Design to Transform

shikungigi

You might be aware that I wanted to be a web designer after uni. You also know that’s not what I ended up doing. I still harbour those dreams sometimes. Plus playing around with the way this blog looks always energises me. Anyway, yesterday I got a call from a friend. I was getting my hands looking for dusty books at a supermarket in Westlands.

Hi Shiku!
Hey Frank!
I don’t want to take too much of your time because I know you’re busy.
Haha! Ah, nah. I am actually off today.
Oh okay.
Sema.
I want to invite you to hang out with me for a noble cause this Saturday.
And what would that be?
It’s an event called design to transform where we’ll be making websites for children’s homes.
Oh wow. Well… Saturday… Hmmm…
No, Shiku, just think about it. It’s a great cause.
I agree but Saturday is already booked.
I’ll send you more information about it and then you can decide and share on your blog.
Okay, cool. We’ll see.
Thanks.
Bye!

So here I am, sharing what I thought was quite an interesting initiative. The guys behind it are LIVELUVO and Design 2 Transform. Goal: To Build Websites for Community Organisations. Without further ado, I’ll quote them word-for-word.

“LIVELUVO is sponsoring the Design 2 Transform Hackathon this Saturday- March 19th 2016, in a one-day drive to build websites for 10 Community Based Organisations at iHub, Nairobi. Dubbed LIVELUVO Design 2 Transform, the Hackathon will see young people with different web design skills coming together to synergise their skills for the community, as well as learn from each other.

The inaugural Hackathon held in January completed and delivered six websites for six Children’s Homes to help them connect donors and partners with worthy causes in need of support. The project brought together 45 volunteers with different backgrounds who worked in teams to achieve the goal of the day. They learnt various platforms to use in Web Design and Development and this empowered them to transform their community through technology.

Design 2 Transform’s Team Leader, Nelson Kwaje, explains that the Hackathon is not only meant for techies:

Anyone with whatever skill can come and be part of the change we all want to see. The person with the web design skills in the team will teach the rest of the members how to do it, practically, the accountant will help create the content, the photographer will advise on the photos… everybody can do something! Just come expecting to learn and help the community, and we guarantee you that both will happen! | Nelson

It is this combination of commitment to the community and skill exchange that inspired LIVELUVO to be part of the upcoming event. Design 2 Transform is a real life example of what LIVELUVO stands for- exchanging services, developing skills and sharing knowledge for the collective growth of the community. LIVELUVO came in to assist Design to Transform projects become sustainable by providing a platform for a real-time communication between the volunteers and other members of the ecosystem. The volunteers will also use the platform to explore their skills and accelerate the skills they learn in the Hackathon to create opportunities.

Ryan Doyle, Head of Community Development at LIVELUVO says, “Design 2 Transform is a beautiful meeting of talent, community and enthusiasm. A professional website amplifies an organization’s voice. Design 2 Transform ensures that a CBO like Spirit of Mercy Children’s Home can shout their message of aiding orphans and children from vulnerable households. LIVELUVO believes that when communities come together, we flourish. Design 2 Transform is a perfect example of this and we are rewarded to support their upcoming Hackathon.

Take part in this Hackathon. There will be training by professionals, you will have a chance to create business and personal networks and you will have a positive impact on the environment. You will receive a certificate of participation. Lunch will be served.

Register here on EventBrite. Be part of the conversation on LIVELUVO.”

Plot ya Saturday ndiyo hiyo, watu wangu! 

Design to Transform

9 thoughts on “Design to Transform

  1. Interesting read. Had almost missed that gig.. ION, you can still become a web designer you know. Just start at codecademy.com and see how it goes. Thanks again for sharing that info. 🙂

    Cheers!

    1. Thanks for passing by! Funny enough, I know almost everything there is to know, so it’s not a matter of knowledge. It’s mostly just a decision.

        1. I don’t think I’m exactly cut out for it. That’s all. They are great skills to have, but going full throttle is not me. At least not now. Let’s wait and see.

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