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY PROJECT H DESIGN STUDIO
This fall, a design studio at Western Michigan University has teamed up with Project H to explore design for homelessness and other social issues in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The semester-studio, led by instructor Dave Veldkamp, will be juried as a competition review in December.

LIFESTRAWS FOR MUMBAI
Funding, delivery, and user acceptance research for the Lifestraw Family point-of-use water filtration system by Vestergaard Frandsen. Read more and donate.

SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER: HIPPO ROLLER REDESIGN
Following the Hippo Roller fund-and-deliver project in South Africa, a redesign of the Hippo Roller for increased shipping efficiency and distribution, and lower price point. In partnership with Engineers Without Borders. Read more.

H IS FOR HIPPO Completed in March 2008, funding and delivery of 75 Hippo Water Rollers to Kgautswane, South Africa. The Hippo Water Roller is a rolling barrel-like device for efficient and safe water transport in the developing world. Read more.