DESIGN is not limited to objects – it can also help to improve lives, as the city has set out to show with clubs for people with HIV and call lines for residents who don’t have airtime or landlines.
These and other projects are highlighted at the Open Design Festival, which is under way at the city hall and highlights some of the projects launched during Cape Town’s year as World Design Capital.
The ARV Clubs reduce the time people with HIV spend queuing for their antiretroviral medication, and ease the pressure on medical facilities.
Based on an idea piloted by Doctors Without Borders in Khayelitsha in 2007, patients report directly to the club room at their appointed facility for check-ups and to collect the ARVs packed in advance for them.
With the FreeCall Lines, introduced in Gugulethu for residents needing to report problems with services, residents are connected to the city’s call centres for free.
At the Guga S’thebe Arts Centre in Langa a theatre has been fashioned out of containers and recycled material.
Also highlighted at the festival are RDP homes built in Ocean View of Table Mountain sandstone.
“Open Design Cape Town has been an instrument for change, opening up opportunities in the design sector for many talented and creative young people,” said Gareth Bloor, the mayoral committee member for tourism, event and marketing.
“Part of the city’s strategy is to ensure events are inclusive and that they provide opportunities.” – Staff Writer