We will use the hashtag #edutechnl and will be live tweeting during the event.

Organisations who will be present this afternoon include: Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Concept Square, Oxfam Novib, Butterfly Works, War Child, Edukans, Hirda, University of Amsterdam and ELM concepts / HUB creations.

Twitter users present include:  @conceptsquare  @mattinamsterdam @emerbeamer @jameslawrie @lovemattersinfo @HIRDA_NL @edukans

For full details on the event and the projects being presented please check this PDF
for more info mail  james.lawrie{at}warchild.nl or emer{at}butterflyworks.org

or leave a comment below and we will contact you.

Playing the game in Uganda

Inline with the recent wave of ‘Games for Change’ whereby the help of gamers is enlisted to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, the aim of the GetH2O game is to create awareness about life in informal settlements, where 1 billion people live, that’s 1/6th of all humanity.

The mobile game has 40k downloads.

Situated in a slum, the game deals with issues of water scarcity, crowded housing, crime and corruption, the players in the game aim is to build 6 houses and keep the community bar in the green.  However not only can the player choose to build their own houses, they can also build community hospitals, schools and toilets for the benefit of the whole community.

Game tests in Uganda and Nigeria have shown that similar issues affect urban populations there too. Some 1 billion people around the world live in informal settlements due to the current rush to the cities in search of work and a better life. Yet upon arrival things are often tougher than expected.

Playing the game leads to lively discussions about the issues experienced on a daily basis in many cities in Africa, cities which are growing rapidly with the service level remaining far behind. The lack of basic services also regularly leads to conflicts, which is why the game also deals with this issue.

While games are often knocked as being about violence this is a game which contributes to social behaviour, gamers often play in groups to discuss how to improve life conditions or visit the facebook group to post their ideas.

Early game development session.

What started in Nairobi and Amsterdam as a co-creation project on issues of poverty and peace has led to this mobile phone game that works across Nokia style phones which are hugely popular in African cities. Currently in Kenya 95% of people who access the internet do that with a mobile phone. The game has been downloaded more than 40,000 times in only two months and the Android version of the game is in development for the growing number of android phones coming on the market.

The new android / tablet version.

On Wednesday the 21st of September, which is International Peace Day, gamers in Nairobi, Kampala, Johannesburg and Amsterdam will be playing the GetH2O game and exchanging ideas with each other via the GetH2O facebook group. While people in Uganda can text GAME to 8282 to get the game to their phone and then call in to the Capital FM radio discussions about the game. Those in Nairobi can check in with Simama Pamoja Initiative (SPI) in Majimazuri Center (Mathare) from 2pm.

Going forward, issues in slums are just one issue that the social design studio Butterfly Works is tackling with a game, currently in development are new games on women’s issues and combating illiteracy.

Relevant Links
Game website – http://www.GetH2Ogame.com
FaceBook group – https://www.facebook.com/GetH2OGame
Video story of the game – http://vimeo.com/29035945
Gameplay in a video – http://vimeo.com/29035838
High res photos – http://www.flickr.com/photos
Get the Mobile game from Getjar.com/mobile

At breakfast we meet our photographer to hand over a selection of photos. What a great person to work with – we’d love to work with her again. She even offers to make additional photos once we’re in Holland! What a service. We are convinced though, that we have enough material for the launch in Paris, at Maison et Objet. Outside the hotel we meet our filmmaker who will film another two hours at the factory. Just some extra shots to have a complete image of how one bird is developed from beginning to end. And then, of course, the birds fly with us in our suitcase.

At the factory we are finishing up the documents, giving instructions and handing over the product sheets. This way the crafters will be able to work smoothly once we’re back in Holland. The smile of the head of the crafting department should give us confidence that everything will be just fine. We are a bit worried though, time went very fast and going back to Holland really means we are not in control anymore of what the birds are going to look like. We will only see the last changes and newest birds some days before the fair… so: Insha Allah (God willing)…

Just before going to the Airport we decide to treat ourselves to a nice cup of tea at the Serena hotel… the taxi driver leaves us down the street so we walk to the hotel… there’s not much hesitation in our steps as we are determined to get some nice pastry… At the hotel we hear a group of American women talking about building a collection of knitwear over here. We are amused to hear new strategies of other Westerns making an effort to build some business in (trapped in confict)Kabul. Than we realize we really need to get to the airport, and since the taxi is waiting further down, we do the longest walk since we’re in Afghanistan: five minutes… I’m sure our muscles will hurt the next day.

After controls and security, we give the little man helping us with our bags a tip and our little prayer-carpet – it’s getting a bit too heavy for us. We get on our plain and before we know it we are in Dubai. The rest of our trip goes very smoothly, the long transfer in Dubai goes quick enough with lots of cups of tea. Less talking on our return, but we know what each of us is thinking: a good night sleep and… a cheese sandwich!

www.craftingpeace.com

When we wake up, we immediately realize that we only have two more days to finish the work! No relaxed good bye, but we have only this short time to really know in detail what the collection will look like – as we can’t possibly do that from The Netherlands.

So, after breakfast we go straight to the factory, together with our filmmaker, who will film the process from the design to the actual crafting of the bird. Also, he will film the interviews that take place with the craftsmen that shared their current state of mind in a ‘word’ (like cordial, happy or anxious) and that were processed in the designs of the birds.

Meanwhile we’re busy processing the photos of the birds in the computer, and adjusting the last crafted birds with our final changes, which is a lot… even more because we have to make two sets, one copy with final adjustments for here and one to take home. So we know what to expect in the second round of production.

Unfortunately we are continuously running out of materials at the factory to embroider and stitch the birds. Every minute we hear someone say… “fabric is finished… last meters of yarn…” and so on. We run up and down from the factory to the supply- and financial manager, to make them aware of these crucial supplies in order to make this project succeed. Like in other projects it isn’t always easy to get everyone as enthusiastic and committed as we are…

However, the most important thing reassures us: the quality of the embroidering is amazing!
Every day the birds become more beautiful. We are getting more into a (faster) rhythm, which hopefully will be continued once we’re on our way home. All stuff that will eventually influence the price of the bird. And, their challenge is to make all the adjustments for our launch at Maison et Objet in Paris, coming January.

We get a sneak peak from the moviemaker. It’s going quite well – documenting the process of crafting. Not there yet, but he will finish his work before the end of the (working) day. Then we have enough footage to take home and work with!

When the factory closes, we try to get back to the hotel to meet up with the photographer to make a selection of her photos. We run late – as we are stuck in traffic, and experience some tension in the city with military vehicles and snipers on rooftops everywhere. With all the roadblocks we get to the hotel two hours delay. Fortunately the photographer is still busy making the selection and stuck in traffic as well: we decide to postpone the meeting until the next morning…

After some Twitter and Facebook in the lobby, we decide to call it a day. Tomorrow we are heading to the airport, but first finishing up at the factory… Something I don’t want to think about right now!

www.craftingpeace.com

In the afternoon we planned a photo shoot at the pool at the hotel. After consulting the hotel manager we ‘plunder’ the hotel. We drag around beautiful carpets, objects and items. At the pool we move pots and plants and create a big square of rugs, pillows, rolls and flowers. The concept is like a picnic in the winter garden of Kabul. And we have to say: it looks amazing. It becomes an astonishing fairytale-like atmosphere which fits Crafting Peace perfectly. In the mean time we receive a text with a sneak preview of the photography. Although the result is not quite there yet, we give suggestions and believe in good results.

At two o’clock the photographer and filmmaker are finished and we hope we have enough time for the shoot at our fairytale pool, because the sun goes down at 4.30 pm as Kabul is located between high mountains. We check the photos of this afternoon and feel we are not quite there yet, as the birds do not present well in the crowded little shops. But the photo of the bird in the bakery is great!

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, the light is changing and we don’t have a model. We realize that without a model it is more difficult to keep focus in the image, especially in a excessively decorated ensemble. We try to do some shots, but our disappointment grows and our nervousness about the result gets the upper hand. At the same time it occurs to us that maybe we want too much, we want to do too much in these ten days. We bring the shoot to an end and think enough is enough. We have two more days to finish the collection and to round things off. Of course we strive for perfection, but under the circumstances of the country and the possibilities we get, we made the right choices and got the best as possible results. And there always needs to be something left to be desired…

www.craftingpeace.com

At the factory Samir is waiting for us. This is a contact we got from The Netherlands, and he may lead us to some models. Samir works at a foundation that educates women and gives them an opportunity to receive training, in for example professional hairdressing. We thought it would be a good idea to ask him for help. But he comes with another story which immediately sounds suspicious. He asks whether the Ministry of Women Affairs is aware of what we are doing. We get even more suspicious after Samir tells us that a group of Germans photographed an Afghan family a few weeks ago and were arrested because of this. After intervention by the Embassy the Germans were released soon, but the Afghans are still detained. We don’t know what this man wants, but we decide to thank him a lot for his advice and let him know that we definitely will not photograph an Afghan family. Then he shows us his visa papers. Like many others, he wants our help to go to another country. This remains one of the hardest parts of the work we do. So many people in need, and often so little one can do.

We are still waiting for ‘our model’ whom we met yesterday to contact us. We have a bad feeling that it’s not going to happen either. Meanwhile, it is extremely busy at the factory. As many birds as possible have to be completed for the photoshoot. We have to divide our attention between all the different parties present: the embroiderers, the photographer and, of course, Safi, who has to pass on all the changes. Meanwhile, operational manager Wajiha translates everything for us and guides everyone. Luckily enough this goes pretty well.

Farzana the photographer tries to capture the creation of the birds as beautifully as possible. Occasionally she lets us take a look and approve. It looks really nice! The employees are all giggly about the fuss. We have to change headscarfs quickly when it seems that some colors work better in the photo shoot. We drag the embroidery table outside because of better light and the women are fine with it.

We conclude the first day of the photo shoot with a good feeling. Although it is very difficult to make beautiful shots in a boring concrete environment, we are satisfied.

www.craftingpeace.com

After updating our blog, Twitter and Facebook we decide to go on an expat investigation. We first go to “Ganjina”, the expat shop where products from Afghanistan are sold. It’s fairly busy on the Afghan Sunday. We look at all the products in the stores: everything is just breathtaking! As often in countries like this, a real designer’s heaven! We both fall for the beautiful garments made by the Uzbek in Afghanistan. Oooh – we’re wondering… they are so beautiful… can we take it in our luggage back to The Netherlands?

In the corridor between the shops we run into our contact Neeti of Oxfam Novib. It is a good opportunity to ask whether it is possible to take some pictures of Kabul. As we suspected, it should be done discreetly. No pictures of women or army vehicles and objects. We decide to take pictures from the taxi when standing still. And…the plan seems to succeed.

After spending quite some time in the shops, we go outside and notice a beautiful girl chatting to a friend. Since we are desperately looking for a model, we pluck up courage and start talking to her. Briefly we tell her about Crafting Peace and the idea for the photo shoot. She is excited about the idea and we exchange e-mail addresses. Hurray! So far so good!

After that we treat ourselves to a cup of tea in the “Hilton” hotel of Kabul. We reach the “fort” and actually find the entrance. The security is very strict because the Serena hotel is a place where the most influential people of the country and ministries stay and meet with the international communities. Last year, there was a bomb explosion in the courtyard, where expensive cars are now parked.

Our tea is lovely and we enjoy the warm surroundings. The atmosphere is in contrast to our own little fridge we call our hotel room. However, we feel strange to be in these surroundings in Kabul, with the knowledge that at the same time and in the same city people are shivering in a cold tent. Despite all this warmth and luxury, we are glad that we sleep in a hotel like ours. It feels more modest and fits better with the work we do. So a few more nights of shivering to endure.

Around 18.00 pm, tired of all the impressions, we return to our hotel. It was a beautiful day and we are fully charged for tomorrow. An important day!

www.craftingpeace.com

Upon arriving at the factory, we immediately go through our checklist… what about the quotations, the zippers and the filling for the birds? We already understood that it is not possible for the birds to leave the country with the filling. The reason being that customs doesn’t have an appropriate scanner to check everything. This is another aspect that could cause the final birds to be more expensive than if we would produce them in India for example.

Besides all the technicalities we are still busy preparing for our photo shoot. We know that it is extremely difficult to get a female model in Afghanistan. But we must not lose heart. We go to the office of operational manager Wajiha to ask whether she has discussed it with her family if she would be able to pose for the photo shoot. Unfortunately her family has decided against it. Our search continues.

Behind the machines, everyone is busy with embroidering. It is the intention that the first birds will be stitched together today. Zippers and filling should therefore be found. Hurriedly a Boumi employee has to run to the market for the right color zippers. At the beginning of the week we were assured that there would be filling enough, at least for the birds to be used for the photo shoot. This was however not the case, but luckily the solution is apparent: we can remove the filling of some other cushions and fill the birds with it.

Because of the weekend, everyone leaves the factory at 13.00 pm today. This allows us to have a relaxed lunch and to evaluate everything that is done so far. We put all the birds in a row to get a good overview. In this way we can also check if we can make correct groups and color combinations to present them at Maison & Objet, the big trade show in Paris that we will attend this January. We are going in the right direction but some minor adjustments are still necessary.

Tired but satisfied we get in the car with the same driver that we had this morning. This time we drive straight to our hotel. In the evening after our Facebook and Twitter updates we sit back and watch the movie “Alice in Wonderland”. To stay a bit in the atmosphere of fairy tales… hopefully we will sleep better this time.

www.craftingpeace.com

The drive to the factory takes a bit longer than usual. And once again there is so much to see outside. We have already noticed earlier that there are a lot of beautifully decorated cars parked in a certain place we pass. We wonder how many people can marry on one day? Upon enquiry the taxi driver tells us that the cars are not decorated because of weddings, but that they are of families who welcome back their relatives who return from the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Upon arrival at the factory, we immediately have to start with work to keep up with the speed of the machine embroiderers. Apparently they found their niche and the result is absolutely great! This is crafting in the purest form of the word, painting with needle and thread. By their own free expression and in consultation with us, the designs are filled in. We can only look on breathlessly.

The embroidery machines are motor driven but the stitches are determined entirely manually. By subtle hand movements and foot control through a pedal, the most beautiful patterns are created. Of course, 100% hand embroidery would be the ultimate goal, but price technically and commercially not feasible at this moment. This method wouldn’t work for Crafting Peace as we aim to sell as much as possible to actually improve the economic situation.

The overall picture of the collection begins to change rapidly from our original plan. It always happens that you have to make concessions, but this takes quite a lot from our creative mind: different fabrics, yarns that suddenly run out and also the fact that we have to shift  almost  everything to machine embroidery instead of hand embroidered. Because we leave next Tuesday evening the pressure is high, but we find ourselves in a good flow. We are sure that every next bird will be even better.

In the meanwhile there is much discussion back and forth, talking and laughing at each other. Safi (head embroiderer) is having a good time. We are delighted that he shows it to us.

There is also quite a lot of discussion about the price calculations. The implications of  the cost of implementing new designs and the hours that it would take is unclear. Every day we try to clarify more. However promising the collection gets, we should really be able to achieve a somewhat competitive price (plus a ‘premium’ because it comes from a fragile country).

On the way to the hotel we get off at Finest, a grocery shop. Our first trip outdoors without a ‘babysitter’. We have never inspected products with such an interest. We also enjoy it a lot to be in a different environment. The way from the grocery shop to the hotel (50 meters) without a steel armour feels a bit uncomfortable. We almost feel naked. However, we reach the hotel safely.

Back in the hotel we admire the purchases and take pictures of it. We are having fun… even though we can hardly leave our room. The night is much more restless. All impressions of the day like burqas and children’s hands continue to haunt us.

www.craftingpeace.com

Running around we try to see everything, via small alleys we finally end up in a little shop where we take off our shoes of to balance between hundreds of little bags with beads. We force ourselves to buy only 6 bags: white, grey, two shades of pink, aqua, purple and ..well ok, seven bags…neon green. At our return the ladies of the threads gather around us and are very enthusiastic to talk to us. We try to explain that we don’t understand and finally we hear from the product manager that they are complimenting us with the way we look: veiled en very Afghan!

In the meanwhile we are a little worried, although the things that are being made look great, it does go very slow, slow, slow. But, the fact that our co-design process works comforts us.

Our co-design process is working very well. This provides a lot of confidence and trust. The head of embroidery, Safi, is the king of embroidery stitches. He designs the stitch combinations together with the embroiderers and seamstresses. The creative design input is absolutely working out to be fifty fifty. This is of course something we’re very happy about.

To work a little faster, we do try to push a little. We very directly ask what people are doing at the moment and why. We find out that less people are working on the collection than we thought. We check our designs and try to think how we can work different, faster, simpler so we can optimize the talents we have. And then, at the end of the day, things are get going. The first machine embroidered birds are ready and one bird is even above our expectations.

We finish the day with doubt: is the factory open or closed tomorrow? Tonight on the news Afghanistan will hear the following day is a national public holiday or not. To be honest, we hope not. We want to continue. Continue with the great talents, the great thread and beads.

www.craftingpeace.com